steps in business research process design

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Research Process Steps: What they are + How To Follow

There are various approaches to conducting basic and applied research. This article explains the research process steps you should know. Whether you are doing basic research or applied research, there are many ways of doing it. In some ways, each research study is unique since it is conducted at a different time and place.

Conducting research might be difficult, but there are clear processes to follow. The research process starts with a broad idea for a topic. This article will assist you through the research process steps, helping you focus and develop your topic.

Research Process Steps

The research process consists of a series of systematic procedures that a researcher must go through in order to generate knowledge that will be considered valuable by the project and focus on the relevant topic.

To conduct effective research, you must understand the research process steps and follow them. Here are a few steps in the research process to make it easier for you:

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Finding an issue or formulating a research question is the first step. A well-defined research problem will guide the researcher through all stages of the research process, from setting objectives to choosing a technique. There are a number of approaches to get insight into a topic and gain a better understanding of it. Such as:

• A preliminary survey
• Case studies
• Interviews with a small group of people
• Observational survey

Step 2: Evaluate the Literature

A thorough examination of the relevant studies is essential to the research process . It enables the researcher to identify the precise aspects of the problem. Once a problem has been found, the investigator or researcher needs to find out more about it.

This stage gives problem-zone background. It teaches the investigator about previous research, how they were conducted, and its conclusions. The researcher can build consistency between his work and others through a literature review. Such a review exposes the researcher to a more significant body of knowledge and helps him follow the research process efficiently.

Step 3: Create Hypotheses

Formulating an original hypothesis is the next logical step after narrowing down the research topic and defining it. A belief solves logical relationships between variables. In order to establish a hypothesis, a researcher must have a certain amount of expertise in the field. 

It is important for researchers to keep in mind while formulating a hypothesis that it must be based on the research topic. Researchers are able to concentrate their efforts and stay committed to their objectives when they develop theories to guide their work.

Step 4: The Research Design

Research design is the plan for achieving objectives and answering research questions. It outlines how to get the relevant information. Its goal is to design research to test hypotheses, address the research questions, and provide decision-making insights.

The research design aims to minimize the time, money, and effort required to acquire meaningful evidence. This plan fits into four categories:

• Exploration and Surveys
• Data Analysis
• Observation

Step 5: Describe Population

Research projects usually look at a specific group of people, facilities, or how technology is used in the business. In research, the term population refers to this study group. The research topic and purpose help determine the study group.

Suppose a researcher wishes to investigate a certain group of people in the community. In that case, the research could target a specific age group, males or females, a geographic location, or an ethnic group. A final step in a study’s design is to specify its sample or population so that the results may be generalized.

Step 6: Data Collection

Data collection is important in obtaining the knowledge or information required to answer the research issue. Every research collected data, either from the literature or the people being studied. Data must be collected from the two categories of researchers. These sources may provide primary data.

• Questionnaire

Secondary data categories are:

• Literature survey
• Official, unofficial reports
• An approach based on library resources

Step 7: Data Analysis

During research design, the researcher plans data analysis. After collecting data, the researcher analyzes it. The data is examined based on the approach in this step. The research findings are reviewed and reported.

Data analysis involves a number of closely related stages, such as setting up categories, applying these categories to raw data through coding and tabulation, and then drawing statistical conclusions. The researcher can examine the acquired data using a variety of statistical methods.

Step 8: The Report-writing

After completing these steps, the researcher must prepare a report detailing his findings. The report must be carefully composed with the following in mind:

• The Layout: On the first page, the title, date, acknowledgments, and preface should be on the report. A table of contents should be followed by a list of tables, graphs, and charts if any.
• Introduction: It should state the research’s purpose and methods. This section should include the study’s scope and limits.
• Summary of Findings: A non-technical summary of findings and recommendations will follow the introduction. The findings should be summarized if they’re lengthy.
• Principal Report: The main body of the report should make sense and be broken up into sections that are easy to understand.
• Conclusion: The researcher should restate his findings at the end of the main text. It’s the final result.

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The research process involves several steps that make it easy to complete the research successfully. The steps in the research process described above depend on each other, and the order must be kept. So, if we want to do a research project, we should follow the research process steps.

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Research Design Steps: Comprehensive Guide

Markets are constantly changing, and it’s important to have a sound research plan in place if you want your company or business’ product stand out from the competition. This article will help you understand the 11 steps that need to be followed to execute a sound market research study. This formal process can also be called “Research Design”. 

Table of Contents

11 steps of research design, comprehensive guide, 1. define the research problem or opportunity.

The first step in any research process is to clearly define the research problem or opportunity. This can be done through a number of different methods, including interviews, focus groups , and surveys.

While it may seem like a simple task, defining the research problem or opportunity is crucial to the success of any research project. Without a clear definition, it can be difficult to determine which research methods to use and how to interpret the results.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are a number of resources available to help you define the research problem or opportunity. The following articles offer some helpful tips:

• How to Define a Research Problem or Opportunity
• How to Identify a Research Problem or Opportunity
• How to Write a Problem Statement for Your research Project
• How to Develop a research Questionnaire

Once you’ve taken some time to define the research problem or opportunity, you can move on to the next step in the research process. 

2. Conduct a literature review

Once the research problem has been defined, the next step is to conduct a literature review. This helps to provide a foundation for the study and determine what has already been studied in this area.

A literature review is an important step in conducting research. It helps to define the problem and determine what has already been studied in this area. This process should be unbiased and objective. It should identify gaps in the literature and make suggestions for further research.

The process of reviewing  literature  can be a daunting task, but it is important to remember that it does not need to be exhaustive. The goal is to identify relevant literature and synthesize the information into a cohesive overview.

Tips to conduct a literature review

The following tips will help you conduct a literature review:

• Define your research question before you begin your search. This will help you focus your search and save time.
• Use keyword searching to find relevant articles. Try different combinations of keywords until you find what you are looking for.
• Use databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science. These databases will help you find peer-reviewed articles.
• Read the abstracts of the articles to determine if they are relevant to your topic. If the abstract is not available, read the full text of the article.
• Organize your literature review using a table or concept map. This will help you see the relationships between different concepts and ideas.
• Write a summary of what you have found in each article. This will help you remember the main points of each article and synthesize the information into a cohesive overview.

Conducting a literature review can seem to be a tedious  task, though it is an important step in conducting research. By following these tips, you can make the literature review process easier and more efficient. Once you have completed your literature review, you will be one step closer to writing your research paper!

3. Develop research objectives (aka Hypothesis)

After conducting the literature review, it is important to develop clear research objectives. This will help guide the rest of the research process and ensure that all steps are aligned with the goals of the study.

There are a few different ways to go about developing research objectives. One approach is to start with the research question, and then develop hypotheses that can be tested through data collection and analysis. Another approach is to think about the overall goal of the research project and what needs to be accomplished in order to achieve that goal.

Whichever approach you choose, it is important to be clear and concise when writing your research objectives. They should be specific enough that they can be measured, but not so specific that they limit the scope of your study. Once you have developed your research objectives, you can use them to guide the rest of your research process.

If you’re stuck on where to start, try brainstorming a list of potential objectives and then narrowing down the list to the most important or relevant ones. You can also consult with your supervisor or other experts in your field to get their input on what objectives would be most appropriate for your research project.

Once you have your research objectives, you can begin thinking about how to operationalize them. This means determining how you will measure the variables that are mentioned in your objectives. For example, if one of your objectives is to examine the relationship between two variables, you will need to decide which type of data collection and analysis methods will be best suited for measuring that relationship.

Operationalizing your research objectives is an important step in ensuring that your study is well-designed and that all of its components are aligned with its overall goals. By taking the time to develop clear and concise research objectives, you can set your study up for success.

4. Formulate your research design

The fourth step is to identify the research design. This will determine the overall approach of the study and include information such as the type of study, the population, and the sampling method.

When formulating your research design, it is important to consider the type of study, the population, and the sampling method. The type of study will determine the overall approach of the research, while the population and sampling method will help to identify the target audience and how best to collect data. By taking all of these factors into consideration, you can develop a well-rounded research design that will be able to address your research question effectively.

There are a variety of different research designs that you can choose from, so it is important to select one that is best suited for your particular study. For example, if you are interested in investigating a specific phenomenon, you may want to choose a case study design. On the other hand, if you are interested in comparing two groups of people, you may want to choose a comparative research design. Once you have selected a research design, you will need to determine the population and sampling method. The population is the group of individuals that you are interested in studying, while the sampling method is the process by which you will select individuals from the population to participate in your study.

By formulating your research design before beginning your study, you can ensure that your data will be collected and analyzed effectively. This will ultimately help you to answer your research question and draw conclusions about your topic of interest. So, take some time to consider all of these factors before moving on to the next step in your research journey!

5. Select the research method

Once the research design has been selected, the next step is to select the research method. This will determine how data will be collected and can include methods such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys.

The research method should be selected based on the research design and the research question. As mentioned, some of the most common research methods are interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Each research method has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, interviews are good for getting in-depth information from a small number of people, but they can be time-consuming and expensive. Focus groups are good for exploring ideas with a group of people, but they can be difficult to control. Surveys are good for collecting large amounts of data quickly, but they can be subject to bias.

Once the research method has been selected, the next step is to develop the research instruments . These will be used to collect data from participants in the study. The most common research instruments are questionnaires and interview protocols.

Questionnaires are a type of research instrument that is used to collect data from participants in a study. They can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Questionnaires can be administered in person, by mail, or online.

Interview protocols are another type of research instrument that is used to collect data from participants in a study. They are typically used to collect qualitative data. Interview protocols can be administered in person or by telephone.

6. Collect data

After selecting the research method, it is time to start collecting data. This can be done through a number of different methods, depending on the type of study and research objectives.

There are a few things to keep in mind when collecting data. First, you need to decide what type of data you need. Second, you need to choose the right methods for Collecting that data. And third, you need to make sure that the data you collect is high quality. let’s take a closer look at each of these points.

When deciding what type of data you need, it is important to consider what type of research questions you are trying to answer. If your research questions are qualitative in nature, then you will likely want to collect qualitative data. Qualitative data includes things like interviews, focus groups, and observations. If your research questions are quantitative in nature, then you will want to Collect quantitative data. Quantitative data includes things like surveys, experiments, and demographic information.

Once you have decided what type of data you need, you need to choose the right Collecting methods. There are many different Collecting methods, and the right method will depend on the type of data you are Collecting and your research goals. Some common Collecting methods include interviews, focus groups, online surveys, experiments, and observations.

When Collecting data, it is important to make sure that the data is high quality. This means that the data should be accurate, reliable, and valid. Data quality is important because it affects the validity of your research findings. If your data is not high quality, then your research findings might not be accurate. Collecting high quality data takes time and effort, but it is worth it to make sure that your research findings are accurate.

7. Clean and code data

After data has been collected, it must be cleaned and coded. This process helps to ensure that the data is ready for analysis. There are a few things to keep in mind when collecting data. 

• First, make sure that the data is accurate and reliable. This means choosing a method that will produce valid results. 
• Second, the data should be representative of the population being studied. 
• Third, collect enough data to answer the research question(s).

There are a few different ways to collect data. Some common methods include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations. Collecting data can be a time-consuming process, so it is important to plan ahead and allow enough time to gather all the necessary information. Once the data has been collected, it is time to analyze it. This will be covered in the next section.

8. Analyze data

Once the data has been cleaned and coded, it is time to begin analyzing it. This can be done through a number of different methods, such as descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analysis.

The first step in analysis is to decide what type of analysis is best suited for the research question. Descriptive statistics can be used to summarize the data and give an overall picture of what is going on. T-tests can be used to compare means between two groups, and regression analysis can be used to examine the relationships between variables.

You can use tools like IMB SPSS Software to perform all sorts of statical tests and that way “bridge the gap between data science and data understanding”. We’ve found the bellow “SPSS Tutorial for data analysis | SPSS for Beginners” tutorial video quite useful and comprehensive. 

Once the appropriate analyses have been selected, they need to be conducted. This involves running the analyses and interpreting the results. Results should be reported in a clear and concise manner, with enough detail that someone else could replicate the analyses if they wanted to.

After the data has been analyzed, it is time to write up the results. This usually takes the form of a research paper or report. The results should be presented in a way that is easy to understand, and the implications of the findings should be discussed.

This is just a brief overview of data analysis; there are many resources available that can provide more detailed information. The important thing is to get started and to keep learning as you go. With practice, analyzing data will become easier and more enjoyable.

9. Interpret data and test hypotheses

After the data has been analyzed, it is important to interpret it. This includes understanding the results of the study and what they mean for the research problem or opportunity.

When interpreting data, it is important to consider the following:

• The results of the study and what they mean for the research problem or opportunity
• The reliability and validity of the data
• The limitations of the study
• The implications of the findings

Once the data has been interpreted, it is then time to test hypotheses. This involves using statistical techniques to test whether there is a significant relationship between two or more variables.

Testing hypotheses is an important part of any scientific research as it allows researchers to determine whether their results are statistically significant. If a hypothesis is found to be statistically significant, it means that there is a real relationship between the variables being tested. If a hypothesis is not statistically significant, it means that there is no real relationship between the variables being tested.

When testing hypotheses, it is important to consider the following:

• The null hypothesis
• The alternative hypothesis
• The level of significance
• The statistical test used

Once the hypotheses have been tested, it is then time to draw conclusions. This involves Interpret data and test hypotheses reviewing the findings of the study and determining what they mean for the research problem or opportunity. When drawing conclusions, it is important to consider the following:

• The implications of the findings.

Interpret data and test hypotheses are two important steps in scientific research process. By understanding and applying these steps, researchers can ensure that their findings are accurate and reliable.

10. Write the report

After analyzing and interpreting the data, it is time to write the report. This should include a detailed description of the research process, findings, and conclusions of the study.

The research report should be written in a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand manner. It should be free of jargon and technical language, and should be accessible to a wide audience. The report should also be well-organized and well- structured.

When writing the research report, it is important to keep in mind the purpose of the research. The research report should answer the research question(s), and should address the objectives of the study. The findings of the research should be presented in a logical and coherent manner.

The conclusion of the research report should summarize the findings of the study, and should discuss their implications. The recommendations of the study should also be included in the conclusion section.

11. Present the findings

The final step is to present the findings of the study. This can be done through a number of different methods, such as presentations, posters, and reports.

