Study Notes: Investigation, Primary and Secondary Data

Welcome! Before a designer can create the next amazing product, they need to know exactly who they are designing for and what the problem is. This chapter is all about becoming a detective and gathering the essential facts.
Investigation is the first and most critical step in the design process. Get this right, and the rest of your project will be much easier!

1. Why Investigation is the Foundation

Imagine trying to build a skateboard without knowing if the user is a small child or a professional stunt person. It would fail!
Investigation is simply the process of gathering information to understand the user's needs, the environment (context) where the product will be used, and the overall problem.

The Goal of Investigation

The ultimate goal of all your research is to create a strong, detailed Design Specification. This specification is a checklist of features and requirements your final product must meet.
Your research must cover:

  • User Needs: Who is the product for? (Age, ability, income, preferences).
  • Context: Where will the product be used? (Indoors, outdoors, wet environment, hot climate).
  • Existing Solutions: What products already exist, and how can yours be better?
  • Materials and Manufacturing: What resources are available, and what techniques are suitable?

Key Takeaway: Research provides evidence! You can’t just guess that people need a certain product; you need data to back up your ideas.

2. Primary Data Collection (First-Hand Facts)

Primary data is information that you collect yourself, specifically for your current project. It is first-hand and fresh.

💡 Memory Aid: Primary means Personal—you get the information personally.

Methods of Gathering Primary Data

This type of data is vital because it is highly relevant and tailored to your exact design challenge.

  1. Observation (Being a Detective):

    2. Watching people interact with existing products or perform specific tasks. This can reveal problems users don't even realize they have.

    • Example: If you are designing a new school bag, you might observe students struggling to fit books into current bags or having trouble with broken zippers.
    Benefit: You see real behaviour, not just what people say they do.

  2. Surveys and Questionnaires:

    3. Asking a group of target users a series of questions.

    • Closed Questions: Offer limited choices (e.g., Yes/No, or multiple-choice). These are easy to analyse using graphs and numbers.
    • Open Questions: Allow the user to give detailed, descriptive answers (e.g., "What frustrates you most about current phone chargers?"). These give richer information but are harder to summarise.
    Common Mistake: Avoid asking "leading questions" that suggest the answer (e.g., "You agree that this product is much needed, right?").

  3. Interviews:

    4. One-on-one conversations with potential users or experts (like teachers, store managers, or engineers). Interviews allow you to follow up on answers and gain deep insights.

    • Example: Interviewing a carpenter about the best types of wood for outdoor furniture.
    Benefit: Provides detailed, qualitative data (opinions and feelings).

  4. Practical Testing:

    5. Testing existing products or materials yourself.

    • Example: Testing the strength of different types of plastic or timing how long it takes to assemble a competitor’s flat-pack furniture.
    Benefit: You gather measurable, quantitative data (numbers and facts) about performance.

Quick Review: Primary Data

Pros: Highly specific to your project, up-to-date, relevant.
Cons: Can be time-consuming, only reflects a small number of people (small sample size).

3. Secondary Data Collection (Second-Hand Facts)

Secondary data is information that has already been collected, processed, and published by someone else. You are using existing resources.

💡 Memory Aid: Secondary means Someone else collected it already.

Methods of Gathering Secondary Data

Secondary data is crucial for understanding the wider market, materials science, safety standards, and historical context.

  1. Literature Review (Books, Journals, Websites):

    2. Using reliable sources (like academic journals, industry standards bodies, or official design websites) to gather technical information.

    • Example: Researching the optimal ergonomic measurements for a keyboard or looking up the exact cost of a specific raw material (like aluminium).
    Important Note: Always check the source’s reliability! Is the website trustworthy and unbiased?

  2. Market Research Reports and Statistics:

    3. Data collected by large companies or government bodies about consumer trends, demographics (population statistics), and market sizes.

    • Example: Using statistics to find out how many households in your target area own a specific type of pet, if you are designing a pet product.
    Benefit: Provides a large sample size and insight into trends.

  3. Analysis of Existing Products (AEP):

    4. This is one of the most important secondary research methods in Product Design! It involves systematically investigating and dismantling competitor products.

    Step-by-Step AEP Process:

    1. Function: How well does it work? Is it reliable?
    2. Aesthetics: How does it look? (Colour, shape, texture).
    3. Materials: What is it made of? Why were those materials chosen?
    4. Manufacture: How was it put together? (Welding, gluing, moulding).
    5. Cost: Estimate the cost of materials and the final selling price.
    6. Success/Failure: What are the product's strengths and weaknesses?
    A good AEP helps you learn from competitors’ successes and avoid their mistakes.

  4. Standards and Regulations:

    5. Checking official documents to ensure your product is safe, legal, and environmentally friendly (e.g., British Standards, ISO standards, packaging regulations).

    • Example: Researching safety standards for toys (e.g., avoiding small parts that could be choking hazards for young children).
    Benefit: Essential for legal and ethical design.

4. Comparing Primary and Secondary Data

A successful designer uses both types of data. Secondary data gives the broad context and technical background, while primary data fine-tunes the solution to the specific user.

Summary Table: Primary vs. Secondary
Primary Data Secondary Data
Origin Collected by you (first-hand). Collected by someone else (second-hand).
Relevance Very high, tailored to the project. Variable, may be general or slightly outdated.
Speed Slow (must be gathered and analysed). Fast (data already exists).
Examples Interviews, surveys you run, practical material tests. Textbooks, website research, market reports, AEP.

Don't panic! You don't need to gather everything. The key is to gather just enough relevant, reliable information to confidently write your final Design Specification.

Quick Chapter Review Checklist

  • Can I define Primary Data and give three examples of how to collect it?
  • Can I define Secondary Data and give three examples of how to collect it?
  • Do I understand that the ultimate goal of investigation is to create a detailed Design Specification?
  • Do I know that Analysis of Existing Products (AEP) is a crucial form of secondary research?

Well done! You now understand the fundamental process of investigation. Remember, strong data equals a strong design!