OVERVIEW OF TYPES OF RESEARCH

Research tools can be divided into categories using several sorts of criteria.
Often, people use the terms qualitative and quantitative to define research
types. There are many techniques that fall into each of these broad buckets.
Qualitative techniques include interviewing, discussion groups, and observing.
Experiments, surveying, and behavior mapping are examples of quantitative
techniques.
Quantitative tools more clearly establish the information that will be
collected, while qualitative techniques are more open ended. Qualitative
tools may gather data the researcher did not initially expect to uncover. For
example, a written survey gives respondents a fixed set of choices to use to
answer a question and researchers who have developed those questions carefully
can be confident one of the choices provided will be appropriate. Some
questions may not supply a set of answers, but the topic to be addressed has
been determined by the experimenter; however, these open-ended questions
are more qualitative in approach. When an observation process begins or a
question is asked during an open discussion, the researchers can never be
completely sure what will be seen or heard. They often supply unexpected
sorts of project-relevant information. These new avenues can be explored
because it is possible to change an interview or an observation protocol “onthe-
fly.” By contrast, survey questions, once distributed, can’t be changed by
a researcher.
Quantitative findings alone can be stark and lack context; qualitative
methods when combined with quantitative ones can add that context. Qualitative
research is a valuable way to explore an issue before fine-tuning understanding
of the topic with a more traditional quantitative tool, such as survey
research. Qualitative research tends to more broadly collect information,
which is key in early exploratory studies, while quantitative techniques lead
to more narrowly focused efforts. Qualitative information is generally assessed
by looking for themes and patterns in the data collected. Qualitative tools are
often effective ways to access tacit information, while quantitative tools excel
at exploring more explicit issues.
Both qualitative and quantitative research are done using carefully developed
protocols. Qualitative research has just as clearly defined research plans
as quantitative research—observing is not just hanging out and interviewing
is not just talking. Qualitative research is based on a plan determined by
the type of research questions to be answered. The same statistical tools can
be used to analyze the data collected with either quantitative or qualitative
methods—if qualitative data go through an initial coding phase before those
analyses begin.
Both qualitative and quantitative research are rigorous and scientific,
and if either set of tools is used incorrectly, the information collected can be
misleading.
Primary research is another term used to define research. When people
are doing primary research, they are actively generating new knowledge
through surveys, observation, and other research tools. Its opposite, secondary
research is completed by drawing conclusions from and integrating research
published by other people.
Market research focuses on forces and conditions in the business markets
for products and services. Market research can guide the development of the
design of a condominium structure—it can inform the plan of the structure as
well as indicate the likeliest prices at which those homes will sell, for example.
This last factor can influence material choice and size of floor plan, among
other decisions.
Material research relates more directly to the physical properties of items
to be used in the construction or manufacturing process.
Sustainable design and engineering research examines strategies to create
ecologically efficient design solutions.