The role of secondary research in UX
I recently completed a LinkedIn Learning certification for Using AI for Design and Research. One of the subjects in this course had to do with AI research tools, how we can use them, and what their strengths and limitations are. I really want to dive further into Scholar GPT, and the use of generative AI chatbots for research in general. Specifically: how valuable can secondary research be, and can secondary research found from one of these chatbots work as evidence for a case study premise?
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In previous UX case studies I’ve completed, all research completed to support solutions has been found by me and my team personally. We would identify potential research methodologies appropriate for the context of the case study, then conduct the methodologies individually or as a team with willing interviewees.
However, not a single case study I completed during my Master’s program requested the use of secondary research for the project. I suspect — since these were all in the bubble of a graduate school project — that this was to encourage us to identify evidence supporting our choices with our own research methodologies, and to help us get more comfortable with these methods in general. This does make me curious, though, as someone with a designer’s perspective and mindset: what is the role of secondary research, and what separates it from what primary research offers one of these case studies?
To preface with a quick definition and comparison: secondary research is information that has already been collected and analyzed by someone else. This can include data from books, articles, reports, and other published sources. Going back to the LinkedIn Learning course I mentioned earlier: Shanae Chapman uses Scholar GPT to identify secondary research links that could support the topic of her case study.
TL;DR — No, this can’t replace primary research entirely. However, I’ve learned from the research for this article and from Chapman’s AI certification course that this can help fill in some initial gaps in your case study, and establish a starting point from others in your field. I’ve also learned that secondary research as a whole should be taken into consideration more often during the start of a case study; this can help to establish a strong foundation for the project, identify potential gaps in existing knowledge, and inform the research questions and methodologies.