The findings of the research should be presented in a way that is clear and concise. The presentation should be designed to engage the audience and encourage them to ask questions. The findings should be tailored to the specific audience, taking into account their background knowledge and understanding.

One method of presenting research findings is through a poster. Posters are a great way to summarise complex information and allow people to take away key points. They can also be used as a starting point for discussions. Another option is to give a presentation, which can be done either in person or online. Presentations offer the opportunity to go into more detail than a poster, and they can also be recorded so that they can be shared with people who were not able to attend.

Whatever method is used, it is important to remember that the research findings should be the focus of the presentation. The aim is to communicate the findings clearly and effectively, not to simply show off the work that has been done. With this in mind, it is often best to keep things simple and avoid using jargon or complex terminology.

Things to consider when presenting research findings

• Keep the audience in mind
• Present findings in a clear and concise manner
• Engage the audience and encourage questions
• Use simple language and avoid jargon whenever possible. Try explaining concepts in everyday terms.
• Focus on the research findings themselves, not on other aspects of the project.

Remember that the goal is to communicate the findings effectively.

There are a number of different ways to present research findings. Some common methods include:

• Presentations (in person or online)

Choose the method that best suits the audience and the message you want to communicate. And don’t forget – keep it simple!

Try explaining concepts in everyday terms. This will make it easier for your audience to understand your research findings.

Another important tip is to focus on the research findings themselves, not on other aspects of the project. The goal is to communicate the findings effectively, so avoid getting sidetracked by other details.

When presenting research findings, it is also important to use simple language and avoid jargon whenever possible. Try explaining concepts in everyday terms. This will make it easier for your audience to understand your research findings.

Remember that the goal is to communicate the findings effectively. With this in mind, it is often best to keep things simple and avoid using jargon or complex terminology.

One final tip: focus on the research findings themselves, not on other aspects of the project. The aim is to communicate the findings clearly and effectively, not to simply show off the work that has been done.

Keep these tips in mind when presenting research findings, and you’ll be sure to engage and inform your audience. 

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Business research process.

• James A. Muncy James A. Muncy Marketing, Bradley University
•  and  Alice M. Muncy Alice M. Muncy Accounting, Baylor University
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.215
• Published online: 27 October 2020

Business research is conducted by both businesspeople, who have informational needs, and scholars, whose field of study is business. Though some of the specifics as to how research is conducted differs between scholarly research and applied research, the general process they follow is the same. Business research is conducted in five stages. The first stage is problem formation where the objectives of the research are established. The second stage is research design . In this stage, the researcher identifies the variables of interest and possible relationships among those variables, decides on the appropriate data source and measurement approach, and plans the sampling methodology. It is also within the research design stage that the role that time will play in the study is determined. The third stage is data collection . Researchers must decide whether to outsource the data collection process or collect the data themselves. Also, data quality issues must be addressed in the collection of the data. The fourth stage is data analysis . The data must be prepared and cleaned. Statistical packages or programs such as SAS, SPSS, STATA, and R are used to analyze quantitative data. In the cases of qualitative data, coding, artificial intelligence, and/or interpretive analysis is employed. The fifth stage is the presentation of results . In applied business research, the results are typically limited in their distribution and they must be addressed to the immediate problem at hand. In scholarly business research, the results are intended to be widely distributed through journals, books, and conferences. As a means of quality control, scholarly research usually goes through a double-blind review process before it is published.

• business research
• research design
• scholarly research
• applied research
• data collection
• data analysis
• data quality

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The Research Process | Steps, How to Start & Tips

Introduction

Basic steps in the research process, conducting a literature review, designing the research project, collecting and analyzing data.

• Interpretation, conclusion and presentation of findings

Key principles for conducting research

The research process is a systematic method used to gather information and answer specific questions. The process ensures the findings are credible, high-quality, and applicable to a broader context. It can vary slightly between disciplines but typically follows a structured pathway from initial inquiry to final presentation of results.

What is the research process?

At its core, the research process involves several fundamental activities: identifying a topic that needs further investigation, reviewing existing knowledge on the subject, forming a precise research question , and designing a method to investigate it. This is followed by collecting and analyzing data , interpreting the results, and reporting the findings. Each step is crucial and builds upon the previous one, requiring meticulous attention to detail and rigorous methodology.

The research process is important because it provides a scientific basis for decision-making. Whether in academic, scientific, or commercial fields, research helps us understand complex issues, develop new tools or products, and improve existing practices. By adhering to a structured research process , researchers can produce results that are not only insightful but also transparent so that others can understand how the findings were developed and build on them in future studies. The integrity of the research process is essential for advancing knowledge and making informed decisions that can have significant social, economic, and scientific impacts.

The research process fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It demands a clear articulation of a problem, thorough investigation, and thoughtful interpretation of data, all of which are valuable skills in any professional field. By following this process, researchers are better equipped to tackle complex questions and contribute meaningful solutions to real-world problems.

From finding the key theoretical concepts to presenting the research findings in a report, every step in the research process forms a cohesive pathway that supports researchers in systematically uncovering deep insights and generating meaningful knowledge, which is crucial for the success of any qualitative investigation.

Identifying key theoretical concepts

The first step in the research process involves finding the key theoretical concepts or words that specify the research topic and are always included in the title of the investigation. Without a definition, these words have no sense or meaning (Daft, 1995). To identify these concepts, a researcher must ask which theoretical keywords are implicit in the investigation. To answer this question a researcher should identify the logical relationships among the two words that catch the focus of the investigation. It is also crucial that researchers provide clear definitions for their theoretical keywords. The title of the research can then include these theoretical keywords and signal how they are being studied.

A piece of useful advice is to draw a conceptual map to visualize the direct or indirect relationships between the key theoretical words and choose a relationship between them as the focus of the investigation.

Developing a research question

One of the most important steps in the research endeavor is identifying a research question. Research questions answer aspects of the topic that need more knowledge or shed light on information that has to be prioritized before others. It is the first step in identifying which participants or type of data collection methods. Research questions put into practice the conceptual framework and make the initial theoretical concepts more explicit.

A research question carries a different implicit meaning depending on how it is framed. Questions starting with what, who, and where usually identify a phenomenon or elements of one, while how, why, when and how much describe, explain, predict or control a phenomenon.

Overall, research questions must be clear, focused and complex. They must also generate knowledge relevant to society and the answers must pose a comprehensive understanding that contributes to the scientific community.

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A literature review is the synthesis of the existing body of research relevant to a research topic . It allows researchers to identify the current state of the art of knowledge of a particular topic. When conducting research, it is the foundation and guides the researcher to the knowledge gaps that need to be covered to best contribute to the scientific community.

Common methodologies include miniaturized or complete reviews, descriptive or integrated reviews, narrative reviews, theoretical reviews, methodological reviews and systematic reviews.

When navigating through the literature, researchers must try to answer their research question with the most current peer-reviewed research when finding relevant data for a research project. It is important to use the existing literature in at least two different databases and adapt the key concepts to amplify their search. Researchers also pay attention to the titles, summaries and references of each article. It is recommended to have a research diary for useful previous research as it could be the researcher´s go-to source when writing the final report.

A good research design involves data analysis methods suited to the research question, and where data collection generates appropriate data for the analysis method (Willig, 2001).

Designing a qualitative study is a critical step in the research process, serving as the blueprint for the research study. This phase is a fundamental part of the planning process, ensuring that the chosen research methods align perfectly with the research's purpose. During this stage, a researcher decides on a specific approach—such as narrative , phenomenological , grounded theory , ethnographic , or case study —tailoring the design to the unique research problem and needs of the research project. By carefully selecting the research method and planning how to approach the data, researchers can ensure that their work remains focused and relevant to the intended study area.

A well-constructed research design is vital for maintaining the integrity and credibility of the study. It guides the researcher through the research process steps, from data collection to analysis, helping to manage and mitigate potential interpretations and errors. This detailed planning is crucial, particularly in qualitative studies, where the depth of understanding and interpretive nature of analysis can significantly influence outcomes.

The design of a qualitative study is more than a procedural formality; it is a strategic component of the research that enhances the quality of the results. It requires thoughtful consideration of the research question, ensuring that every aspect of the methodology contributes effectively to the overarching goals of the project.

Collecting data

Gathering data can involve various methods tailored to the study's specific needs. To collect data , techniques may include interviews , focus groups, surveys and observations , each chosen for its ability to target a specific group relevant to the research population. For example, focus groups might explore attitudes within a specific age group, while observations might analyze behaviours in a community for population research projects. Data may also come from secondary sources with quantitative and qualitative approaches such as library resources, market research, customer feedback or employee evaluations.

Effective data management is crucial, ensuring that primary data from direct collection and secondary data from sources like public health records are organized and maintained properly. This step is vital for maintaining the integrity of the data throughout the research process steps, supporting the overall goal of conducting thorough and coherent research.

Analyzing data

Once research data has been collected, the next critical step is to analyze the data. This phase is crucial for transforming raw data into high-quality information for meaningful research findings.

Analyzing qualitative data often involves coding and thematic analysis , which helps identify patterns and themes within the data. While qualitative research typically does not focus on drawing statistical conclusions, integrating basic statistical methods can sometimes add depth to the data interpretation, especially in mixed-methods research where quantitative data complements qualitative insights.

In each of the research process steps, researchers utilize various research tools and techniques to conduct research and analyze the data systematically. This may include computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) such as ATLAS.ti, which assists in organizing, sorting, and coding the data efficiently. It can also host the research diary and apply analysis methods such as word frequencies and network visualizations.

Interpretation, conclusion and presentation of research findings

Interpreting research findings.

By meticulously following systematic procedures and working through the data, researchers can ensure that their interpretations are grounded in the actual data collected, enhancing the trustworthiness and credibility of the research findings.

The interpretation of data is not merely about extracting information but also involves making sense of the data in the context of the existing literature and research objectives. This step is not only about what the data is, but what it means in the broader context of the study, enabling researchers to draw insightful conclusions that contribute to the academic and practical understanding of the field.

Concluding and presenting research findings

The final step is concluding and presenting the research data which are crucial for transforming analyzed data into meaningful insights and credible findings.

The results are typically shared in a research report or academic paper, detailing the findings and contextualizing them within the broader field. This document outlines how the insights contribute to existing knowledge, suggests areas for future research, and may propose practical applications.

Effective presentation is key to ensuring that these findings reach and impact the intended audience. This involves not just articulating the conclusions clearly but also using engaging formats and visual aids to enhance comprehension and engagement with the research.

The research process is a dynamic journey, characterized by a series of systematic research process steps designed to guide researchers successfully from inception to conclusion. Each step—from designing the study and collecting data to analyzing results and drawing conclusions—plays a critical role in ensuring the integrity and credibility of the research.

Qualitative research is guided by key principles designed to ensure the rigour and depth of the research study. Credibility is crucial, achieved through accurate representations of participant experiences, often verified by peer-review revision. Transferability is addressed by providing rich context, allowing others to evaluate the applicability of findings to similar settings. Dependability emphasizes the stability and consistency of data, maintained through detailed documentation of the research process (such as in a research diary), facilitating an audit trail. This aligns with confirmability, where the neutrality of the data is safeguarded by documenting researcher interpretations and decisions, ensuring findings are shaped by participants and not researcher predispositions.

Ethical integrity is paramount, upholding standards like informed consent and confidentiality to protect participant rights throughout the research journey. Qualitative research also strives for a richness and depth of data that captures the complex nature of human experiences and interactions, often exploring these phenomena through an iterative learning process. This involves cycles of data collection and analysis, allowing for ongoing adjustments based on emerging insights. Lastly, a holistic perspective is adopted to view phenomena in their entirety, considering all aspects of the context and environment, which enriches the understanding and relevance of the research outcomes. Together, these principles ensure qualitative research is both profound and ethically conducted, yielding meaningful and applicable insights.

Daft, R. L. (1995). Organization Theory and Design. West Publishing Company.

Willig, C. (2001). Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology: Adventures in Theory and Method. McGraw-Hill Companies, Incorporated.

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The ultimate guide to research design for business.

17 min read To get the information you need to drive key business decisions and answer burning questions, you need a research methodology that works — and it all starts with research design. But what is it? In our ultimate guide to research design for businesses, we breakdown the process, including research methods, examples, and best practice tips to help you get started.

If you have a business problem that you’re trying to solve — from product usage to customer engagement — doing research is a great way to understand what is going wrong.

Yet despite this, less than 40% of marketers use consumer research to drive decisions [1] .

So why are businesses missing out on vital business insights that could help their bottom line?

One reason is that many simply don’t know which research method to use to correctly investigate their problem and uncover insights.

This is where our ultimate guide to research design can help. But first…

What is research design?

Research design is the overall strategy (or research methodology) used to carry out a study. It defines the framework and plan to tackle  established problems  and/or questions through the collection, interpretation, analysis, and discussion of data.

While there are several types of research design (more on that later), the research problem defines which should be used — not the other way around. In working this way, researchers can be certain that their methods match their aims — and that they’re capturing useful and actionable data.

For example, you might want to know why sales are falling for a specific product. You already have your context and other research questions to help uncover further insights. So, you start with your research problem (or problem statement) and choose an approach to get the information you need.

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Key considerations before a research project

After you have your research problem and research questions to find out more information, you should always consider the following elements:

• Do you want to use a qualitative or quantitative approach ?
• What type of research would you like to do (e.g. — create a survey or conduct telephone interviews)?
• How will you choose your population and sample size fairly?
• How will you choose a method to collect the data for ease of operation? The research tool you use will determine the validity of your study
• How will you analyse data after collection to help the business concern?
• How will you ensure your research is free from bias and neutral?
• What’s your timeline?
• In what setting will you conduct your research study?
• Are there any challenges or objections to conducting your research — and if so, how can you address them?

Ultimately, the data received should be unambiguous, so that the analysts can find accurate and trustworthy insights to act upon. Neutrality is key!

Types of approaches in research design

There are two main approaches to research design that we’ll explore in more detail — quantitative and qualitative.

Qualitative research design

Qualitative research designs tend to be more flexible and inductive (broad generalisations rather than specific observations), allowing you to adjust your approach based on the information you find throughout the research process. It looks at customer or prospect data (X data).

For example, if you want to generate new ideas for content campaigns, a qualitative approach would make the most sense. You can use this approach to find out more about what your audience would like to see, the particular challenges they are facing (from a business perspective), their overall experiences, and if any topics are under-researched.

