Amity School of Design

Amity School of Design

[Link] (UX Design), 3rd Semester

Methods and Techniques in User Research [UXD206]

RESEARCH PROCESS AND STEPS
IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH
Research Process
 Research Process
1. Formulating a research problem
2. Extensive literature survey
3. Developing the hypothesis
4. Preparing the research design
5. Determining sample design
6. Collecting the data
7. Execution of the project
8. Analysis of data
9. Hypothesis testing
10. Generalisations and interpretation
11. Preparation of the report or presentation of the results,
• i.e., formal write-up of conclusions reached.
 Step-1:
Formulating the research problem:
• Single out the problem you want to study, i.e.,
you must decide the general area of interest or
aspect of a subject-matter that you would like
to inquire into.
• Initially the problem may be stated in a broad
general way and then the ambiguities, if any,
relating to the problem be resolved.
• Then, the feasibility of a particular solution has
to be considered before a working formulation
of the problem can be set up.
 Formulating the research problem:
• The formulation of a general topic into a specific
research problem, thus, constitutes the first step in a
scientific enquiry.

• Essentially two steps are involved in formulating the

research problem, viz.,
– understanding the problem thoroughly, and
– rephrasing the same into meaningful terms from an
analytical point of view.
 Formulating the research problem:
• The best way of understanding the problem is to discuss it
with one’s own colleagues or with those having some expertise
in the matter.
• In an academic institution the researcher can seek the help
from a guide who is usually an experienced man and has
several research problems in mind.
• Often, the guide puts forth the problem in general terms and it
is up to the researcher to narrow it down and phrase the
problem in operational terms.
• In private business units or in governmental organisations, the
problem is usually earmarked by the administrative agencies
with whom the researcher can discuss as to how the problem
originally came about and what considerations are involved in
its possible solutions.
 Formulating the research problem:
• The researcher must at the same time examine all available
literature to get himself acquainted with the selected problem.
• He may review two types of literature—
– the conceptual literature concerning the concepts and theories, and
– the empirical literature consisting of studies made earlier which are
similar to the one proposed.
• The basic outcome of this review will be the knowledge as to
what data and other materials are available for operational
purposes which will enable the researcher to specify his own
research problem in a meaningful context.
• After this the researcher rephrases the problem into analytical
or operational terms i.e., to put the problem in as specific terms
as possible.
 Formulating the research problem:
• This task of formulating, or defining, a research problem is a
step of greatest importance in the entire research process.
• The problem to be investigated must be defined
unambiguously for that will help discriminating relevant data
from irrelevant ones.
• Care must, however, be taken to verify the objectivity and
validity of the background facts concerning the problem
• The statement of the objective is of basic importance because
it determines the data which are to be collected, the
characteristics of the data which are relevant, relations which are
to be explored, the choice of techniques to be used in these
explorations and the form of the final report.
• If there are certain pertinent terms, the same should be clearly
defined along with the task of formulating the problem.
 Formulating the research problem:

