OUGD405: Importance of Research

In Fred's session on Monday we were split into our groups for the 'How To..' brief. We were asked to jot down around ten reasons why research is important. Here is the list which our group devised:

- Informs you on the subject matter
- Inspires you on how to execute your ideas
- Explore & experience your subject matter
- Helps you construct ideas
- Compare ideas against a form of feedback
- Helps you put your ideas into context & purpose
- Helps you develop a style & a professional approach

We then were asked to write ten methods which we would use to collect research, these were the ten our group came up with:

- Using the Internet to explore image/ text. Using resources online to improve my knowledge and understanding
- Reading books/ magazines/ newspapers to help further my knowledge of the subject matter
- Reviewing films, music and TV to gather information, to analyse styles and improve overall knowledge
- Surveys and questionnaires help collect research and statistics from the selected target audience.
- Taking photos, visual research help inspire and develop ideas.
- Learning new skills to develop new styles
- Visiting places relevant to my subject matter (galleries)
- Lectures appropriate to our subject matter.
- Interviewing/ talking to clients and professionals to point us in the right direction, and get specific aims/ goals.


Choose 5 of the above list and elaborate on the source material you would get out of it:

1. Questionnaire/ surveys - Collect opinions, statistics, facts, personal accounts
(who/ how effected, gaps in the market)

2. Internet - Visual material, relevant and up-to-date info. Videos on our topic, tutorials to enhance skills etc. 

3. Visiting places - The atmosphere of the location of the target market. Improving knowledge.

4. Tv/ film/ music - Visuals which help develop ideas, useful data, materials and styles.

5. Taking photos - Visuals of the subject, documentation, ideas and concepts.

 As a class we discussed the methods that each group had and summarised a list:

Entire Group Research Methods:

1. Visiting exhibitions to identify trends
2. Setting up focus groups to get information from the subject matter
3. Questionnaire to gather data, facts and figures
4. Interviewing specialists & professionals
5. Reading design publications
6. Photography; photographing peoples behaviour, architecture
7. Observation of real life
8. Collecting current or historical examples
9. Market research put into context, relevant to the subject matter
10. Experimenting with different media productions 

These are all methods of resaerch.Verbs not Nouns, a process of doing.

Source material :

• Quotes
• Opinions
• Statements
• Facts
• Statistics
• Feedback
• Analysis
• Visual Material
• Information?
• Knowledge
• Examples
• Samples
• Documents

What stops us or prevents us from effectively researching a project:

• Time
• Extensive subject matter
• Little available information
• Unavailability to research
• Unreliable sources
• Lack of equipment and materials
• Insufficient funds
• Interest
• Client criteria
• Team work
• Inaccessibility to info/ places

10 ways in which we can improve our research methods:

• Look at more written resources
• Conduct more experiments
• Visit more places relevant to subject matter
• Conduct more surveys that are relevant
• Explore target audiences
• Take more photographs
• Interview speciallists
• Experiment with different media
• More detailed research
• More research about target audiences
• Broaden our research sources
• Refine subject matter