To put it simply, qualitative research design looks at the whys and hows — as well as participants’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. It seeks to find reasons to explain decisions using the data captured.

However, as the data collected from qualitative research is typically written rather than numerical, it can be difficult to quantify information using statistical techniques.

When should you use qualitative research design?

It is best used when you want to conduct a detailed investigation of a topic to understand a holistic view. For example, to understand cultural differences in society, qualitative research design would create a research plan that allowed as many people from different cultures to participate and provided space for elaboration and anecdotal evidence.

If you want to incorporate a qualitative research design, you may choose to use methods like semi-structured focus groups,  surveys  with open-ended questions, or  in-depth interviews  in person or on the phone.

Quantitative research design

Quantitative research design looks at data that helps answer the key questions beginning with ‘Who’, ‘How’, ‘How many’ and ‘What’. This can include business data that explores operation statistics and sales records and quantifiable data on preferences.

Unlike qualitative research design, quantitative research design can be more controlled and fixed. It establishes variables, hypotheses, and correlations and tests participants against this knowledge. The aim is to explore the numerical data and understand its value against other sets of data, providing us with a data-driven way to measure the level of something.

When should you use quantitative research design?

If you want to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviours, or any other defined variable (and general results from a large sample population), a quantitative approach is a way to go.

You could use quantitative research to validate findings from qualitative research. One provides depth and insight into the whys and hows, while the other delivers data to support them.

If you want to incorporate a quantitative research design, you may choose to use methods like secondary research collection or surveys with closed-ended questions.

Now that you know the differences between the two research approaches ( though you can find out more ), we can go further and address their sub-categories.

Research methods: the subsets of qualitative and quantitative research

Depending on the aim/objective of your research, there are several research methods (for both qualitative and quantitative research) for you to choose from:

Types of quantitative research design:

• Descriptive –  provides information on the current state of affairs, by observing participants in a natural situation
• Experimental  – provides causal relationship information between variables within a controlled situation
• Quasi-experimental  – attempts to build a cause and effect relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable
• Correlational  – as the name suggests, correlational design allows the researcher to establish some kind of relation between two closely related topics or variables

Types of qualitative research design:

• Case studies  – a detailed study of a specific subject (place, event, organization)
• Ethnographic research  – in-depth observational studies of people in their natural environment (this research aims to understand the cultures, challenges, motivations and settings of those involved)
• Grounded theory  – collecting rich data on a topic of interest and developing theories inductively
• Phenomenology  – investigating a phenomenon or event by describing and interpreting the shared experiences of participants
• Narrative research  – examining how stories are told to understand how participants perceive and make sense of their experiences

Other subsets of qualitative and quantitative research design

• Exploratory  – explores a new subject area by taking a holistic viewpoint and gathering foundational insights
• Cross-sectional  – provides a snapshot of a moment in time to reflect the state
• Longitudinal  – provides several snapshots of the same sample over a period to understand causal relationships
• Mixed methods  – provide a bespoke application of design subsets to create more precise and nuanced results
• Observational  – involves observing participants’ ongoing behavior in a natural situation

Let’s talk about these research methods in more detail.

Experimental

As a subset of  quantitative  research design types, experimental research design aims to control variables in an experiment to test a hypothesis. Researchers will alter one of the variables to see how it affects the others.

Experimental research design provides an understanding of the causal relationships between two variables – which variable impacts the other, to what extent they are affected, and how consistent is the effect if the experiment is repeated.

To incorporate experimental research design, researchers create an artificial environment to more easily control the variables affecting participants. This can include creating two groups of participants – one acting as a control group to provide normal data readings, and another that has a variable altered. Therefore, having representative and random groups of participants can give better results to compare.

Image source: World Bank Blogs

Descriptive

Descriptive research design is a subset of  qualitative  design research and, unlike experimental design research, it provides descriptive insights on participants by observing participants in an uncontrolled, geographically-bound natural environment.

This type gives information on the current state of participants when faced with variables or changing circumstances. It helps answer who, what, when, where, and how questions on behaviour, but it can’t provide a clear understanding of the why.

To incorporate a descriptive research design, researchers create situations where observation of participants can happen without notice. In capturing the information, researchers can analyse data to understand the different variables at play or find additional research areas to investigate.

Exploratory

Exploratory research design aims to investigate an area where little is known about the subject and there are no prior examples to draw insight from. Researchers want to gain insights into the foundational data (who, what, when, where, and how) and the deeper level data (the why).

Therefore, an exploratory research design is flexible and a subset of both  quantitative  and  qualitative  research design.

Like descriptive research design, this type of research method is used at the beginning stages of research to get a broader view, before proceeding with further research.

To incorporate exploratory research design, researchers will use several methods to gain the right data. These can include focus groups, surveys, interviews in person or on the phone, secondary desk research, controlled experiments, and observation in a natural setting.

Cross-sectional

Just like slicing through a tomato gives us a slice of the whole fruit, cross-sectional research design gives us a slice representing a specific point in time. Researchers can observe different groups at the same time to discover what makes the participant behaviour different from one another and how behaviour correlates. This is then used to form assumptions that can be further tested.

There are two types to consider. In descriptive cross-sectional research design, researchers do not get involved or influence the participants through any controls, so this research design type is a subset of  quantitative  research design. Researchers will use methods that provide a descriptive (who, what, when, where, and how) understanding of the cross-section. This can be done by survey or observation, though researcher bias can be an undesirable outcome if the method is not conscious of this.

Analytical cross-sectional research design looks at the why behind the outcome found in the cross-section, aligning this as a subset of  qualitative  research design. This understanding can be gained through emailed surveys. To gain stronger insights, group sample selection can be altered from a random selection of participants to researchers selecting participants into groups based on their differences.

Since only one cross-section is taken, this can be a cheaper and quicker way to carry out research when resources are limited. Yet, no causal relationships can be gained by comparing data across time, unlike longitudinal research design.

Longitudinal

Longitudinal research design takes multiple measures from the same participants or groups over an extended period. These repeated observations enable researchers to track variables, identify correlations and see if there are causal relationships that can confirm hypothesis predictions.

As the research design is focused on understanding the why behind the data, this is a subset of  qualitative  research design. However, the real-time data collection at each point in time will also require analysis based on the quantitative markers found through  quantitative  research design.

Researchers can incorporate longitudinal research design by using methods like panel studies for collecting primary data first-hand. The study can be retrospective (based on event data that has already occurred) or prospective (based on event data that is yet to happen).

While being the most useful method to get the data you need to address your business concern, this can be time-consuming and there can be issues with maintaining the integrity of the sample over time. Alternatively, you can use existing data sets to provide historical trends (which could be verified through a cross-sectional research design).

Mixed methods

Mixed methods aim to provide an advanced and bespoke response to solving your business problem. It combines the methods and subsets above to create a tailored method that gives researchers flexibility and options for carrying out research.

The mixed-method research design gives a thorough holistic view of the layers of data through  quantitative  and  qualitative subset design methods. The resulting data is strengthened by the application of context and scale (quantitative) in alignment with the meaning behind behaviour (qualitative), giving a richer picture of participants.

Mixed method research design is useful for getting greater ‘texture’ to your data, resulting in precise and meaningful information for analysis. The disadvantages and boundaries of a single subset can be offset by the benefits of using another to complement the investigation.

This subset does place more responsibility on the researcher to apply the subset designs appropriately to gain the right information. The data is interpreted and assessed by the researcher for its validity to the end results, so there is potential for researcher bias if they miss out on vital information that skews results.

Image Source: Full Stack Researcher

Find the research design method(s) that work for you

No matter what information you want to find out — there’s a research design method that’s right for you.

However, it’s up to you to determine which of the methods above are the most viable and can deliver the insight you need. Remember, each research method has its advantages and disadvantages.

It’s also important to bear in mind (at all times), the key considerations before your research project:

• Do you want to use a qualitative or quantitative approach?
• Are there any challenges or objections to conducting your research — and if so, how can you address them?.

But if you’re unsure about where to begin, start by answering these questions with our decision tree:

Image Source: Research Gate

If you need more help, why not try speaking to one of our Qualtrics team members?

Our team of experts can help you with all your  market research  needs — from designing your study and finding respondents, to fielding it and reporting on the results.

[1] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/marketing-consumer-research-statistics/

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Related resources

Market intelligence 9 min read, qualitative research questions 11 min read, ethnographic research 11 min read, business research methods 12 min read, qualitative research design 12 min read, business research 10 min read, qualitative research interviews 11 min read, request demo.

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Business Research Methodology

Research Process and Methods

• © 2022
• Sergey K. Aityan 0

Lincoln University - California, Oakland, USA

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• Presents the major research processes and methods used in business research
• Features multiple and exhaustive examples illustrating the material and helping in the learning process
• Features questions and problems at the end of each chapter for self-testing
• Provides lecture slides for better course preparation
• Applicable for single semester coursework

Part of the book series: Classroom Companion: Business (CCB)

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About this book

This book introduces students to major research processes and methods used in business research. The research process includes all steps in the research project beginning from the problem formulation, through research design, proposal, conducting the research, deriving conclusions, writing research report, and preparing and making presentation. The major research methods include risk assessment, statistics, sampling, hypothesis testing, surveys, and comparative analysis. It helps students develop solid knowledge and practical skills sufficient for conducting a research project from its initiation, through completion, and delivery. The author provides multiple examples as well as the questions and problems for self-testing and self-evaluation in each chapter. The book is structured to provide a smooth flow of understanding and learning the material along the learning curve and is concise enough to fit a one-semester course.

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Business Research Process

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Research Questions and Research Design

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• Legal aspects of business research
• Ethical Aspects of Business Research
• Cyber Intelligence in Business Research
• Statistical Hypotheses Testing in business
• Bayesian Probability in business research
• t-Distribution Tables

Table of contents (23 chapters)

Front matter, the journey to the land of unknown, the nature of research.

Sergey K. Aityan

Scientific Method

The research process, preparation for research, formulating a research problem, review of literature, research design, research proposal, foundations of probability, distribution, expectation, and risk, bayesian probability, major distributions, introduction to statistics, confidence intervals, statistical hypothesis testing, sampling experiments, survey method, authors and affiliations, about the author, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Business Research Methodology

Book Subtitle : Research Process and Methods

Authors : Sergey K. Aityan

Series Title : Classroom Companion: Business

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76857-7

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Business and Management , Business and Management (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-76856-0 Published: 20 December 2021

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-76857-7 Published: 01 January 2022

Series ISSN : 2662-2866

Series E-ISSN : 2662-2874

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XVIII, 518

Number of Illustrations : 84 b/w illustrations, 50 illustrations in colour

Topics : Management Education , Computer Science, general , Business Strategy/Leadership , Research Skills

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Research Design | Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Published on 5 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 20 March 2023.

A research design is a strategy for answering your research question  using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about:

• Your overall aims and approach
• The type of research design you’ll use
• Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects
• Your data collection methods
• The procedures you’ll follow to collect data
• Your data analysis methods

A well-planned research design helps ensure that your methods match your research aims and that you use the right kind of analysis for your data.

Table of contents

Step 1: consider your aims and approach, step 2: choose a type of research design, step 3: identify your population and sampling method, step 4: choose your data collection methods, step 5: plan your data collection procedures, step 6: decide on your data analysis strategies, frequently asked questions.

• Introduction

Before you can start designing your research, you should already have a clear idea of the research question you want to investigate.

There are many different ways you could go about answering this question. Your research design choices should be driven by your aims and priorities – start by thinking carefully about what you want to achieve.

The first choice you need to make is whether you’ll take a qualitative or quantitative approach.

Qualitative research designs tend to be more flexible and inductive , allowing you to adjust your approach based on what you find throughout the research process.

Quantitative research designs tend to be more fixed and deductive , with variables and hypotheses clearly defined in advance of data collection.

It’s also possible to use a mixed methods design that integrates aspects of both approaches. By combining qualitative and quantitative insights, you can gain a more complete picture of the problem you’re studying and strengthen the credibility of your conclusions.

Practical and ethical considerations when designing research

As well as scientific considerations, you need to think practically when designing your research. If your research involves people or animals, you also need to consider research ethics .

• How much time do you have to collect data and write up the research?
• Will you be able to gain access to the data you need (e.g., by travelling to a specific location or contacting specific people)?
• Do you have the necessary research skills (e.g., statistical analysis or interview techniques)?
• Will you need ethical approval ?

At each stage of the research design process, make sure that your choices are practically feasible.

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Within both qualitative and quantitative approaches, there are several types of research design to choose from. Each type provides a framework for the overall shape of your research.

Types of quantitative research designs

Quantitative designs can be split into four main types. Experimental and   quasi-experimental designs allow you to test cause-and-effect relationships, while descriptive and correlational designs allow you to measure variables and describe relationships between them.

With descriptive and correlational designs, you can get a clear picture of characteristics, trends, and relationships as they exist in the real world. However, you can’t draw conclusions about cause and effect (because correlation doesn’t imply causation ).

Experiments are the strongest way to test cause-and-effect relationships without the risk of other variables influencing the results. However, their controlled conditions may not always reflect how things work in the real world. They’re often also more difficult and expensive to implement.

Types of qualitative research designs

Qualitative designs are less strictly defined. This approach is about gaining a rich, detailed understanding of a specific context or phenomenon, and you can often be more creative and flexible in designing your research.

The table below shows some common types of qualitative design. They often have similar approaches in terms of data collection, but focus on different aspects when analysing the data.

Your research design should clearly define who or what your research will focus on, and how you’ll go about choosing your participants or subjects.

In research, a population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about, while a sample is the smaller group of individuals you’ll actually collect data from.

Defining the population

A population can be made up of anything you want to study – plants, animals, organisations, texts, countries, etc. In the social sciences, it most often refers to a group of people.

For example, will you focus on people from a specific demographic, region, or background? Are you interested in people with a certain job or medical condition, or users of a particular product?

The more precisely you define your population, the easier it will be to gather a representative sample.

Sampling methods

Even with a narrowly defined population, it’s rarely possible to collect data from every individual. Instead, you’ll collect data from a sample.

To select a sample, there are two main approaches: probability sampling and non-probability sampling . The sampling method you use affects how confidently you can generalise your results to the population as a whole.

Probability sampling is the most statistically valid option, but it’s often difficult to achieve unless you’re dealing with a very small and accessible population.

