Researching your focus

Why research is necessary

Research gives you a foundation of facts, context, and existing solutions so your inquiry is grounded in more than just personal opinion. It helps you understand the problem, identify what others have already discovered, and choose the best methods for your own investigation.

What do you need to research?

Before you select your inquiry focus, you should research a range of existing digital outcomes to see what’s already happening in the digital space as far as your initial inquiry ideas are concerned.

For each inquiry focus you’ve come up with, look for at least THREE (3) outcomes, such as:

Websites
Videos (YouTube videos, vlogs, video podcasts, TikToks/reels/shorts)
Graphic design (social media images, posters, animations)
Audio (podcasts, music, soundscapes, etc.)
Interactive experiences (games, virtual reality worlds)

Existing outcomes

Depending on the wording of your inquiry focus, you are looking:

for validation:
- Do these outcomes show addressing your focus is even possible?
- Do they already address your focus?
- What do they miss that your outcome could address?
for inspiration:
- How do these outcomes address the focus?
- What aspects of their design do you think you could copy?
- What would you avoid?

Primary vs secondary research

After you have selected your focus, you will start researching the actual topic of that inquiry.

Good inquiries often use a mix of both types of research to build a complete picture.

Primary research is data you collect yourself:

experiments
surveys
interviews
direct observations

It is specific to your inquiry but can be time-consuming to gather. However, it is probably more relevant to your primary and secondary end users as it relates directly to them.

Secondary research is information that already exists books, websites, reports, previous studies.

It is fast to access but may not perfectly fit your local context or specific question. You might need to adapt the information you find based on your primary research.

Suitable secondary sources

Not all sources are equal; choose those with authority and evidence.

🎓 Academic databases and journals: for peer-reviewed studies and technical details.
🏢 Government and NGO reports: for official statistics, policy, and community data.
📰 Reputable news and media: for current events and broad overviews.
📂 Archives and libraries: for historical context and physical records.
🧑‍🏫 Subject experts: teachers, university staff, or industry professionals for technical feedback.
🌐 Online communities: use carefully with privacy and consent rules in mind.

Evaluating research sources

Don’t accept information at face value. Apply these checks:

👤 Authority: who wrote it and what expertise do they have?
🆕 Currency: how recent is it and does that matter for the topic?
🔬 Evidence and method: are data collection and analysis transparent?
🔎 Corroboration: do other reliable sources support the claims?

⚠️ Bias and purpose: is the aim to inform, persuade, or sell?
📊 Statistics and claims: are numbers supported and limitations reported?
📚 Peer review and citations: does the work cite evidence?
🔁 Reproducibility: could another researcher repeat the method?

Tips for success

Good research habits make analysis and reporting much easier later.

📝 Record as you go: save full citations, URLs, access dates, and a short note on why each source was used.
💾 Save raw data: keep backups of files and spreadsheets.
📈 Use simple statistics: means, medians, percentages, and basic charts.
🔒 Quote responsibly: anonymise respondents unless you have permission.
🤔 Reflect on limitations: state what the research cannot show and how that affects confidence.