Primary & Secondary Research Dossier
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
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This section explains the crucial role of a Research Dossier as a consolidated repository for all design-related investigation. By housing raw data, summarized insights from user interactions and existing literature, and critical evaluations, it serves as a verifiable foundation for justifying design decisions and demonstrating a thorough understanding of the problem space.
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The Research Dossier: Your Design Evidence Vault
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Chapter Content
The Research Dossier is a comprehensive, organized compilation of all research evidence gathered. Its main purpose is to consolidate findings, provide verifiable evidence for design decisions, demonstrate research rigor, and serve as a central source of truth for the project.
Detailed Explanation
In any successful design project, understanding the problem and its context is paramount. The Research Dossier acts as your project's evidence vaultβa carefully organized collection of all the information you've gathered. This is a meticulously compiled package that includes raw data, your own summarized findings, and critical evaluations of existing information. Its main purpose is to give every design decision you make a strong foundation in real data. If you decide to add a certain feature, the dossier should contain the research that proves why that feature is needed. It helps you avoid simply guessing or relying on personal opinions, ensuring your design is truly solving real problems for real users.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine a detective solving a mystery. They don't just guess who the culprit is. They collect clues: witness statements (like interview transcripts), forensic reports (like market statistics), surveillance footage (like observation notes), and background checks (like literature reviews). Their dossier is their case fileβevery piece of evidence organized to build a convincing argument. Your Research Dossier does the same for your design project.
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- Chunk Title: Components: Primary and Secondary Research
- Chunk Text: The dossier integrates Primary Research evidence like interview transcripts and survey data summaries with Secondary Research evidence, such as literature summaries and market statistics. For secondary sources, you must include Critique Notes on their reliability and bias.
- Detailed Explanation: The dossier starts with the evidence you collected yourself, capturing the direct voice and behavior of your target users through notes and summaries. It then includes evidence from existing sources, like academic papers or industry reports, which provide crucial background and market context. Critically, you must add Critique Notes to the secondary data, evaluating if the source is trustworthy, how old the data is, and if there might be any bias. This critical thinking about existing data is just as important as collecting new data, ensuring your design is well-informed and considers the bigger picture.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: If you're designing a new playground, your dossier would contain direct quotes from kids about what they love or don't love (Primary Evidence). It would also contain summaries of studies on child development and play and statistics on local park usage (Secondary Evidence).
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- Chunk Title: Significance and Assembly of the Dossier
- Chunk Text: The true power of the dossier lies in its organization. Its Significance is that it underpins the credibility and effectiveness of the design solution, providing a strong basis for future iterations and stakeholder alignment by ensuring every decision is traceable back to evidence.
- Detailed Explanation: The dossier is not a disorganized pile; it's a structured document with clear sections and labels, making it easy for anyone to find specific information. This organized presentation enhances the dossier's credibility and usability. Its significance cannot be overstated: it acts as the foundation of your entire design project. Every decision, every feature, every design choice you make will ideally be traceable back to specific evidence within this dossier. This ensures that your design solution is not only innovative but also genuinely addresses real user needs and market realities. It's a key tool for aligning project goals with user requirements and for making well-informed decisions.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: Think of a chef creating a new recipe. They don't just throw ingredients together. They have a recipe book (their dossier) with notes on ingredient qualities, taste test results, and cooking methods. This organized information ensures the new dish is delicious and replicable. Your dossier is your recipe book for design, ensuring your final product is well-crafted and justifiable.
Key Concepts
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Consolidation: Bringing all research types together.
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Verifiability: Ensuring data integrity for justification.
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Credibility: The foundation for stakeholder alignment.
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Examples
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Primary Example: A section containing a transcript from an interview with "User A," where they explicitly state their need for an 'offline mode.'
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Secondary Example: A summary of a 2023 industry report showing a 30% increase in mobile app usage among the target demographic, justifying the decision to prioritize mobile design.
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Flashcards
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Term: What is the difference between data in the Research Dossier and data in the Design Specification?
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Definition: The dossier contains the raw evidence and summaries; the Specification contains the requirements derived from that evidence.
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Term: Why are Critique Notes necessary for industry reports in the dossier?
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Definition: To evaluate the source's reliability, date, and potential bias, ensuring the data is trustworthy.
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Term: What type of evidence is captured by Observation Notes?
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Definition: Direct user behaviour and interactions in their natural environment.
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Memory Aids
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Rhyme: Proof and Summary, put it inside, a Dossier is born, where truth can reside.
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Mnemonic: V.A.U.L.T.: Verifiable Analysis Underlies Logical Tracing (of requirements).
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Analogy: The Research Dossier is the library of books and files; the Design Specification is the concise essay written based on those books.
Examples & Applications
Primary Example: A section containing a transcript from an interview with "User A," where they explicitly state their need for an 'offline mode.'
Secondary Example: A summary of a 2023 industry report showing a 30% increase in mobile app usage among the target demographic, justifying the decision to prioritize mobile design.
Flashcards
Term: What is the difference between data in the Research Dossier and data in the Design Specification?
Definition: The dossier contains the raw evidence and summaries; the Specification contains the requirements derived from that evidence.
Term: Why are Critique Notes necessary for industry reports in the dossier?
Definition: To evaluate the source's reliability, date, and potential bias, ensuring the data is trustworthy.
Term: What type of evidence is captured by Observation Notes?
Definition: Direct user behaviour and interactions in their natural environment.
Memory Aids
Rhyme: Proof and Summary, put it inside, a Dossier is born, where truth can reside.
Mnemonic: V.A.U.L.T.: Verifiable Analysis Underlies Logical Tracing (of requirements).
Analogy: The Research Dossier is the library of books and files; the Design Specification is the concise essay written based on those books.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
Proof and Summary, put it inside, a Dossier is born, where truth can reside.
* **Mnemonic
Memory Tools
Verifiable Analysis Underlies Logical Tracing (of requirements).
* **Analogy
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Critique Notes
Evaluations of secondary sources regarding bias, date, and reliability.
- Credibility
The foundation for stakeholder alignment.
- Secondary Example
A summary of a 2023 industry report showing a 30% increase in mobile app usage among the target demographic, justifying the decision to prioritize mobile design.
- Definition
Direct user behaviour and interactions in their natural environment.
- Analogy
The Research Dossier is the library of books and files; the Design Specification is the concise essay written based on those books.