For practical reasons, many studies use non-probability sampling, but it’s important to be aware of the limitations and carefully consider potential biases. You should always make an effort to gather a sample that’s as representative as possible of the population.

Case selection in qualitative research

In some types of qualitative designs, sampling may not be relevant.

For example, in an ethnography or a case study, your aim is to deeply understand a specific context, not to generalise to a population. Instead of sampling, you may simply aim to collect as much data as possible about the context you are studying.

In these types of design, you still have to carefully consider your choice of case or community. You should have a clear rationale for why this particular case is suitable for answering your research question.

For example, you might choose a case study that reveals an unusual or neglected aspect of your research problem, or you might choose several very similar or very different cases in order to compare them.

Data collection methods are ways of directly measuring variables and gathering information. They allow you to gain first-hand knowledge and original insights into your research problem.

You can choose just one data collection method, or use several methods in the same study.

Survey methods

Surveys allow you to collect data about opinions, behaviours, experiences, and characteristics by asking people directly. There are two main survey methods to choose from: questionnaires and interviews.

Observation methods

Observations allow you to collect data unobtrusively, observing characteristics, behaviours, or social interactions without relying on self-reporting.

Observations may be conducted in real time, taking notes as you observe, or you might make audiovisual recordings for later analysis. They can be qualitative or quantitative.

Other methods of data collection

There are many other ways you might collect data depending on your field and topic.

If you’re not sure which methods will work best for your research design, try reading some papers in your field to see what data collection methods they used.

Secondary data

If you don’t have the time or resources to collect data from the population you’re interested in, you can also choose to use secondary data that other researchers already collected – for example, datasets from government surveys or previous studies on your topic.

With this raw data, you can do your own analysis to answer new research questions that weren’t addressed by the original study.

Using secondary data can expand the scope of your research, as you may be able to access much larger and more varied samples than you could collect yourself.

However, it also means you don’t have any control over which variables to measure or how to measure them, so the conclusions you can draw may be limited.

As well as deciding on your methods, you need to plan exactly how you’ll use these methods to collect data that’s consistent, accurate, and unbiased.

Planning systematic procedures is especially important in quantitative research, where you need to precisely define your variables and ensure your measurements are reliable and valid.

Operationalisation

Some variables, like height or age, are easily measured. But often you’ll be dealing with more abstract concepts, like satisfaction, anxiety, or competence. Operationalisation means turning these fuzzy ideas into measurable indicators.

If you’re using observations , which events or actions will you count?

If you’re using surveys , which questions will you ask and what range of responses will be offered?

You may also choose to use or adapt existing materials designed to measure the concept you’re interested in – for example, questionnaires or inventories whose reliability and validity has already been established.

Reliability and validity

Reliability means your results can be consistently reproduced , while validity means that you’re actually measuring the concept you’re interested in.

For valid and reliable results, your measurement materials should be thoroughly researched and carefully designed. Plan your procedures to make sure you carry out the same steps in the same way for each participant.

If you’re developing a new questionnaire or other instrument to measure a specific concept, running a pilot study allows you to check its validity and reliability in advance.

Sampling procedures

As well as choosing an appropriate sampling method, you need a concrete plan for how you’ll actually contact and recruit your selected sample.

That means making decisions about things like:

• How many participants do you need for an adequate sample size?
• What inclusion and exclusion criteria will you use to identify eligible participants?
• How will you contact your sample – by mail, online, by phone, or in person?

If you’re using a probability sampling method, it’s important that everyone who is randomly selected actually participates in the study. How will you ensure a high response rate?

If you’re using a non-probability method, how will you avoid bias and ensure a representative sample?

Data management

It’s also important to create a data management plan for organising and storing your data.

Will you need to transcribe interviews or perform data entry for observations? You should anonymise and safeguard any sensitive data, and make sure it’s backed up regularly.

Keeping your data well organised will save time when it comes to analysing them. It can also help other researchers validate and add to your findings.

On their own, raw data can’t answer your research question. The last step of designing your research is planning how you’ll analyse the data.

Quantitative data analysis

In quantitative research, you’ll most likely use some form of statistical analysis . With statistics, you can summarise your sample data, make estimates, and test hypotheses.

Using descriptive statistics , you can summarise your sample data in terms of:

• The distribution of the data (e.g., the frequency of each score on a test)
• The central tendency of the data (e.g., the mean to describe the average score)
• The variability of the data (e.g., the standard deviation to describe how spread out the scores are)

The specific calculations you can do depend on the level of measurement of your variables.

Using inferential statistics , you can:

• Make estimates about the population based on your sample data.
• Test hypotheses about a relationship between variables.

Regression and correlation tests look for associations between two or more variables, while comparison tests (such as t tests and ANOVAs ) look for differences in the outcomes of different groups.

Your choice of statistical test depends on various aspects of your research design, including the types of variables you’re dealing with and the distribution of your data.

Qualitative data analysis

In qualitative research, your data will usually be very dense with information and ideas. Instead of summing it up in numbers, you’ll need to comb through the data in detail, interpret its meanings, identify patterns, and extract the parts that are most relevant to your research question.

Two of the most common approaches to doing this are thematic analysis and discourse analysis .

There are many other ways of analysing qualitative data depending on the aims of your research. To get a sense of potential approaches, try reading some qualitative research papers in your field.

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population. Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your research.

For example, if you are researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

Statistical sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population. There are various sampling methods you can use to ensure that your sample is representative of the population as a whole.

Operationalisation means turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations.

For example, the concept of social anxiety isn’t directly observable, but it can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioural avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.

Before collecting data , it’s important to consider how you will operationalise the variables that you want to measure.

The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question .

• If you want to measure something or test a hypothesis , use quantitative methods . If you want to explore ideas, thoughts, and meanings, use qualitative methods .
• If you want to analyse a large amount of readily available data, use secondary data. If you want data specific to your purposes with control over how they are generated, collect primary data.
• If you want to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables , use experimental methods. If you want to understand the characteristics of a research subject, use descriptive methods.

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Business Research Methods by Naval Bajpai

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Learning objectives.

Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand the steps in conducting research
• Understand the types of research
• Learn the purposes and methods of conducting exploratory research
• Learn about descriptive research and the types of descriptive research
• Have a preliminary idea about causal research
• Establish a difference between exploratory research, descriptive research, and causal research

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• Knowledge Base
• Starting the research process

A Beginner's Guide to Starting the Research Process

When you have to write a thesis or dissertation , it can be hard to know where to begin, but there are some clear steps you can follow.

The research process often begins with a very broad idea for a topic you’d like to know more about. You do some preliminary research to identify a  problem . After refining your research questions , you can lay out the foundations of your research design , leading to a proposal that outlines your ideas and plans.

This article takes you through the first steps of the research process, helping you narrow down your ideas and build up a strong foundation for your research project.

Table of contents

Step 1: choose your topic, step 2: identify a problem, step 3: formulate research questions, step 4: create a research design, step 5: write a research proposal, other interesting articles.

First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out very broad. Think about the general area or field you’re interested in—maybe you already have specific research interests based on classes you’ve taken, or maybe you had to consider your topic when applying to graduate school and writing a statement of purpose .

Even if you already have a good sense of your topic, you’ll need to read widely to build background knowledge and begin narrowing down your ideas. Conduct an initial literature review to begin gathering relevant sources. As you read, take notes and try to identify problems, questions, debates, contradictions and gaps. Your aim is to narrow down from a broad area of interest to a specific niche.

Make sure to consider the practicalities: the requirements of your programme, the amount of time you have to complete the research, and how difficult it will be to access sources and data on the topic. Before moving onto the next stage, it’s a good idea to discuss the topic with your thesis supervisor.

>>Read more about narrowing down a research topic

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So you’ve settled on a topic and found a niche—but what exactly will your research investigate, and why does it matter? To give your project focus and purpose, you have to define a research problem .

The problem might be a practical issue—for example, a process or practice that isn’t working well, an area of concern in an organization’s performance, or a difficulty faced by a specific group of people in society.

Alternatively, you might choose to investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored phenomenon or relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved debate among scholars.

To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a problem statement . This describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and how your research project will contribute to solving it.

>>Read more about defining a research problem

Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions . These target exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing, evaluating, or explaining the research problem.

A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly using appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods. It should also be complex enough to require in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. Questions that can be answered with “yes/no” or with easily available facts are not complex enough for a thesis or dissertation.

In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses .

>>See research question examples

The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It involves making decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you’ll use to collect and analyze it, and the location and timescale of your research.

There are often many possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make will partly be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context?

You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or quantitative methods . You also need to determine the specific tools, procedures, and materials you’ll use to collect and analyze your data, as well as your criteria for selecting participants or sources.

>>Read more about creating a research design

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Finally, after completing these steps, you are ready to complete a research proposal . The proposal outlines the context, relevance, purpose, and plan of your research.

As well as outlining the background, problem statement, and research questions, the proposal should also include a literature review that shows how your project will fit into existing work on the topic. The research design section describes your approach and explains exactly what you will do.

You might have to get the proposal approved by your supervisor before you get started, and it will guide the process of writing your thesis or dissertation.

>>Read more about writing a research proposal

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

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Research Methodology

• Introduction to Research Methodology
• Research Approaches
• Concepts of Theory and Empiricism
• Characteristics of scientific method
• Understanding the Language of Research

11 Steps in Research Process

• Research Design
• Different Research Designs
• Compare and Contrast the Main Types of Research Designs
• Cross-sectional research design
• Qualitative and Quantitative Research
• Descriptive Research VS Qualitative Research
• Experimental Research VS Quantitative Research
• Sampling Design
• Probability VS Non-Probability Sampling
• 40 MCQ on Research Methodology
• MCQ on research Process
• MCQ on Research Design
• 18 MCQ on Quantitative Research
• 30 MCQ on Qualitative Research
• 45 MCQ on Sampling Methods
• 20 MCQ on Principles And Planning For Research

Research process refers to the systematic and organized series of steps taken to investigate and study a specific topic or problem in order to gain knowledge and find answers to questions. It is a methodical approach followed by researchers to collect, analyze, and interpret data to arrive at meaningful conclusions and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in a particular field.

The chart shows that the research process consists of several activities marked from I to VII. These activities are closely related and often overlap instead of following a strict order. Sometimes, the first step determines how the last step will be done. If certain important steps are not considered early on, it can cause serious problems and even stop the research from being completed.

It’s essential to understand that the steps involved in the research process are not completely separate from each other. They do not always follow a fixed order, and the researcher needs to be prepared for the requirements of the next steps at each stage of the research process.

Interpret data to arrive at meaningful conclusions and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in a particular field.

The research process typically involves the following key steps:

• Formulating the Research Problem: Identifying and defining the research question or problem that needs to be addressed.
• Literature Review: Conducting a thorough review of existing literature and research related to the topic to understand what has already been studied and discovered.
• Developing the Hypothesis: Creating a clear and testable statement that predicts the relationship between variables in the research.
• Research Design: Planning the overall structure and approach of the study, including selecting the research methods and data collection techniques.
• Sample Design: Determining the sample size and selecting the participants or subjects that will be part of the study.
• Data Collection: Gathering relevant data through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, experiments, or observations.
• Execution of the Project: Implementing the research plan and collecting the data as per the designed approach.
• Data Analysis: Analyzing the collected data using appropriate statistical or qualitative techniques to draw meaningful conclusions.
• Hypothesis Testing: Evaluating the hypothesis based on the analysis to determine whether it is supported or rejected.
• Generalizations and Interpretation: Making broader connections and interpretations of the findings in the context of the research problem.
• Conclusion and Recommendations: Summarizing the research results, drawing conclusions, and suggesting potential future research or practical implications.

Throughout the research process, researchers must maintain objectivity, rigor, and ethical considerations to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. Each step contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the research topic and the generation of new knowledge in the field.

Marketing91

The 11 Important Steps in Research Design

June 12, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

Research design is critical to the Market Research Process . In a previous article, we have discussed in detail about Research design and the 12 types of Research Design .

In this article, We discuss the 11 steps to make up your Market research process. These steps can also be called as the steps of Research Design. Without further ado, let us check the steps required to conduct a market research study or to design our research.

Table of Contents

11 Steps of Research Design

1) formulation of the research problem.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions, and accordingly, it is a problem which necessitates research. A general area of interest is selected by the researcher initially to indicate the problem.

The problem is evaluated by the program, which helps to shed new light on the facts and collecting of useful fact to plan social or even policy-making purposes. Social scientists involved their values as well as the social conditions which are prevalent in order to select the problem for the research.

It is suggested that this influence should be avoided as much as possible. The use of variation and topics of research because scientists also differ in their values and their preferences. This is the reason why the topics of the research very wide with different scientists.

The need for a specific problem is always fat by the scientist’s sensor general topic fails twin sure that the ability to examine the data resides and the methods that are needed to adapt and organize them along with the formulation of the specific problem is always there.

This helps the researcher to sharpen his goal and to make it clear cut. The purpose of this is not only to guide the researcher but also to sharpen for narrow is questions like a pinpoint.

For example, if a general topic of any industry or domain is compared with a pyramid base and the specific topic is exactly opposite to it which resembles the apex of the pyramid.

It is not an easy task to formulate a problem which has arisen out of a practical or theoretical situation. Even if it appears easy to do so, it is not the case, and in fact, it is more of a herculean task. Significant people by Charles Darwin have said that ‘looking back it seems that seeing and understanding the problem is more difficult than solving them. ‘

since the problem itself poses a lot of difficulties and the same is experienced by the researchers, one should ensure that the formulation of the problem is done in such a way that it should be explained and put in an efficient way so that it justifies the saying that a problem well put is half solved.

There are three general questions which are considered as three important components that are involved in the process of problem formulation

• What does one want to know?
• What could be the probable answers to the originating questions?

There should be a rational base for the problems of the solution that is provided itself has a more rational base. The answers that are provided justify the concerns of the problem, which are theoretical or practical in nature.

The answers that are provided by the theoretical rationale in terms of enlargement or propagation of the existing ideas or theory . It helps to shed light on the consistency is which are observed in the existing theories and ensures them to examine those inconsistencies and determine their nature in terms of reality.

On the other hand, to bring desired values, the practical rationale should be able to justify the answers to the questions of the researcher. It is very crucial that the formation of the problem is done in an efficient way so that the solution is found in the same manner.