• In fact, formulation of the problem often follows a

sequential pattern where a number of formulations are set
up, each formulation more specific than the preceding
one, each one phrased in more analytical terms, and each
more realistic in terms of the available data and resources.
 Step 2: Extensive literature survey
• Once the problem is formulated, a brief summary of it should
be written down.
• At this juncture the researcher should undertake extensive
literature survey connected with the problem.
• For this purpose, the abstracting and indexing journals and
published or unpublished bibliographies are the first place to
go to.
• Academic journals, conference proceedings, government
reports, books etc., must be tapped depending on the nature of
the problem.
 Extensive literature survey:
• In this process, it should be remembered that
one source will lead to another.
• The earlier studies, if any, which are similar to
the study in hand should be carefully studied.
 Step 3:
Development of working hypotheses
• After extensive literature survey, researcher should state in
clear terms the working hypothesis or hypotheses.
• Working hypothesis is tentative assumption made in order to
draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences.
• The manner in which research hypotheses are developed is
particularly important since they provide the focal point for
research.
• They also affect the manner in which tests must be conducted
in the analysis of data and indirectly the quality of data which
is required for the analysis.
• In most types of research, the development of working
hypothesis plays an important role.
Development of working hypotheses:
• Hypothesis should be very specific and limited
to the piece of research in hand because it has
to be tested.
• The role of the hypothesis is to guide the
researcher by delimiting the area of research
and to keep him on the right track.
• It sharpens his thinking and focuses attention
on the more important facets of the problem. It
also indicates the type of data required and the
type of methods of data analysis to be used.
Approach to develop working hypotheses:
• Discussions with colleagues and experts about the
problem, its origin and the objectives in seeking a
solution;
• Examination of data and records, if available,
concerning the problem for possible trends,
peculiarities and other clues;
• Review of similar studies in the area or of the studies
on similar problems; and
• Exploratory personal investigation which involves
original field interviews on a limited scale with
interested parties and individuals with a view to secure
greater insight into the practical aspects of the problem.
Development of working hypotheses:
• Working hypotheses are more useful when
stated in precise and clearly defined terms.
• Exploratory researches do not aim at testing
the hypothesis.
• But as a general rule, specification of working
hypotheses in another basic step of the
research process in most research problems.
 Step 4: Preparing the research design
• After formulating the research problem. the researcher will be
required to prepare a research design
• The conceptual structure within which research would be
conducted.
• The preparation of such a design facilitates research to be as
efficient as possible yielding maximal information.
• In other words, the function of research design is to provide
for the collection of relevant evidence with minimal
expenditure of effort, time and money.
• But how all these can be achieved depends mainly on the
research purpose. Research purposes may be grouped into four
categories, viz., (i) Exploration, (ii) Description, (iii)
Diagnosis, and (iv) Experimentation.
• Research method is a component of Research Design.
• Research design covers the overall research that is about to
carried out. Research method is basically involve with data
collection method to carryout overall research.
• A research design is the plan of a research study.
• The design of a study defines the study type (e.g. descriptive,
correlational, semi-experimental, experimental, review, meta-
analytic) and sub-type (e.g., descriptive-longitudinal case
study), research problem, hypotheses, independent and
dependent variables, experimental design, and, if applicable,
data collection methods and a statistical analysis [Link]
design is the framework that has been created to find answers
to research questions
 Preparing the research design
• If the purpose of the research study is that of exploration, a
flexible research design which provides opportunity for
considering many different aspects of a problem is considered
appropriate
• For other kinds of research studies, the suitable design will be
one that minimises bias and maximises the reliability of the
data collected and analysed.
• There are several research designs, such as, experimental and
non-experimental hypothesis testing.
 Preparing the research design
• The preparation of the research design, appropriate for a particular
research problem, involves usually the consideration of the
following:
(i) the means of obtaining the information;
(ii) the availability and skills of the researcher and his staff (if any);
(iii) explanation of the way in which selected means of obtaining
information will be organised and the reasoning leading to the
selection;
(iv) the time available for research; and
(v) the cost factor relating to research, i.e., the finance available for the
purpose.
 Step 5: Determining sample design
• Population- All the items under consideration
in any field of inquiry constitute a ‘universe’ or
‘population’.
• Census enquiry- A complete enumeration of
all the items in the ‘population’ is known as a
census inquiry.
• Advantages: highest accuracy
• Disadvantages: time, money and energy, may
not be feasible in all situations
 Determining sample design
• Sample- The researcher must decide the way of
selecting a sample or what is popularly known as
the sample design
• In other words, a sample design is a definite plan
determined before any data are actually collected
for obtaining a sample from a given population.
• Thus, the plan to select a city’s 200 drugstores in
a certain way constitutes a sample design
• Samples can be either
– Probability samples
– Non-probability samples.
 Step 6: Collecting the Data
• In dealing with any real life problem it is often found
that data at hand are inadequate, and hence, it becomes
necessary to collect data that are appropriate.
• There are several ways of data collection which differ
considerably in context of money, time and other
resources.
• Primary data can be collected either through
experiment or through survey.
• If the researcher conducts an experiment, he observes
some quantitative measurements, or the data, with the
help of which he examines the truth contained in his
hypothesis.
 Collecting the data- Surveys
• But in the case of a survey, data can be collected by any one or more of the
following ways:

(1) By observation

• By observation: This method implies the collection of information by way

of investigator’s own observation, without interviewing the respondents.

• The information obtained relates to what is currently happening and is not

complicated by either the past behaviour or future intentions or attitudes of
respondents.

• This method is no doubt an expensive method and the information provided

by this method is also very limited.

• As such this method is not suitable in inquiries where large samples are
concerned.
 Collecting the data- Surveys
(2) Through personal interview

• The investigator follows a rigid procedure and seeks answers to a set

of pre-conceived questions through personal interviews.
• This method of collecting data is usually carried out in a structured
way where output depends upon the ability of the interviewer to a
large extent.

