How do you find out what real users need, and how do you use that evidence in your design?
Plan and carry out user and market research using methods such as surveys, interviews and observation, and use the findings to inform the design
A practical answer to the N(A)-Level D&T outcome on user and market research. Choosing methods such as surveys, interviews and observation, the difference between primary and secondary research, and turning findings into design decisions.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
SEAB wants you to plan and carry out research into your users and the market, choose suitable methods, and then use what you find to make design decisions. Research is what turns guesses into evidence. The key skills are picking the right method for the question and showing how the findings change your design.
The answer
Primary and secondary research
There are two kinds of research:
- Primary research is information you collect yourself, first hand. Examples are surveys, interviews, observing users, and taking measurements.
- Secondary research is information that already exists, which you look up. Examples are reading product reviews, using a chart of standard body sizes, or studying a similar product online.
A good project uses both: secondary research is quick and broad, while primary research is specific to your exact users.
Choosing a method
Match the method to what you need to know:
- Survey or questionnaire. Ask many people short questions. Gives wide, numerical data, such as the percentage who find a bag too heavy.
- Interview. Talk to a few people in depth. Gives detailed reasons and feelings behind their answers.
- Observation. Watch users doing the real task. Reveals behaviour people do not report, such as which pocket they actually use.
- Measurement. Record sizes and weights to set realistic dimensions.
Using the findings
Research is only useful if it changes something. Each finding should feed a decision:
- A finding that "70% say their bag is too heavy" becomes a specification point about weight.
- A finding that "users never use the front pocket" tells you to drop or redesign it.
In coursework, write the finding next to the decision it leads to, so the marker can see the link.
Keeping research fair
Ask clear, unbiased questions. A leading question such as "you would love a bigger bag, wouldn't you?" pushes the answer and gives useless data. Ask "what size of bag do you prefer?" instead.
Examples in context
Example 1. A water bottle for athletes. Secondary research finds standard bottle volumes; primary research interviews runners about grip and spill problems. The interview reveals runners want a one-handed opening, which becomes a key specification point that the broad secondary data alone would have missed.
Example 2. Observation beats a survey. A student's survey says users like a tidy's lid, but observation shows they never close it because it is fiddly. The observed behaviour leads to dropping the lid, showing why watching real use matters.
Try this
Q1. Name two primary research methods and one secondary research method. [3 marks]
- Cue. Primary, for example survey and observation; secondary, for example looking up standard body measurements or reading product reviews.
Q2. Rewrite this leading question to be fair: "Don't you think the old design is terrible?" [2 marks]
- Cue. Ask neutrally, for example "What do you like and dislike about the current design?"
Q3. Explain why each research finding should be linked to a design decision. [3 marks]
- Cue. Because research is only useful if it changes the design; linking findings to decisions shows the design is based on evidence and earns the marks.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Original6 marksA student is designing a school bag for primary pupils. Describe two research methods the student could use to find out what users need, and for each say what kind of information it would give.Show worked answer →
Method 1, survey or questionnaire: ask many pupils and parents short questions about what they carry and what they dislike about current bags. This gives numbers, such as the percentage who find their bag too heavy.
Method 2, observation: watch pupils packing and carrying bags. This shows real behaviour, such as which pockets they actually use and how they struggle, which people may not report in a survey.
What markers reward: two clearly different methods, each correctly matched to the kind of information it gives (a survey gives wide numerical data; observation gives real behaviour). Saying both methods do the same thing scores less.
Original4 marksExplain the difference between primary research and secondary research, giving one example of each for a design project.Show worked answer →
Primary research is information you collect yourself, first hand, such as interviewing users or measuring how much they carry. Secondary research is information collected by someone else that you look up, such as reading existing product reviews or finding standard body measurements in a chart.
What markers reward: a correct definition of each (primary is collected yourself, secondary is found from existing sources) and a sensible matching example for a design project.
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