If there is a flaw in the problem, the solution itself will be full of flaws, and it won’t be good research.

2) Literature review

The research is based on pastor knowledge, and the researcher should always make sure to take advantage of the north, which is already available or preserved earlier.

This not only helps the investigator to avoid replicating the hypothesis of earlier research but also enables him and provides evidence that he knows the current research which has already been done and can work on the untested and unknown field.

The literature review also means that the summary of writings how the earlier researchers and recognize the authority is in the particular area have been analyzed and summarised.

Books and libraries are the best places to find all human knowledge which is accumulated in the past. The published literature provides dear approaches which have been selected and helps the current researcher to study those approaches and take the baton from thereon.

The primary function of the literature review is that the research is given direction and information update related to the problem and the multiple ways that have already been tried to solve the problem and probably failed. This also helps the researcher to find his own hypothesis and save time doing what the earlier researchers had done.

The primary objectives of literature reviews are

• To avoid the studies which are overlapping with each other
• How to provide explanations ideas of the theory is which will be helpful in writing and defining the nature of the research problem.
• To formulate hypothesis by being a fertile source for it.
• To find out and suggest different methods in order to collect data and to explore different sources of data and techniques which are appropriate for the problem.
• To study and analyze what the earlier researchers had done.
• To ensure that the researcher is kept known of the current developments with regards to his area of activity.

Following are a few of the principles that the researcher has to follow for the review of the literature:

• The researcher should ensure that he has obtained an overall view from a source which is general and which has materials which are likely to provide the nature along with the meaning of concept and variables.
• After that, the researcher should also ensure that the reviewing that is conducted in the concerned field should review empirical researches.
• A systematic manner is approached in order to review the library materials, and also it should be thorough in nature.
• If at all he has mentioned any references, the researcher should ensure that it is mentioned in the bibliographic data.

3) Formation of Hypothesis in Research Design

The next step in the research is to formulate a hypothesis which will be tentative with nature and which would explain the nature of the problem. This explanation is tentative in nature refers to the statement of relation and relates two or more variables.

In order to formulate a hypothesis, the researcher collects information from multiple sources such as previous reports, existing theories, and literature which have worked with you on a similar problem.

Some of the studies test the hypothesis while others are formulating the hypothesis. The hypothesis for marketing studies are the ones which are exploratory studies since these end up with the formulation of hypothesis.

On the other hand, researches, which are hypothesis testing, start with a clearly defined and formulated hypothesis. The researcher has to state the definitions of concept so that they translate to the official and formal definitions and convey the nature of the problem into observables references.

In order to develop a hypothesis, it is essential to explain the nature of the relationship between two or more variables.

If one of the variable influences the other in the first variable is called as independent while the second is termed as the dependent variable. A correlation exists when one variable changes and influences another variable. It is very crucial that the researcher separates the dependent and independent variables from each other.

4) Formulating a Research Design

Once the problem has been defined, and the literature review is completed after formatting of the hypothesis, the researcher then starts to work on the design of the research. The design of research must be a blueprint for the general collection.

It acts as a standard guidepost by providing answers to multiple questions. It also helps in carrying out research accurately, objective, the economically and validity and is therefore fail-proof.

The research designs vary according to their need and the purpose of the research as well as the point of view working procedure.

There are basically four categories of research design:

• Exploration
• Description
• Diagnosis and
• Experimentation

There are four parts of Research design according to the realizable working procedure.

• Sampling design which is used to physically for sampling and selection of the units for the research purposes.
• The observational design describes the method in which observations are to be collected.
• The statistical design which describes the techniques statistically which are used in the analysis of data along with its interpretation.
• The operational design which deals with the techniques by which entire research can be carried out. The handset has all the three designs which are mentioned above, such as observational statistical and sampling designs.

5) Defining the nature of the study

The nature of the study as the cause of the individual items which are under consideration in the field of study. Nature refers to the sum of units for individuals from which a sample is another east in order to find out results, and that analysis is applied to it.

The researcher also separates the target and server population in order to define the scope of the study. Target units are the one which is applied to the results of the research. On the other hand, survey units are the ones which are included in sampling and all the ones from which the sample is taken.

In most of the purposes, this distinction is not significant, and the entire population must be defined in clear terms.

6) Sample design

It is not possible under different circumstances to enumerate all of the atoms included in the universe because it requires the result of resources like Mani time and energy which is why the researcher decides to select a representative from the population known as a sample and the process is known as simple design.

It is useful how to predetermine a sample before going for the entire research.

There are different types of samples which are as follows:

• Probability samples
• Purposive or judgment or subjective sampling
• Mixed sampling.

The probability samples are the ones which are drawn from the universe which is according to the laws of chance and are based on on the proper scientific technique in which every sample in the unit has a predefined probability of being selected.

In case of Subjective or Purposive or judgment sampling, the units are purposefully our desperately drawn depending on the investigation objectives, and these include only the important ones which represent it the population completely.

These units are selected in mixed sampling according to fixed sampling rule for according to fixed sampling rule, which does not depend on chance.

Simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, complex random sampling, haphazard or convenience sampling , cluster and area sampling, judgment sampling, and quota sampling a few of the important types of sampling.

7) Administration of the tools of Data collection in Research Design

Appropriate data is required for any research work. Along with appropriateness, the data should also be adequate. Considering the financial and time and other resources which are available, the data may differ considerably.

Things like nature of the investigation, scope of the inquiry, objective and financial resources along with the desired degree of accuracy and the time which is available after of the things that the researcher has to take into consideration.

Apart from this, the ability and experience of the researcher also have very much importance in the data collection that is required.

Journals newspapers reports published earlier and books are of the sources from which secondary data can be collected, and the primary data can be collected by survey or experimentation. In order to conduct a survey, the data is gathered by personal interviews observations making of the questionnaire on telephonic interviews and nowadays via the Internet.

8) Data analysis

After the collection of data is completed the investigator then has to analyze the collected data which involves operations like segregating the data into different categories and application of coding for deposition to the raw data that is collected.

Statistical conclusions were drawn after that. These operations are supervised very closely, and at the beginning, it is the researchers who have to classify some of the raw data into different categories based on similar purposes.

The coding is done in order to change the categories of data and make them tabulated and countable. After that, during the postcoding stage, the data which is collected is put into tabulated form, and this is done in the technical your manually with the devices such as computers.

If the data is very is ours than computers are used wisely in case of small data, manual mode is used. Standard statistical formulas and methods are applied in order to test the validity of the data by the researchers so that he arrives at some definite conclusion.

9) Hypothesis testing in Research Design

The studies do not always confirm the original hypothesis, and in many cases, the hypothesis may be refused, and the researcher in such cases mastery for a visit there results and conclusions. It is not possible in case of behavioral sciences to test multiple hypotheses.

The scientist can test the research hypothesis by making a sample for direct observation. On this observable basis, they determine if the hypothesis is consistent or not with the logical consequences, and that is why the indirect test of this hypothesis can be made.

The research hypothesis that is derived from the theory helps to provide an inconclusive test. A much stronger logical test is formed if the rejection of the null hypothesis. It is defined as a hypothesis of no difference, which is why the rejection of it results in the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis.

Various tests have been developed by statisticians like t-test, F-test, chi-square test in order to test the hypothesis. If there is no hypothesis, to begin with, then the generalizations are the only way to serve as the basis of hypothesis.

10) Interpretation and generalization

After the test of hypothesis is completed in Research Design, and the validity is confirmed, the researcher has reached a stage of generalization, which is generally seen as a real value to the research.

Only in case of hypothesis testing studies is this possible but thing hypothesis formulating studies where there is an absence of hypothesis the researcher has to you interpret his findings.

In other words, the theoretical framework may be used by the researcher in order to explain the findings of his research, which may raise new questions.

11) Preparing the report of the Research

The final product of all the research activity is the report which gives a written account of the entire journey along with the path to find new knowledge. This type requires a technical task, which is why writing research is not only but also tests patients and efforts on the part of the researcher.

The overall approach to the problem along with the analysis of the data and superior grasp over language all of it has to be used in case of preparing the report. The report has a foreword or the title page along with Preface, and list of tables and contents.

It may also contain a list of charts or illustrations. in the second section of the report; there will be an introduction to the research report along with the purpose of the study and statement of the problem.

Then the researcher will write about the hypothesis and the definitions along with the methodology by which the research is conducted. A section for secondary data analysis and primary data analysis is kept.

The final part of the research has conclusions and results. The end of the research will be filled with the bibliography and appendix and glossary.

Learn More – Research design and the 12 Types of Research Design

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Market research

Related posts:

• What is Research Design? Type of Research Designs
• What is Experimental Research? Definition, Design Types & Examples
• What is a Design Brief and How to Write it in 9 Easy Steps?
• Sampling and Sample Design – Types and Steps Involved
• What are Research Skills? And Why are they Important?
• The 7 Important Steps Retail Planning Process you Should know
• Brand Strategy – Steps, Components and Why it is Important for Business
• 7 Key Differences between Research Method and Research Methodology
• Qualitative Research: Meaning, and Features of Qualitative Research
• Research Ethics – Importance and Principles of Ethics in Research

About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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5 steps in the research process overview, step 1 – locating and defining issues or problems, step 2 – designing the research project, the research design involves the following steps:, step 3 – collecting data, data collection techniques can include:, step 4 – interpreting research data, analysis steps, step 5 – report research findings, research reporting formats:, typical formal research report format, acqnotes tutorial, research process lessons learned, qualitative research in the research process, acqlinks and references:, leave a reply.

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Speaker 1: One of the most frequently asked questions that I am asked all the time across my social media platforms, across my YouTube, across my comments, is about the research process. So how do you start? Where do you even begin? You need to submit a dissertation, you need to submit a research proposal, you need to think of a hypothesis, you need to think of a problem statement, you need to find a gap in literature where do you even begin with the whole research process now it isn't as hard as it seems it's just one of those things that you're never told or you're never taught how to do it's one of those things that you just kind of figure out so hopefully in today's video i will be talking to you about the overview and kind of a quick beginner's guide to the research process, giving you the steps of how you get from zero to having something, having a question, having a hypothesis, having somewhere to start. I'm going to be making this into a bit of a series so in today's video I'm going to be giving you an overview as to the different chapters, the different sections of the process, how you get from nothing to something and then in the following videos I will be going through each of those sections in a bit more detail and hopefully if you are someone who is within one of those kind of parts you can just jump to that video and have a have a quick quick watch if you are someone who is just starting off then this is the best place for you to begin have a little think about how you're going to navigate your research process and how you're going to get from the start to the end it is not difficult but it does require a few steps, a few technicalities, which I'll talk you through today. I'll leave the timestamps down below so you feel free to go and jump to the different sections that you are interested in watching. And if you do enjoy this kind of video and you want to see the rest of the videos from me, then don't forget to subscribe to see more on my channel. So step number one is to choose a topic. Now this is the beginning of something beautiful. This is where you choose what you're actually going to be studying and when you're actually going to be reading about now it's really important that you have chosen a topic that you are interested in that there is an interest in within the research space that has something missing so you don't want to choose a topic that we know everything about you want to choose a topic that we don't know everything about and there are things that we want to try to find more about you want to choose a topic that is within your university guidelines so as much as i would love to do a research on the solar system about space well if my course is to do with cell biology well then i can't so you have to think about your limits think about what you are allowed to do within your university guidelines as well but you do need to think about taking that broad topic and making it into something a bit more narrow so it's not good enough to just say i want to do research on alzheimer's okay alzheimer's fine you've got a topic, but you now need to narrow it down. So what about it are you looking at? Are you looking at the risk factors? Are you looking at what happens once you have Alzheimer's? Are you looking at a specific group of people? Are you looking at a specific cell type? What is it that you are looking at? You need to narrow that down. In order to narrow it down, you need to do a bit of a literature search. So whilst choosing a topic, whilst in this first stage, you need to look at literature. So to find literature you want to go to different websites where you have literature and this could be for example Google Scholar is a good place to start, PubMed is a good place to start. These are places where you can find literature about that topic and kind of read around the subject and identify whether firstly is it something that you are actually interested in and secondly is there enough information for you to gather to be able to write your literature review in the future so that first step your first step of your research process is thinking about the topic because without a topic you there's nothing you can't do anything else so the first step has to always be to find a topic and think about it now once you've thought about a topic and you've narrowed it down to the thing that you're interested in at this stage you will then go to your supervisor to your lecturer to your professor to your mentor to your tutor and you will ask them do you think this is a good topic and that is where you will get some feedback and most likely you'll have to go back have another think or try to refine a bit more or try to think about it in a different way but that is always the first step. In the video that I make about finding a good topic we'll talk about it in a lot more depth but to start off with to introduce this is always the first step. So the second step is to identify a problem and this is what we like to call in as you know in research the gap in literature. So a problem slash gap in literature is the part of research that we that is missing. So when you do research in fact in order to graduate from a PhD you have to and this is one of the criteria you have to produce research it has to be in a thesis or in a in a published paper it has to be research it has to be a finding that is new something that we do not know before we did not know before your research right and that is the number one criteria for for actually getting a phd it is the fact that it has to be something new has to be something novel that you have discovered okay so you need to think about the gap in literature where is there a missing piece i understand this i understand that we know this we know that but what is there that we don't quite know and that is the bit that you are then going to try to identify during your research process right chosen a topic now we need to find the problem where is the missing information now in order to do this you need to have read a lot of papers around your topic. So that's why I said initially, you need to have had approval from your committee, from your tutor, your supervisor to say, right, that's okay. It's good for me to go there. Now you've got that topic that you're looking at. You then want to try to find the gap. Where are you going to slot in? What is it that you are going to provide in terms of knowledge? Now, the identifying a problem is actually quite an important and quite critical part of the research process it's almost impossible you to continue on with your research without having identified the problem because if you don't have a problem you don't know what it is you're looking at you don't know what methods you're using you don't know what your research question is going to be or your hypothesis so at this stage you have to have a very well-defined research problem and your question in order to continue on to the next steps so when i say research problem and we'll talk about this more in in the following video that i'm going to produce about it but when i talk about research problem it could be a number of different things so it could be that we understand or we have the knowledge of a certain situation but now you're comparing it to a different situation so it could be more theoretical where you're comparing two things to each other that haven't been compared before so that would be fine as long as what you have is something original or you may be trying to explore a specific relationship let's say for example in my case with my PhD I was looking at two different proteins and the relationship between them so that is one type of research that you can do as well and so just think about your topic and think about where the gap is in the literature you have to read a lot to be able to find this and a question I get a lot emailed to me and directed to me is about this problem so how do I find a problem like how do i find a gap in literature and it's almost impossible for me to to give you any answers because i have to have read all the papers within your topic in order to answer that question which is almost impossible so it's something that you have to do independently and you can always discuss with me you can discuss kind of trying to refine that question but for the most part you need to read around your subject yourself to get that question then step number three is to actually write down your research question now this is usually in the form maybe of a hypothesis or maybe it could be just a you know a standalone question so this is just you saying this is what i'm looking at so i'm looking at whether actin and myosin bind together to have an impact on the motility of the cortex like that is my question and then i'll have a hypothesis saying actin and myosin bind together and they do this so this is just my question and you're just following on from your problem so you've identified your topic you found the problem the gap in literature and then you write down what your question is so what it is exactly that you are looking for and this will be like your guiding star this will be the thing the question the statement that you have at the top you know at the top of your mind whenever you are looking at literature whenever you're writing a literature review whenever you speak to someone you have that question in mind and so that needs to be something that's really well defined it should also be really specific so it can't just be saying is obesity caused by i don't know fatty food i'm just giving a random example that is too vague is obesity in children in male in female different ages what fatty foods what like you need to be very very specific so specific that someone else should be able to pick up your research question and know what it is you're looking at they need to be able to know sort of what methods you're using is it qualitative or is it quantitative what type of research are you actually doing that should really be in the research question so a good research question is one where that is really well defined then step number four is to write a research design so this is where you're kind of creating a bit of a method a bit of a process within a process so you are now writing down and you're now thinking about how you're going to conduct this research so to follow this will be the research proposal but at this stage here you're just thinking about your research design so how are you going to get this research done what are the factors that you need to think about who are the people the participants that you may need are you doing a lab-based thing do you need cells are you you know what do you need humans do you need animals is it just a review paper so do you just need to think about researchers out there what kind of study are you going to conduct in order to find out the results and the answer to your question essentially the research design is a practical framework so it's giving laying out that frame for you in order to answer your research question. And here, it's more of a thinking process. It's more of a discussion. You might want to ask your supervisor, you might want to ask your tutor to talk about it. How are we going to get the answer to this question? And then to finish off the research process, you now want to write a research proposal. And I have a really good video about this, and I'll leave the link for it down below, where you are detailing all the steps for your research so you're detailing your the background of your research the literature review and you're justifying that there is a need for this research you then want to detail your methods your materials the aim your you know your timeline how long it's going to take you to do these things and then that document is what you take with you to your supervisor and say look this is my research proposal you might take it to a potential phd supervisor and say look this is what i've found and this is what i'm really interested in and here is the proposal and you have it all outlined there for you or it's a document that you're able to use in order to build upon your dissertation and so if you're writing an essay dissertation you are able to use that as well so with your research proposal you are detailing the context you are detailing the purpose the plan and your aims the whole process going from finding a topic finding a problem finding the research question defining the actual research and then now you're compiling all of that and you're putting it into a document called the research proposal and all of this information is in there someone should be able to pick that up see what you found find the review of the literature and say right this is a good study this is a good bit of research we are going to approve this and then you can go on and plan the rest of your research so i hope this video helped you summarizing the steps of the research process to begin with and as i mentioned i'm going to be doing each of these five steps as single videos so i can expand on them and i'll make it into a playlist so you're able to sort of follow up and click on the next couple videos but for now i hope this did help with thinking about the research process and thinking about maybe what stage you are at if you are at any of them if you do want further support you can contact me on thepagedoctor.com where i give support and we have a team of consultants top consultants and top editors that can support you through the process of writing your research proposal or even through the post process of thinking about how you're going to find a gap in literature how you're going to find you know your hypothesis and define that for you so don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know if this was helpful and don't forget to leave me a thumbs up and subscribe to see more from me and I'll see you in my next one. Bye.

