Research: Gathering and Synthesizing Information from Diverse Sources

One source is not enough

Suppose you read one online review that says a cardboard tablet stand "falls apart in a week." Should you give up on cardboard? Not yet. Maybe that stand was badly made, or the reviewer spilled coffee on it. Professionals check several sources and look for patterns before deciding.

The curriculum asks you to collect and synthesize information from a variety of sources, including diverse people and communities such as First Nations, Métis and Inuit. That is what this lesson is about.

Primary and secondary sources

Primary sources are things you collect yourself: interviews, surveys, observations, measurements, tests of existing products, photos you take.

Secondary sources are things others collected: books, articles, manufacturer manuals, trade websites, videos, government guidelines.

A strong design project uses both. Secondary sources tell you what is already known; primary sources tell you about your user and your situation.

Is it reliable?

Ask four questions about every secondary source:

1. Who made it? Are they qualified (a government agency, a trade association, a university, an experienced tradesperson)?
2. When was it made? Is it current? Building codes and safety rules change.
3. Why was it made? To inform, or to sell you something?
4. What evidence does it give? Measurements, tests, references? Does it agree with other good sources?

Asking good questions

Interviews and surveys only help if the questions are good.

• Use open questions in interviews: "Describe how you set up your tablet for a call."
• Avoid leading questions like "Wouldn't a wooden stand be nicer?"
• In surveys, use clear choices and ask one thing at a time. "Which ONE feature matters most to you?" gives cleaner data than "Do you want it adjustable and foldable?"
• Always ask permission, explain why you are asking, and thank the person.

Learning from diverse people and communities

Different people and communities have developed deep knowledge about materials, tools and design. For example:

• Inuit builders make the qamutik (plural qamutiit), a sled whose crossbars are traditionally lashed to the runners rather than rigidly fastened, so the sled can flex over rough sea ice instead of cracking.
• Many First Nations, including Anishinaabe communities, have built birchbark canoes: light, repairable boats made from local materials.
• Haudenosaunee farmers grow the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash) together: corn gives beans a pole to climb, beans (with help from bacteria in their roots) add nitrogen to the soil, and squash leaves shade the ground, holding in moisture and crowding out weeds. This is useful knowledge for the green industries.

These are living knowledge systems, still practised and taught today. When you learn from First Nations, Métis or Inuit people or communities:

• Go through proper channels, such as a community organization, a Friendship Centre or an Indigenous education contact at your school board, and ask how to approach Knowledge Keepers respectfully.
• Ask permission before recording, photographing or sharing what you learn. Some knowledge is not meant to be shared publicly.
• Give credit by name (person, Nation or community) and do not claim the ideas as your own.
• Use sources created by the communities themselves whenever you can.
• Remember that First Nations, Métis and Inuit are distinct peoples with many different Nations and communities. Avoid treating them as one group.

The same respect applies to learning from any person: an elder in your family, a newcomer who did a trade in another country, or a worker with decades of experience.