Gathering Information

• A primary source is factual and comes from an original first hand account, such as the results of a questionnaire
• A secondary source interprets the primary information, for example someone's analysis of the results of a questionnaire
• Information may be required for reasons such as:

  • evaluating existing products
  • analysing a design brief
  • refining a design proposal
  • evaluating a design proposal
• There's a range of methods of gathering info such as:

  • questionnaires
  • user trips
  • user trials
  • test rigs
  • use of secondary information
  • comparison to the other products
• User Trips are a good method of finding out how well a product works. A user trip goes through the process of using a product.
• A few things should be considered before a user trip is carried out:

  • the conditions under which the user trip will be carried out
  • the method of recording results
• In User Trials, a product is tested by 'real users' in a relatively controlled or experimental setting where they are given a standardised set of tasks to perform.
• User trials are normally used to evaluate existing products but are often used on pre-production prototypes to identify any issues.
• Test Rigs are often used to perform physical tests on products. They're often used to test prototypes as they can repeat many actions over a short period of time to simulate extended use of a product.
• Secondary Information can be gathered from a range of sources such as:

  • books
  • magazines
  • newspaper
  • tv
  • radio
  • the internet
• Information can be gathered by comparing to similar products. People often compare before they buy so that they can get the 'best buy'