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Market research: Key steps, methods, and use cases

Ever wonder why some products fly off the shelves while others just sit there, all lonely and ignored? Or why your last marketing campaign was a massive hit while some of your others have felt like a total flop? Maybe you’re just dying to know what your customers actually want (spoiler alert: it’s not always what you think).

To answer these above questions, you’re going to need to tap into the best resource around: your customers. 

That’s where market research comes in. In this complete guide, we’ll give you the 411 into the key steps, methods, and use cases so you can make smarter, data-driven decisions.

What’s Market Research?

Market research is all about getting information on your target market and customers. It helps you figure out if a new product will be a success, make tweaks to what you’ve already got, or understand how people see your brand so you can communicate your company’s value better.

Let’s take a look at a real-world example:

If you’re into TikTok (and who isn’t?), you’ve probably seen those quick surveys while scrolling your ‘For You’ feed. TikTok uses them to learn what users like and how they feel about ads.

One survey asks for your opinion on a video or ad you just watched. Another might ask if you’ve seen a specific brand’s sponsored content recently, like “Did you catch any Dove ads in the last few days?”

TikTok uses this feedback to fine-tune what pops up in your feed.

Why’s it Important?

Image Sourced from statista.com

The global market research industry hit a record high of around $84.3 billion in 2023 . Over the last decade, it’s grown steadily, even when the economy was shaky. It just goes to show how important this stuff is becoming. But why? 

Well, market research helps you meet your buyers where they are (not where you wish they were). In a world that’s getting louder and more distracting by the day, that’s pretty much gold. When you really get your buyers’ problems, pain points, and what they’re dreaming of, you can design your product or service in a way that just clicks with them.

Types of Market Research

You now know what market research is and why it’s important to carry out! Next up, we’re going to teach you all the different types you can use:

• Interviews: Sit down with people one-on-one either in person or via video call . Have a chat and let the conversation flow naturally using open ended questions. This’ll help you learn more about your buyers and shape your marketing strategy.
• Focus groups: Another form of market research here.This one’s all about gathering a small group of people to test your product and share their thoughts.
• Customer surveys: Customer surveys could be quantitative or qualitative, done online, over-the-phone or via SMS. 
• Product/service use research: Find out how and why people use your product or service. This tells you if it’s easy to use and how it fits their needs.
• Observation-based research: Watch how your target audience interacts with your product or service. You get to see what’s working well and what needs fixing.
• Market segmentation research: To do this one, simply break your audience into different groups based on specific traits (like age, interests or how much they like to spend) This’ll help you figure out the best ways to meet their needs.
• Pricing research: Look at some of the products out there similar to yours. How much are they charging for their products or services? How many people are willing to actually pay that? This research helps you set the right price.
• Customer satisfaction surveys and loyalty research: See how happy your current customers are, and what makes them come back. This could be anything from loyalty programs to great digital customer service .

How to Do Market Research

Alright, It’s time to get practical! Here’s our step-by-step plan on market research:

Step 1: Define Your Buyer Persona

Free to use image sourced from Stockvault

First up, you’re going to need to know who your potential customers are and how they’re making buying decisions. Now, you can do this by creating buyer personas.

Buyer personas (AKA as marketing personas or customer personas FYI) are basically fictional profiles of your ideal customers. They help you understand what your best customers look like and how to reach them. Here’s what you should include in your buyer persona:

• Job title(s)
• Family size
• Major challenges

Think of your persona as a way of connecting with real customers in your industry. If you can, back up your persona with real data from your existing audience. For example, using phone analytics tools from your business phone service , you can check out phone patterns, customers inquiries and communications preferences to share in your persona.

Step 2: Find a Persona Group to Engage With

Now that you’ve got your buyer personas figured out, it’s time to pick a group of people to look into for your market research. You want a sample that truly represents your target customers so you can get a clear picture of their traits, challenges, and buying habits. 

So, if you’re an IT company that helps businesses put together an enterprise architecture strategy , for example, you’ll want to select people who either recently interacted with your company, bought similar services, and/or even those who chose a competitor.

How to pick the right people for market research

• Aim for 10 participants per persona
• Pick people who’ve interacted with you in the last six months (or at least up to a year)
• Include people who’ve bought from you, from your competitors, and those who decided not to buy at all.
• Get people excited to spend 30-45 minutes helping you out. On a tight budget? Give them something like exclusive content as a reward instead of cash. This way, you’ll get the feedback you need to truly understand your audience.

Step 3: Collect Your Data

Start by setting up a solid plan for collecting information. Make sure your customer surveys or interview questions are clear and cover everything you need. If people skip questions or don’t fill them out properly, your research could be off.

Step 4: Analyze the Results

Now comes the fun part. It’s time to analyze all that data you’ve collected. Look beyond the numbers to find the real insights. 

You’ll get some basic info like age and job titles, but the important data helps you understand their feelings and experiences. Tools like empathy maps can help you get into your customers’ heads (imagine being a mind reader, but more scientific). With good planning and a solid approach, figuring out what your data means should be super simple.

Step 5: Create the Research Report

When writing up your report, think about what you want to achieve with the report and try to tell a story with your findings.Tips for a great report:

• Use the inverted pyramid style: start with the big conclusions, and then add the details. No one has time for a novel!
• Kick off with key insights that your audience would be most interested in
• Make it easy to read so people can get to the main points quickly

Step #6: Make Decisions

Market research helps you understand things like customer buying habits, market trends, and pricing strategies. So go ahead, make those decisions and put your findings into action! Your research wasn’t just for fun, after all.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. Our complete market research guide, packed with everything you need to know about conducting it at your company. 

Market research isn’t a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process to keep you in tune with what your customers want and how your market’s shifting. keep it relevant, and don’t be afraid to dive back in whenever you need to adjust your game plan.

Happy researching! And remember, the more you know, the better you can do.

What can you learn by carrying out market research?

Market research can give you:

• Where your target audience and current customers are doing their research
• Which of your competitors your audience is turning to for advice, options, or straight-up buying
• What’s trending in your industry and what your buyers are buzzing about
• Who’s in your market, what their struggles are, and how you can help
• What really influences your audience’s buying decisions and conversions
• Consumer attitudes about specific topics, pains, products, or brands (including yours)
• If there’s actually a demand for those big business ideas you’re pouring money into
• Unmet or underserved needs that you could turn into a selling opportunity
• How your audience feels about pricing for a particular product or service

Are there any downsides of market research?

While market research can answer big questions about your industry, it’s not a magic crystal ball. It takes time to get a clear picture of what’s really going on with your target audience. But even if you only research a small piece of the puzzle, you’ll start to get a better sense of who your buyers are and how you can offer something unique that they can’t find elsewhere.

Originally published Aug 30, 2024

Cold calling scripts: 7 examples and tips to close more sales

Cold calling gets a bad reputation sometimes, but it’s still regularly used by many sales teams. And while achieving good response rates through cold calling can be a challenge, it can be done. In this article, we take a look at seven examples of cold calling scripts that will lead you in the right direction. ...

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You’re on a business trip in Oakland, CA. You've been working late in downtown and now you're looking for a place nearby to grab a late dinner. You decided to check Zomato to try and find somewhere to eat. (Don't begin searching yet).

• Look around on the home page. Does anything seem interesting to you?
• How would you go about finding a place to eat near you in Downtown Oakland? You want something kind of quick, open late, not too expensive, and with a good rating.
• What do the reviews say about the restaurant you've chosen?
• What was the most important factor for you in choosing this spot?
• You're currently close to the 19th St Bart station, and it's 9PM. How would you get to this restaurant? Do you think you'll be able to make it before closing time?
• Your friend recommended you to check out a place called Belly while you're in Oakland. Try to find where it is, when it's open, and what kind of food options they have.
• Now go to any restaurant's page and try to leave a review (don't actually submit it).

What was the worst thing about your experience?

It was hard to find the bart station. The collections not being able to be sorted was a bit of a bummer

What other aspects of the experience could be improved?

Feedback from the owners would be nice

What did you like about the website?

The flow was good, lots of bright photos

What other comments do you have for the owner of the website?

I like that you can sort by what you are looking for and i like the idea of collections

You're going on a vacation to Italy next month, and you want to learn some basic Italian for getting around while there. You decided to try Duolingo.

• Please begin by downloading the app to your device.
• Choose Italian and get started with the first lesson (stop once you reach the first question).
• Now go all the way through the rest of the first lesson, describing your thoughts as you go.
• Get your profile set up, then view your account page. What information and options are there? Do you feel that these are useful? Why or why not?
• After a week in Italy, you're going to spend a few days in Austria. How would you take German lessons on Duolingo?
• What other languages does the app offer? Do any of them interest you?

I felt like there could have been a little more of an instructional component to the lesson.

It would be cool if there were some feature that could allow two learners studying the same language to take lessons together. I imagine that their screens would be synced and they could go through lessons together and chat along the way.

Overall, the app was very intuitive to use and visually appealing. I also liked the option to connect with others.

Overall, the app seemed very helpful and easy to use. I feel like it makes learning a new language fun and almost like a game. It would be nice, however, if it contained more of an instructional portion.

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UX Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for You

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A well-organized UX research process isn’t the same as a strict, unchangeable process. There isn’t a single right way to do UX research. The best methods are flexible, adaptable, and customized to fit the specific needs of your users, team, and business.

In this blog, we’ll explore a 6-step guide for you on how to conduct UX research.

What is the UX research process?

The UX research process involves steps that help product teams learn what users need, how they act, and what they like.

UX researchers use different research methods to identify problems and find ways to stand out from competitors. Organizations also conduct UX research to observe how customers interact with their products or services in real life.

6 Steps of the UX Research Process

The UX research process helps you understand your users’ needs, behaviors, and how they use your product. By following this process, you make sure your design choices are based on real user needs. Here’s how you navigate the UX research process in 6 steps:

Step 1: Understanding the Research Goals and Objectives

Clear goals and objectives will guide your process, help you use resources wisely, garner stakeholder support, and gather valuable user insights.

• Define the Problem: Clearly outline the problem you want to solve. This involves understanding the business goals, user needs, and the context in which the product will be used.
• Set Research Goals: Identify what you need to learn from your users. This might include understanding user behavior, preferences, pain points, or workflows.

