Commentary

To answer complex research questions I have learnt that it is helpful to define the problem so that it becomes clear what methods are suitable when approaching the research question and to be able to gain more knowledge in the area of interest. In other words, to start this commentary I think that it is worth mentioning that the combination of different methods in a study will depend on the type of complex research question in that study.

Methods

In order to gain knowledge it is possible to work with methods such as: prototypes, qualitative research methods and quantitative research methods. To later on discuss how these could be combined in order to answer complex research question, I will first discuss in a summary in what situations the different methods are beneficial and how the methods differ:

Prototypes - This is an example of a method used in for example design research. If a researcher wants to examine a design idea, this method enables the researcher to answer questions concerning participants’ perceptions of the design idea in the form of feedback from the participants on the experience they have with the prototype. This feedback can for example help further develop the design or theories on design.

Qualitative research methods – The 3 terms interview, auto-driving and ethnic participatory are examples of methods that can be categorized as qualitative research methods. These methods allow for a deeper understanding that concerns the question “why”, for example, an action is made. An interview can be structured, meaning that the questions are predefined and asked in a set order. It can also be semi-structured, meaning that it allows for follow-up questions from the interviewer if this is considered to be beneficial. Auto-driving means to let the participants in a study explain and analyse their own surroundings or actions as they experience them. Ethnic participatory means that the researcher live like, and take part of the same day to day life that, the participants that are a part of the study do.

Quantitative research methods – These methods includes for example using questionnaires or making measurements in order to create quantified data that can be analysed. The benefits with this method is that it for example can allow for larger amounts of data to be collected and analysed by providing quantified data that can be calculated, which makes this method differ in how the data can be collected and analysed compared to qualitative research methods.

Case study

If the complex research questions would concern creating theories in a topic or in a setting where little or no research have been made before, I think that it would be suitable to conduct a case study. This study enables making observations about a certain topic without requiring for the study to have a predefined hypothesis.

To be able to make observations about a topic that has not been examined before, it is possible to work with the combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The methods used in a case study will depend on what kind of topic the case study will focus on.

If it concerns the understanding of reasons behind different kinds of interactions between participants, a qualitative research method could be beneficial. Furthermore a quantitative research method could be used as a complement in a qualitative case study. If the data from the qualitative research method is analysed to give the result of participants having a certain experience from a study, quantitative research methods, such as questionnaires, can then be used in the same study to help verify the result and in that way help validate the theories that will be developed from the case study.

Another example of how methods could be combined in order to gain knowledge is to combine the ethnic participatory method with interviews and questionnaires. If a study is concerning the understanding of an environment and participants’ experiences from that environment, it can be useful to have quantified data to for example be able to know for how long a participant have had experience in the environment that is being examined. Qualitative data from interviews can provide data in the form of the experiences and perceptions. Another method that can be used in order to be able to get a deeper understanding of the participants’ perceptions and experiences is to live in a similar way to how the participants do, which is the ethnic participatory method.

Design research

If the complex research questions would concern design, a design research study would be suitable to conduct.

In these studies prototypes can be helpful in order to examine the design idea. However to collect data, or feedback, on a prototype it is necessary to combine this method with a complementary method. Depending on what is going to be examined about the design, it is possible to work with both for example quantitative and qualitative research methods in these types of studies.

Quantitative research methods are beneficial in these studies to for example be able to examine the usability of a certain design. Furthermore a questionnaire could for example be used in order to provide feedback about how helpful participants find the prototype to be.

If the complex research questions are meant to answer why participants perceive the design in a certain manner it is possible to work with qualitative research methods. It is possible to collect more specific data on for example why the participants perceive certain aspects of a design to be more beneficial by interviewing them. If the complex research questions would be to find out why the participants use the design a certain way, the method of auto-driving can be suitable. Meaning that the participant is asked to explain and analyse their own actions during their usage of the prototype.