Research questions

As an engineering graduate I'm unfamiliar with the techniques used by students of design, so I'm having to catch up quickly with the methodology and specific meaning of terms.

I've been getting prepared by starting on some of the books on the Design Research reading list.  The first one I've looked-at, Research Methods by Andrew Richards, emphasises the need to:

• Base research around a question.  The researcher needs to ask a question, which must be answered.

• Refine the question into a precise tool.  Boundaries must be set, otherwise the exercise becomes too large.

In my opinion, it's also important that the research should be based on a useful question.  Purely academic research is certainly valuable (for example Boolean Algebra, which didn't have much practical application until digital logic & computers) or enlightening (e.g. 17th Century female poets), but the commercial nature of Games Design requires an immediate usefulness to the answer which is revealed.

At this early stage my all-important question has yet to be formed.  However, I have learned two important things:

• Research at this level uses very specific terminology.  For example, I'm expected to understand the difference between 'effect' and 'impact'.  These two were synonymous for me until today, and I need to start becoming familiar with such distinctions.  In addition to reading, I shall be picking the brains of old friends who have studied previously at this level.
• I need to think much more in terms of questions and answers.  I'm must more used to problems & solutions, so this will present a challenge.  Problems tend to have innate questions (e.g. "what caused the circuit to blow?") so I'm going to have to start showing more initiative in developing the right kind of questions.