Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor.

I'm so pleased you can join me for our lesson today.

Our lesson today is research, and this is taken from the Designing and Making Principles unit.

The outcome, I can explain how and why industry conducts research.

We have five key words today.

Primary research is firsthand information collected directly from sources.

Secondary research is existing information collected from other sources.

Analyse, examining something in detail.

Qualitative data is information recorded using words and quantitative data is information recorded using numbers.

We have three learning cycles, primary research, secondary research and analysis.

Let's get started.

Primary research is the process of collecting new, firsthand data directly from sources.

It helps designers gain original insights to inform product development.

Primary research can be conducted at any stage of the design process.

Examples of primary research can include, surveys, which can give opinion, preferences and pain-points.

Observations, which can give us information about the natural environment, controlled conditions, or how people interact with existing products.

Product testing such as prototype feedback and concept testing and interviews with potential users or stakeholders, for example, retailers or manufacturers.

Let's have a quick check, which are examples of primary research? Is it A, surveys? B interviews, C, books, D reports? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it's A surveys and B interviews.

Primary research is valuable because it provides specific information for a project, helps designers understand users' needs and behaviours, can reveal problems or opportunities.

Allow concepts to be tested before committing to full production.

Qualitative data refers to research information that is recorded using words.

It is descriptive and detailed, focusing on opinions and experiences.

A helpful way to remember this is as follows, qualitative data has L as in language in the middle of the word.

Lucas reminds us interviews, open-ended survey questions and observations can give us qualitative data.

Let's have a check.

What is an example of qualitative data in primary research? Is it A, the number of people who prefer a red chair over a blue chair, or B, the average rating of a product out of 10 or C, the comments from users about how comfortable a chair feels, or D, the measurement of a chair's height in centimetres.

Pause the video, have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, the comments from users about how comfortable a chair feels, well done.

Quantitative data refers to research information that is recorded using numbers.

As it is number-based, it can be counted or measured.

A helpful way to remember this is as follows, quantitative data as N as in numbers in the middle of the word.

Aisha, remind us that multiple choice surveys, product testing with ratings and measurements can give us quantitative data.

Let's have a check.

Which statement is an example of quantitative data in primary research.

Is it A, people said the product was easy to use or B, 75% of participants rated the product four out of five stars.

Or C, the product feels comfortable to wear, or D, users express frustration when the product broke.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right.

75% of participants rated the product four outta five stars.

The correct answer is B.

Task A, imagine you are designing a school lunchbox.

To make sure it meets the needs of the user, you need to gather some primary research.

Part one, write two different methods you could use to gather information directly from students about what they want in a lunchbox and explain why each method would be useful.

Pause video, have a go.

Fantastic, let's look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

A survey or questionnaire, multiple choice and rating scale questions about preferences for a lunchbox.

For example, the size or the compartments.

Useful because it provides quantitative data and can be understood quickly or interviews one-on-one interviews with a small sample of students asking open-ended questions about what they like or dislike in a lunchbox.

This is useful because it provides qualitative data to understand the reasons behind choices, well done.

And part two, think about the types of questions you would ask students in an interview or survey to understand their needs by three example questions that would help you learn about their preferences.

For features like size, compartments, durability, or design, pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

How important is it for you to have separate compartments in your lunchbox for different food items? Do you prefer to carry your lunch inside your school bag or separately? How long do you expect your lunchbox to last? Would you prefer a more durable material even if it makes the lunchbox heavier? Well done, and we move on to our second learning cycle.

Secondary research.

Secondary research involves gathering data from existing sources rather than collecting it firsthand.

It saves time compared to primary research because the information required has already been gathered.

Secondary research can be conducted at any stage of the design process.

Examples of secondary research can include books and articles, which could give us information about design trends or new technologies.

Websites, this is useful for existing products or material supplies.

Consumer information, for example, sales data or product reviews.

And databases, this can give us information about things such as anthropometrics or material and component data sheets.

