Start with the problem in mind

“If I had 20 days to solve a problem, I would take 19 days to define it.” — Albert Einstein

The point of research is not to reinforce & regurgitate what you already know, but rather to test and explore new possibilities.

As William Badke explained in his book, Research Strategies, poor research has following traits in common:

• It merely gathers data and regurgitates it.
• It deals in generalities and superficial surveys, avoiding depth and analysis.
• It doesn’t asks analytical questions.
• It does not advance knowledge, but is happy to summarize what’s already known.
• It’s boring.

So what differentiates an inadequate research from ones that inspire, entertain, and often, surprises you?

Here’s the secret to a good UX research — It starts with formulating an interesting problem to solve.