ResearchTactics

Source: A Designer Research Manual Book


Formative Research and Summative Research

Many tactics can be either formative or summative, depending how they are utilized during the cycle of the project. For example, user testing might be performed before beginning the design of the new website, by having test subjects navigate selected URLs while tracking their responses. The data collected in those sessions would be inform navigational structures for the new site.

Formative Research is  used to gain insight into an area of study or to help the researcher define the research question. This kind of research is especially useful for the business innovation, identifying and then clarifying communication issues is essential. Formative Research is done at the beginning of the project cycle to guide the design process. 

Summative Research is done at the end of the project to determine its success, guage customer satisfaction, or inform future project. This kind of research is used to frame and decipher the outcome of and investigation process. It confirms that the original hypothesis is correct or illustrates that it is flawed. Summative Research can answer the questions such as " Did i do it correctly? Did i make it better? Is it more successful? "