(3) Through telephone interviews:

• This method of collecting information involves contacting the

respondents on telephone itself.
• This is not a very widely used method but it plays an important role
in industrial surveys in developed regions, particularly, when the
survey has to be accomplished in a very limited time.
 Collecting the data- Surveys
(4) By mailing of questionnaires:

• Questionnaires are mailed to the respondents with a request

to return after completing the same.
• It is the most extensively used method in various economic
and business surveys.
• Before applying this method, usually a Pilot Study for testing
the questionnaire is conduced which reveals the weaknesses, if
• any, of the questionnaire.
• Questionnaire to be used must be prepared very carefully so
that it may prove to be effective in collecting the relevant
information.
 Collecting the data- Surveys

(v) Through schedules:

• Under this method the enumerators are appointed and given

training. They are provided with schedules containing
relevant questions. These enumerators go to respondents
with these schedules.
• Data are collected by filling up the schedules by
enumerators on the basis of replies given by respondents.
• Much depends upon the capability of enumerators so far as
this method is concerned. Some occasional field checks on
the work of the enumerators may ensure sincere work.
 Step 7: Execution of a Project
• Execution of the project is a very important step in the research
process.
• If the execution of the project proceeds on correct lines, the data to
be collected would be adequate and dependable.
• The researcher should see that the project is executed in a systematic
manner and in time.
• If the survey is to be conducted by means of structured
questionnaires, data can be readily machine-processed. In such a
situation, questions as well as the possible answers may be
coded.
• If the data are to be collected through interviewers,
arrangements should be made for proper selection and training
of the interviewers.
 Step 8: Analysis of Data
• After the data have been collected, the researcher turns to the task of
analysing them.

• The analysis of data requires a number of closely related operations

such as
– establishment of categories,
– the application of these categories to raw data through coding,
– tabulation and
– drawing statistical inferences.

• the researcher can analyse the collected data with the help of
various statistical measures, machine learning, data mining
techniques etc
 Step 9: Hypothesis Testing
• If hypotheses have been formulated, then it is necessary to test the
hypotheses.
• Do the facts support the hypotheses or they happen to be contrary?

• This is the usual question which should be answered while testing

hypotheses.

• Various tests, such as Chi square test, t-test, F-test, have been developed by
statisticians for the purpose.

• The hypotheses may be tested through the use of one or more of such tests,
depending upon the nature and object of research inquiry.

• Hypothesis-testing will result in either accepting the hypothesis or in

rejecting it. If the researcher had no hypotheses to start with,
generalisations established on the basis of data may be stated as hypotheses
to be tested by subsequent researches in times to come.
Step 10: Generalisations and interpretation
• If a hypothesis is tested and upheld several times,
it may be possible for the researcher to arrive at
generalisation, i.e., to build a theory.
• As a matter of fact, the real value of research lies
in its ability to arrive at certain generalisations.
• If the researcher had no hypothesis to start with,
he might seek to explain his findings on the basis
of some theory. It is known as interpretation. The
process of interpretation may quite often trigger
off new questions which in turn may lead to
further researches
 Significance of Research
• Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes
the development of logical habits of thinking and organisation.
• The role of research in several fields of applied economics, whether
related to business or to the economy as a whole, has greatly
increased in modern times.
• The increasingly complex nature of business and government has
focused attention on the use of research in solving operational
problems. Research, as an aid to economic policy, has gained added
importance, both for government
and business.
• Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our
economic system. For instance, government’s budgets rest in part on
an analysis of the needs and desires of the people and on the
availability of revenues to meet these needs. The cost of needs has to
be equated to probable revenues and this is a field where research is
most needed. Through research we can devise alternative policies
and can as well examine the consequences of each of these
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alternatives.
• Research has its special significance in solving various operational
and planning problems of business and industry. Operations research
and market research, along with motivational research, are
considered crucial and their results assist, in more than one way, in
taking business decisions.
• Market research is the investigation of the structure and
development of a market for the purpose of formulating efficient
policies for purchasing, production and sales.
• Motivational research of determining why people behave as they do
is mainly concerned with market characteristics. In other words, it is
concerned with the determination of motivations underlying the
consumer (market) behaviour. All these are of great help to people in
business and industry who are responsible for taking business
decisions.

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• Research is equally important for social
scientists in studying social relationships and
in seeking answers to various social problems.
It provides the intellectual satisfaction of
knowing a few things just for the sake of
knowledge and also has practical utility for the
social scientist to know for the sake of being
able to do something better or in a more
efficient manner.

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