Let's have a check.

Which of the following is an example of secondary research? Is it A, conducting a survey to gather opinions on a new product? Or B, analysing sales data to identify customer trends.

C, observing how people use a product in a real world setting, or D, interviewing users to gather feedback on an existing product.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous, let's check.

That's right, it's B.

Analysing sales data to identify customer trends, it's important to analyse the reliability of secondary research sources by examining them in detail.

When designing a cabinet door, a designer relies on a hinge data sheet for key technical information.

An unreliable or incomplete data sheet could lead to choosing a hinge that doesn't fit or support the weight properly.

Component data sheets are useful sources of information when researching and selecting components.

This example shows the dimensions, materials, finish, and weight for a hinge.

This information will inform relevant design decisions.

Research must be relevant.

For a new smartphone design, secondary research might include the following, anthropometric data, materials or technology and size, and this is how the research would be relevant.

Anthropometric data, the average hand size would be relevant.

Materials and technology, developments in battery life would be relevant.

And the size, the consumer survey on preferred screen size would be relevant.

Let's have a check.

Which of the following would be the most relevant anthropometric data for designing a bicycle helmet? Is it A, the average adult height or B, foot length? C, head circumference or D, shoulder width? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it would be C, head circumference.

Well done.

Task B, imagine you are using secondary research to learn more about the design of lunchboxes.

You need to gather data from existing sources to inform your design decisions, including anthropometric data.

Part one, write two different sources where you could find secondary research about lunchboxes and explain why each source would be useful for your design.

And part two, give two pieces of anthropometric data that would be relevant for the lunchbox design and explain how this could be used.

Pause the video, have a go.

Fabulous, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Part one, a component data sheet can help refine the design by providing technical specifications to ensure that the components fit correctly.

And anthropometric data is essential for determining the correct sizing to ensure user comfort and functionality.

Part two, hand width and finger length ensure the lunchbox is easy to carry and can be opened independently by children.

Well done.

And now we move to our third learning cycle, analysis.

Any research conducted needs to be analysed.

This involves examining the data carefully to draw conclusions and find patterns.

It helps us understand what the research tells us about user needs, market trends, material choices, and design opportunities.

Research analysis ensures design decisions are based on evidence rather than guesses.

Here we have a check.

Why is analysing research important in the design process? Is it A, it allows designers to randomly choose features for their product, or B, it helps designers make informed decisions based on user needs and trends.

Or C, it only focuses on numerical data instead of user opinions, pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's B.

It helps designers make informed decisions based on user needs and trends.

Well done.

The type of analysis is dependent on the type of data collected.

Qualitative data, you can look for common themes, categorise positive and negative responses, or use quotations.

Quantitative data, you can look for number patterns, compare percentages or averages, and use graphs and charts.

After analysing both primary and secondary research, the next step is to use this information to influence your design decisions.

Ask yourself questions like, which materials are most suitable based on my research, or what are the key needs of my target users? This step ensures your design is fit for purpose.

Task C, using the information from task A and task B, explain how this research could influence the design of a lunchbox.

Pause the video, have a go.

Fantastic, let's check some of the answers you may have come up with.

Research can influence the design of a product by informing design decisions.

For example, if my survey information told me that most people eat sliced bread sandwiches for lunch, then the shape of the compartment would be square or triangle and the size of sliced bread.

If the Anthropometric data showed me that most hand widths were in the range of 60 to 100 millimetres, then this is the minimum and maximum size any handle could be.

If my interview revealed that the user likes to carry their lunchbox separately to their bag, this provides an opportunity to include a component to attach the two together.

Well done.

Here we have a summary of our learning today, primary research collects firsthand data.

For example, surveys.

Secondary research uses existing sources for example, websites.

Data can be recorded using words, which is qualitative, or numbers, which is quantitative.

Research is analysed to help design relevant and functional ideas.

Well done, and thank you for joining me for our lesson today.