Step 2: Planning the Research

After setting your goals, the next step is planning the research and determining the data type you want to gather. This includes:

• Choose Research Methods: Selecting the appropriate UX research methods is like picking the right tools for a job. The UX research method you choose depends greatly on the type of project, your resources, the size of your research team, methods that best suit your goals, and the deadlines you need to meet.
• Common methods include: – Surveys and Questionnaires – User Interviews – Focus Groups – Usability Testing – A/B Testing – Contextual Inquiry – Field Studies
• Recruit Participants: Identify the target users you want to research. Use user research methods and ensure that the participants reflect the diversity of your actual user base.
• Prepare Research Materials: This includes creating interview guides, questionnaires, and prototypes or tools used during the research.

Step 3: Conducting the Research

Execute the planned research activities. This step involves making surveys, organizing usability tests, interviewing users, or using other methods. UX researchers use various techniques to carry out their studies. By talking directly with users, you can learn about their behaviors, preferences, and challenges firsthand.

Take detailed notes, record interviews (with permission), and collect data useful for analysis later.

Step 4: Analyze Research Data to Gather Insights and Communicate

How you analyze the data you gather in your research sessions depends on your objectives. Let’s explore some common types of analysis and the valuable insights you can gather:

• Synthesize Feedback: Organize the data collected from research activities. Look for patterns, trends, and significant insights to inform design decisions.
• Create User Personas: Based on the research, develop personas representing key user groups. Personas help the design team understand and empathize with the users.
• Identify Pain Points and Opportunities: Highlight the problems users face and identify areas where the product can be improved or new features can be added.

Sort your data into categories and tags, paying special attention to user pain points. Look for patterns and common issues. If you spot any, ask users more questions if needed. Make sure your research insights are easy to search, organize, and access for everyone on the team.

Next, communicate with other departments outside the UX team. Keep them informed and involved in your UX research process.

Step 5: Applying Research Insights into Action

The UX research data you collect is incredibly valuable. It can help you make smart decisions, improve user satisfaction, and increase engagement and retention. But it would be best if you acted on those insights.

Use the data to decide which problems to fix first and which updates to make. Focus on urgent issues that impact important metrics and prevent users from achieving their goals.

Use the research findings to guide the design process. This might involve redesigning features, refining user flows, or addressing specific pain points identified during the research.

For example, if your users need help finding the right features because the menu is too messy, you can simplify it. Using data from welcome surveys, you can also personalize it based on user needs.

Continue testing the design as it evolves. Incorporate user feedback through iterative cycles of prototyping, testing, and refinement.

Step 6: Evaluating Outcomes

After launching the product, evaluate its success by measuring user satisfaction, engagement, and overall experience. UX research is an ongoing process. Continue to gather feedback and make iterative improvements to the product based on user needs.

Best Practices for the UX Research Process

To make the most of your UX research and ensure that your findings lead to actionable and impactful design decisions, follow these best practices:

• Engage key stakeholders from the beginning of the research.
• Focus on the right research questions.
• Frame your questions in a way that avoids bias.
• Recruit the right participants.
• Use a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Be ethical in your research.
• Pay close attention to what users say.
• Involve your team in the analysis process.
• Present your findings in a way that is easy to understand and act upon.

By following these best practices, you’ll ensure that your UX research is thorough, ethical, and ultimately effective in guiding user-centered design decisions.

UX research isn’t something you do just once and then ignore. It should be a continuous part of designing and developing your product. Regular research, testing, and talking to users help shape and keep your design user-focused. Keeping UX research a priority will enhance your design process, increase conversions, and keep users happy and engaged.

Want to see how Trymata can assist with your UX research? Try it for free!

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6 key steps form a data-driven decision-making framework

A data-driven decision-making framework provides guidelines that any organization or individual can use. improve decision-making on a professional and personal level..

• Bill Schmarzo

A data-driven decision-making framework provides the logical progression organizations and individuals should follow to make the best professional and life choices that mitigate negative outcomes.

Humans often find it challenging to make decisions, especially when interpreting data and statistics. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted extensive research that attests wearing a seat belt can reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by approximately 50%. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3% of Americans still choose not to wear seat belts.

The gap between knowledge and action highlights a critical need to teach everyone a structured decision-making framework that uses data-driven insights to make more efficient business decisions and create a safer, more stable society.

A data-driven decision-making framework is a structured approach that systematically incorporates quantitative and qualitative data analysis to guide and inform decision-making. It ensures organizations and individuals make decisions using reliable evidence and thorough risk assessment.

Adopting a data-driven decision-making framework can lead to successful business, operational and societal outcomes while minimizing risks. Establishing a formalized data-driven decision-making process enables individuals and organizations to systematically evaluate potential drawbacks and continuously improve decision-making processes based on new data and insights.

The crucial aspect of a data-driven decision-making framework is basing decisions on facts supported by data rather than assumptions. Using facts reduces the chances of failure and increases the likelihood of success.

Embracing a data-driven decision-making framework

A data-driven decision-making framework is vital when data and AI influence every decision. In my book, AI & Data Literacy: Empowering Citizens of Data Science , I propose organizations and individuals use the following six-step data-driven decision-making framework. When applied effectively at both organizational and individual levels, the six stages can significantly enhance decision-making.

1. Identify and triage the decision

Prioritize decisions based on urgency. Clarify the decision hypothesis and define KPIs to measure its progress and success. For example, a company that is considering investing in a new product line could have a decision hypothesis that launching the product should capture a significant market share in the first year. KPIs might include market penetration, return on investment and customer acquisition costs.

2. Create a decision matrix

A decision matrix is a helpful tool to map out the options available, associated costs and benefits. It facilitates a structured comparison between potential decisions. For example, when deciding on software for enterprise resource planning, the matrix might compare different software options based on cost, compatibility with existing systems, scalability and vendor support.

3. Research and gather reliable data

Collect relevant and reliable data to inform the decision. Ensure each data source is trustworthy and vetted for its credibility. For example, if a hospital is considering buying new medical equipment, it should gather data on patient outcomes, equipment reliability reports and scientific studies on its effectiveness.

4. Create a cost-benefit assessment

Evaluate each option's direct and indirect costs and benefits listed in the decision matrix. A quantitative assessment is essential to make an informed and balanced decision. For example, when a local government assesses the cost-effectiveness of various public transportation projects, it might evaluate costs regarding financial outlays, environmental impact and social benefits.

5. Explore worst-case scenarios

Consider the potential adverse outcomes of each decision option to identify risk mitigation strategies. It is crucial to prepare for possible setbacks. For example, a technology firm can explore the worst-case scenarios of a new product launch, such as product failure, market rejection or unexpected competitive actions. Develop preemptive strategies to mitigate risks and address setbacks should any occur.

The lack of a data-driven decision-making framework often leads to suboptimal decisions based on intuition, incomplete data or bias.

6. Create an understandable presentation

The final step involves creating an easy-to-understand presentation and presenting the analyzed data in a clear format. Presentations ensure decision-makers make an informed decision based on the assessment. For example, an investment firm might use dashboards to present potential investment opportunities, displaying expected returns, risk levels and market conditions in an engaging and straightforward visual manner.

Risks of uninformed decision-making

The lack of a data-driven decision-making framework often leads to suboptimal decisions based on intuition, incomplete data or bias. Organizations that do not instill and enforce a data-driven decision-making framework for their important decisions can be less efficient, have lower profit margins and might damage their reputation:

• Strategic failures. Organizations that do not use a data-driven framework might miss out on critical market insights. The outcome is strategic decisions that do not align with market realities or customer needs, potentially leading to financial losses. For example, a company might launch a new product without analyzing market demand data, leading to poor sales and unsold inventory because the product does not meet customer needs.
• Operational inefficiencies. Without data to guide decisions, companies might operate based on outdated practices or inefficient processes, resulting in higher costs and lower productivity. For example, a company continues to use an old manufacturing process without analyzing operational data which suggests a newer technology could double the production speed and reduce waste.
• Compliance and ethical breaches. Organizations that ignore data regarding regulatory compliance or ethical standards risk legal penalties and reputational damage. For example, a pharmaceutical company could ignore clinical trial data that suggests adverse effects of a drug and push it to market. It risks regulatory action, harm to its reputation and loss of consumer trust.
• Loss of competitive advantage. Failing to analyze competitive data can leave organizations behind competitors who use analytics to innovate, improve services and capture market share. For example, a retail company ignoring consumer purchasing data might fail to stock trending products, resulting in lost sales to competitors who target trends through data analysis.

Organizations are not the only ones at risk. Individuals also need to follow a data-driven decision-making process every day or risk potential life-affecting consequences:

• Poor financial decisions. Without a structured approach to analyzing data, individuals might make financial decisions based on gut feelings or peer influence rather than solid economic data, leading to inadequate investment choices or savings plans. For example, an individual may invest in a high-risk stock based on a friend's recommendation instead of thoroughly analyzing the stock's historical performance and market conditions.
• Career missteps. Career decisions based solely on personal preference or immediate opportunities without considering long-term data can lead to regrettable choices. Use job market trends, industry growth projections or the historical success of paths to decide which direction to take. Choosing a career path without analyzing the future job market trends and sticking to declining industries can limit career growth and stability.
• Health management risks. Individuals might make health decisions based on anecdotal evidence or incomplete information without relying on data-driven insights, leading to ineffective or harmful outcomes. For example, an individual might follow a trendy diet without considering nutritional data or consulting health data that accounts for personal health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. It might lead to worsening health conditions or ineffective diet outcomes.
• Educational misalignment. Decisions about education, notably higher education and professional training, made without analyzing relevant educational outcomes data can lead to misalignment with career goals and economic realities. For example, an individual might choose a major in college based purely on personal interest without analyzing job placement rates, average earnings or industry growth data for graduates in that field. They might encounter difficulties finding employment in their field or underemployment after graduating.

Bill Schmarzo is the former CIO of Hitachi Vantara, where he was recognized for groundbreaking work in data science and automated machine learning. He has also worked at Dell EMC as CTO and as vice president of analytics at Yahoo. He has also written several books on big data.

Related Resources

• The Value of First-Party Compliance –MetaRouter
• Computer Weekly – 14 February 2023: Where next for NHS IT? –TechTarget ComputerWeekly.com

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Stuck in the steps?

Design is meant to inspire and guide—but when we’re stuck in the rigid steps of design processes, it strips away the depth, context and creativity that make design impactful..

Shreshth Kapoor

UX Collective

In an industry growing at an exponential pace, where new faces join daily, it’s alarming to see the rigid, word-for-word application of the design process. Today, a 14-day certification is all it takes for someone to claim the title of a ‘professional designer.’ Most portfolios showcase the same 3 or 5-step process resulting in little to no innovation at all. Moreover, it’s disheartening to see that many organizations treat design just as a checkbox .

Design processes have evolved significantly over time, adapting to the needs of various industries and practices. However, in today’s fast-paced world, there’s a noticeable trend of these processes being followed rigidly. I have had this conversation with numerous people from directors to juniors, with designers to non-designers and it’s about time someone addresses & dives deep into the reasons.

Rigidly following the steps in any design process is like driving with blinders on - you might stay on the road, but you’ll miss the scenery.

The history of design process

It all began in 1926 when Graham Wallas outlined a four-stage framework for creativity. It was originally created to give structure to the field of design. However, one of the most important moments in design history is credited to Herbert A. Simon. In his book, The Sciences of the Artificial he introduced the idea of design as a way of thinking . Over time, various processes like the Double Diamond , Stanford’s BioDesign , etc. emerged — each contributing to unique & specific approaches to solve problems.

In Innovation Methods Mapping: Demystifying 80+ Years of Innovative Process Design the authors of the book, Elizabeth Pastor & GK Vanpatter analysed over 60 innovation process diagrams created from 1926 to 2014. From this research, Manuel Lima, highlights two major notably shocking discoveries . The first is the overemphasis on the idea of creation . This brings out more of an artist and downplays the idea of key design responsibilities in most processes. The second is that only a few methods consider human behaviour in their process . This finding is especially troubling. It questions just how ‘human-friendly’ the design outputs of most of these processes are?

Design is like cooking. Following the recipe gets you a meal, but understanding the ingredients lets you create a masterpiece.

The problem of no context

Following any design process without context is like baking a cake without checking if you have an oven.

Empathy mapping is a well-known step in many frameworks used to gain clarity about the user. However, just empathy doesn’t necessarily provide a meaningful design deliverable . While it is often highlighted as a core element of the design process, empathy is only a stepping stone to an important step: understanding the context . Designs risk being incomplete and ineffective without a solid understanding of the context in which they operate. It’s not just about understanding what users feel but it’s also about mapping the bigger picture.

The clash of business and design

The lack of context often becomes quite apparent when design clashes with business interests. There is a straightforward cultural disconnect . Businesses love data, predictability and efficiency, while design thrives on creativity and embracing uncertainty.

When business meets design, it often feels more like a head-on collision than a partnership. There is a straightforward cultural disconnection. Business values predictability, while design thrives on uncertainty.

This clash is clear when companies like IBM tried to implement design thinking but hit roadblocks because it clashed with their existing culture which was focused on hard data and objectivity. They had to adjust their approach to make design thinking work within their structure​.

However, some companies have found a way to bridge this gap. A McKinsey report shows that mixing design with business isn’t just about new methods. It’s about changing how businesses think . Which, if you think about — is truly impactful. Companies that blend design into every step of product development, like Nespresso, see both happy customers and better profits.

The biggest hurdle remains aligning the flexible + creative nature of design with the rigid + predictability-driven world of business.

The question of effectiveness

Jon Kolko in his article, Design is a Mess pointed out that while simplifying design helps us learn, it falls short when it comes to real-world application. He argues that the models we use to teach design aren’t the same as practicing design. He also notes that often , design educators present these models as the entirety of design and that is problematic .

“The models we are teaching are not design. They are models. If someone walks away from our educational sessions believing there are five simple steps to design, we’ve failed.” — Jon Kolko

If you have ever looked at the original documentation of any design process, it always has note — asking designers to mould the process as per the needs of the problem.

Good design, as UX Magazine points out , requires more than just intuition or creativity. It demands thoughtful decisions that impact users in significant ways . Yet, the ease of entry into the design world has created a false sense of mastery — leading many to believe they can excel without fully understanding the depth & the true essence of design.

Would increasing the barrier to enter the design world help improve it’s maturity at an early stage? Is doing so even possible?

Oversimplification?

In today’s world of evolving products and targeted marketing, people often hear about a tool first. Many mistakenly believe that mastering the tool makes them an expert in the field . The focus on design tools and methods has led to a superficial understanding of design. It appears to be a set of tasks on a checklist rather than a creative, naturally flowing problem solving process .

