Foundational Research

Foundational research is always done before you start designing. Within the product development lifecycle, basic research happens during the brainstorming phase (Phase 1) to empathize with users, understand their needs, and inspire new design directions. This phase is also when you create personas and user stories, which you'll soon learn about.

With Foundational research, your goal is to figure out what the user needs and how to address those needs with your product. Strong foundational research can contradict your personal view of what a good solution might look like.

Questions to ask during Research

Questions you can consider when doing basic research include:

What should we build?

What are the user's problems?

How can we solve those problems?

Am I aware of my own biases and am I able to filter them when doing research?

Types of Research

There are many research methods to conduct Foundational research, but many of them are based on observations. Common basic research methods include:

Interviews. A research method used to gather in-depth information about people's opinions, thoughts, experiences, and feelings. You will often conduct interviews with your target users themselves.

Surveys. An activity where many people are asked the same questions to understand what most people think about a product.

Focus Groups. A small group of people whose responses are studied. For example, a focus group might bring together eight users to discuss their views on new features in your design. A focus group is usually led by a moderator who steers the group toward a specific topic of conversation.

Competitive Audit is an overview of your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. You will conduct your own competitive audit later in the course, so you will understand this research method well!

Field Studies. Research activities that take place in the context or personal environment of the user rather than in an office or laboratory.

Diary Studies is a research method used to collect qualitative data about user behavior, activities, and experiences over time. Often a user will keep a diary of their daily activities, providing information about their behavior and needs that can inform your designs.