Many junior designers strictly follow these processes and methodologies. This rigid mindset leads to problems. Instead of the right brain, their left brain is used — creating outputs that are logical but not creative. As a result, the designs they produce are often less original & different. The trouble just doesn’t end there, if not course corrected, they might end up teaching the same to future juniors.

Moreover, Natasha Jen gave a provocative talk at the 99U conference - Design Thinking is Bullsh*t . She pointed out that a simple Google search for “Design process” often results in multiple images of overly simplified 3 to 5 step processes. In her talk, she eventually argued that two major — critical elements are missing from most design processes. The first is critique. Every step of the design process requires critical feedback, which ensures that designs are continuously refined and validated by peers. The second is proof. It’s essential to back up our designs with evidence, ensuring they meet the intended goals and resonate with the end users.

The design process is like a pottery wheel where constant adjustments shape the final product.

In support of this argument, Manuel Lima, in his own book, The New Designer , argues that designers although follow the process, but they do not hold themselves and the outputs ‘accountable’.

Critique, proof and accountability are important critical points missing from most common design processes.

The true depth of Design Thinking is lost

Many articles argue that design thinking is in decline. Don Norman, in his article Rethinking Design Thinking critiques the design thinking approach, stating it has become too formula-like and lacks the depth required for true innovation. He emphasizes that real design work involves deep problem understanding, creativity, and iterative processes that go beyond the superficial steps often associated with design thinking.

Existing benefits of using design processes?

Any discussion is incomplete without considering the opposing viewpoint. Innovation, especially within the context of industrialization , has always thrived on frameworks. From the assembly lines of the early 20th century to the structured waves of technological advancement today, frameworks have enabled mass production with sustained growth. The process isn’t just about invention — it’s about creating a repeatable model that can be scaled. So, it can be said that for any model to sustain, it has to be repeatable — at least to an extent.

Despite all the criticisms, the benefits of a structured design process are undeniable. Any framework or model is an excellent way to explore new ideas because it’s purposefully reductive . It removes excess stuff and eventually creates clear focus on what remains. It brings clarity to teamwork, speeds up decision-making and ensures consistency across projects. These processes are the backbone that drives success in both user satisfaction and business objectives. Moreover, Design Thinking offers power to newbies of the design field.

Closing argument

Like bowling, I think design too needs these guiderails so that we stay on track. However, if we keep doing the same thing again and again, that too without thinking much, the room for innovation is very less. Design is a creative field and its true essence lies in the ambiguity. In conclusion, here are 5 steps I think you can take to tackle these issues:

• Challenge the mindset & be flexible . The process should serve the problem & not the other way around. Design process isn’t a rigid formula it’s a dynamic framework. Sometimes, like a knight in chess, you need to make bold moves & jump around because sticking to linear paths won’t get you far.
• Understand the core concept of the process & understand the step you plan to do next, before jumping into it. Start by questioning each step — is it necessary or just a habit? How does it help with the project’s goals? Use first principles thinking. If non-design stakeholders question this flexibility, explain that it’s not about skipping steps. It’s about making informed choices that better serve the project’s goals. Let them know that this approach keeps deviations strategic & not random.
• Adapt to the context. Every problem operates within a unique environment, influenced by ’n’ number of factors. Moreover, design problems are often complex, involving multiple stakeholders, conflicting requirements and unforeseen constraints. More the variables, the harder to solve the problem. Understanding major sub-contexts would help you tackle the problem statement more effectively.
• Talk, collaborate & align expectations. Experienced designers and mentors, both have an important role to play in this transition. Stay transparent & set clear expectations with your project stakeholders about your design process changes. Clear communication builds trust & aligns expectations.
• Experiment. Measure impact. Improve. Keep testing changes in your design process. Track project cycles and product metrics and use them to refine your design process over time.

This reflection wouldn’t have been possible without the insights from incredible research papers, articles and videos by talented design folks. A big shout-out to the brilliant minds contributing to this ongoing conversation.

I would love to know your thoughts on this article. Until next time!

Written by Shreshth Kapoor

Design Leader ⭐ www.linktr.ee/shreshth.designs

Text to speech

To remain competitive in today’s relentlessly paced and ever-expanding marketplace, companies must think carefully about what products they’re developing and how they’re developing them, continuously iterating their processes to maintain a competitive edge. A finely tuned product development strategy is a holistic, cross-collaborative endeavor with the capacity to help any organization weather unforeseen events or market changes.

Consumers have access to more information than ever to compare products and brands. The relentless pace of technological advances can mean even the most innovative start-up finds a once-successful product suddenly out-performed or obsolete. And for legacy institutions with strong brand loyalty, existing products might not be enough to remain competitive over the long term.

With new markets and functionalities appearing almost overnight, product development can’t be a blind process. Successful companies fuse product development practices with overarching business strategies to ensure sustainable innovations that will resonate efficiently and sustainably with customers—both in existing markets and among new target audiences.

A successful product development strategy can:

• Diversify a product portfolio
• Enhance customer experience
• Improve sales and return-on-investment
• Support a growth strategy
• Support transitions into new markets

Traditionally, there have been three distinct ways for a business to grow through product development:

• Create an entirely new offering
• Tweak an existing product to cater to its target market
• Enhance a product for introduction to new markets

But offering a better product, or manufacturing one at a lower cost, is only a small part of a successful product development strategy. Today, as many as half of all companies—and 70% of top-performing companies— use software developed internally to differentiate themselves in crowded markets. As more businesses become software businesses, a long-term development strategy that prioritizes continuous feedback and core organizational value is key to success.

While individual organizations may use slightly different templates, and there is certainly no universal strategy to guarantee the successful commercialization of an idea, there are seven common steps in the product development process.

Typically, these measures should be undertaken by a dedicated development team or through a product development partnership with an experienced and specialized consultancy. The goal is to systematize the development process from brainstorming to launch, outlining critical benchmarks and allowing collaboration across departments as well as review from multiple stakeholders. These seven stages of product development are:

1. Idea generation

Prioritizing the long-term strategic goals and core competencies outlined, a business should brainstorm new initiatives, product ideas, or product features. During this phase, cross-collaborative efforts should focus on ideation and iteration. Considering customer needs and the business’ strengths, the product team generates product concepts. Taking cues from multiple departments and business leaders, those ideas are then screened to ensure only those ideas most aligned with the organization’s goals move forward.

2. Research

During this phase, the new product idea is placed within the context of the current market. Firms might conduct market research related to their new feature or product line, solicit customer feedback, or engage focus groups. During this process, a business should extensively research similar products and fully investigate the new product’s competitive advantage over other offerings to forecast an accurate future market share. All this effort culminates in the validation of the new idea, which helps business leaders identify how the product will perform.

3. Planning

Once the idea has been validated, the planning stage of the new product development process begins. This will likely involve collaboration between the product design team, project management, sales, and other departments as the business creates a detailed roadmap for how the new product will be built and deployed. This might include plans for integrating the new idea with current products or existing business structures. Depending on the product, this phase may also involve wire-framing and modeling as well as costing the price of materials or server space.

4. Prototype

A prototype is a crucial step in the product development process. Often, companies will build several prototypes and make significant changes to their original plans as they assemble a model of their eventual product. Occasionally, it might be necessary to build a handful of variations with different features, material or capabilities.

The end goal should be to create what’s referred to as a minimum viable product (MVP). The MVP is the most basic version of the new product without most of the extensive integrations or features that might be added over the time. This will become the sample as materials and vendors are sourced for mass production. In software applications, it may be important to test the prototype with end users to ensure an adequate user experience.

5. Sourcing and manufacturing

During this phase, a business gathers materials and contracts with partners, if applicable, to create a detailed plan for actual production. Depending on the scope and nature of the product, this could be as simple as hiring additional engineers and as complex as implementing new supply chain processes across the organization.

This is where a product management team becomes increasingly important, as sourcing can require extensive collaboration between vendors and across multiple processes. In cases of complex global sourcing and manufacturing needs, a business may elect to use software or databases specifically built for the task.

During this final phase before launch, a business should calculate the total cost of its product over a pre-determined product life cycle to verify the retail price and gross margin of its new initiative. The detailed consideration of business value, customer value and product value should help guide and simplify the costing phase, as they’ve helped facilitate an accurate estimation of return-on-investment.

7. Commercialization

After a lengthy design process, it’s time for the product launch. Before launch and during the planning process, a marketing strategy will have been developed to ensure target customers have access to the new product and appropriate distribution channels have been engaged.

Good product development prioritizes on-time and on-budget production or deployment. Great product development prioritizes value-based outcomes over a product’s entire lifespan.

Before considering how to implement the product development process, it’s important to step back and evaluate a business’ core competencies and potential long-term needs.

• What are the organization’s essential advantages and skills?
• How do those competencies work together in a unique way?
• What competencies might be needed in the future?
• How do those competencies align with an organization’s long-term strategic business plans?

It may be useful to rank these advantages—for example, the ability to deploy software quickly or strong strategic sourcing—to capture a deeper sense of where the business stands. Some researchers recommend plotting these variables on a simple graph according to how strategically important they are and how strong their current position in the company.

As the early phases of the product development process begin, organizations should weigh how their product roadmaps will respond to and measure three crucial types of value:

• Customer value : This metric describes the measurable impact when a customer uses a product, which essentially amounts to a basic value proposition. Will the proposed product or feature meet an unmet need?
• Business value : This measures product outcomes within the context of key performance indicators (KPIs) and the broader business strategy. Will a product or feature drive specific and measurable business value?
• Product value : This metric evaluates how much a product or service will be used against the resources required to build and maintain it. Will the benefit of a product or feature improve engagement and outweigh the resources expended?

Tracking these metrics can help an organization make a systematic plan to prioritize products and features. Even the most popular products won’t succeed over the long-term if they drain resources or fail to align with the business’ broader goals. These three value indicators are as important after a product is released as during initial brainstorming sessions. Testing a product and carefully evaluating its success should be a continuous and ongoing outcome rather than the final step in its development.

Historically, testing new product development strategies may have been the final phase of a project. But in today’s landscape smart business leaders iterate to provide continuous, value-based testing over a product’s lifespan.

The final phase of a successful product development strategy is open-ended. It involves the regular collection of data to analyze how products reflect an organization’s broader business goals. This may include soliciting user feedback over social media, tracking retention internally as customers use the new product, or periodically auditing the product to ensure it is capturing the best possible value for consumers and the business alike.

Today’s business leaders need to rethink competencies, operations, designing and sequencing workflows end-to-end with a way that unlocks, connects, and uses data where it is most effective.

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is a comprehensive end-to-end engineering solution that stands at the forefront of the market, seamlessly guiding you from requirements to systems design, workflow, and test management, extending the functionality of ALM tools for better complex-systems development. By adopting an end-to-end view across the entire product lifecycle, enabling a digital foundation for data traceability, you can more easily track changes to minimize risk and reduce costs.

Explore IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Original text

Starting a business brings excitement and challenges. Legal services play a vital role in navigating these waters. You want to protect your interests, right? Understanding what legal aspects need professional guidance is crucial.

Contract creation can make or break deals. State requirements for legal certifications add another layer of complexity. You’ll find clarity in the process by evaluating your specific needs.

Join me as we explore essential steps to ensure you choose the right legal support for your entrepreneurial journey.

1. Identify Your Key Legal Needs Before Starting Up

Recognizing your legal needs sets the foundation for a successful business. Start by identifying areas where you may require professional assistance, such as contracts, compliance, or intellectual property. Think about what risks your business faces and how legal guidance can mitigate them.

For example, if you plan to hire employees or  create partnerships , consulting with a lawyer can clarify your obligations. Resources like local bar associations provide valuable information on state-specific requirements. 

Taking time to pinpoint these needs helps ensure that you engage the right legal services from the start. This proactive approach lays a strong groundwork for future growth.

2. Research and Compare DIY Legal Services vs. Professional Help

When considering legal services, weigh the pros and cons of DIY options against hiring professionals. Many online platforms offer templates and basic legal advice at lower costs. However, these services may lack personalization and in-depth expertise.

Evaluate your specific situation before deciding. If you face complex issues like  business formation or regulatory compliance, professional guidance often proves invaluable. Local bar associations can help you find qualified lawyers who understand your needs.

By researching thoroughly, you ensure that you're making an informed choice about how to best protect your interests while keeping costs manageable.

3. Understand State-Specific Regulations That Impact Your Business

Each state has unique requirements for legal certifications that can affect your business operations. Research these regulations to ensure compliance and avoid costly mistakes. For instance, understanding licensing laws and local business permits is essential.

In North Carolina, for instance, professionals often use resources like the North Carolina Bar Exam guidelines as benchmarks for best practices.  Quimbee provides valuable insights into these requirements, helping you navigate the complexities of state regulations efficiently.

Familiarizing yourself with specific rules in your area prepares you to address legal issues confidently and position your business for success.

4. Draft Key Legal Documents to Secure Your Business 

Creating crucial legal documents protects your business and establishes a clear framework for operations. Begin with an operating agreement that details the structure and management roles among owners. This document serves as a roadmap for decision-making.

Compose contracts that precisely define the parameters of service for clients, significantly diminishing the likelihood of misunderstandings down the road. Place a premium on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as well; they are indispensable for securing sensitive information.

Furthermore, contemplate  employment contracts to clarify job duties and pay structures, confirming that all parties share a common understanding from the beginning.

5. Steer Clear of Common Mistakes When Seeking Legal Help 

Launching your enterprise already presents plenty of hurdles; sidestep adding legal blunders to your plate. One frequent error is procrastinating on legal issues until they escalate; early intervention often saves time and money.

Be upfront about your needs during consultations. Clearly outline your concerns and objectives to help lawyers provide targeted advice that fits your situation. 

Additionally, always check references or reviews before hiring a lawyer. A strong reputation can signal quality service and expertise tailored to entrepreneurs like you. By avoiding these pitfalls, you'll build a more secure foundation for your business.

Key Takeaways to Ensure Legal Protection for Your Startup

As you navigate the legal landscape, keep these points in mind: Identify your key legal needs early to avoid delays. Research and compare options, balancing DIY services with professional help. Understand state regulations and draft essential documents like contracts and NDAs. 

Finally, be proactive about avoiding common pitfalls by seeking guidance sooner rather than later. This groundwork will safeguard your business as it grows and evolves.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.