Types of Exploratory Designs - Essay Example

Market Research Exploratory designs describe a movement by designers and artists, to engage into exhaustive process of finding out more ideas and results in the field of arts and designing. The main intention of the exploratory design is to use dimensions that dig deep into the problem at hand, in the process of finding a solution. Exploratory designs enable the exploration of new experiences, mediums, cultures, and collaborations. Additionally, the explanatory design acts as a guide to designers as they determine new ways and techniques of doing things. This is based on the unavailability of the correct and best processes of approaching tasks. Moreover, it gives the researchers and designers the ability to open-up innovative, creative, and new outcomes or results but not necessarily the product. The information derived from these designs is helpful in the improvement of the artistic nature of a particular product, and the eventual improved marketability and value. This is because people have preferences of new designs that have not been redundant and common within the marketing spectrum. Within a company, this product value-addition is not only valuable, but also necessary. Exploratory designs encompass a wide range of application. For instance, it may be used in drawing both informal sketching and formal drafting during the process of mechanical design. Notably, there are five hypotheses focused on the types of drawings, their necessity in problem solving and relation, preferable research designs, methodologies of collecting data and selection of a subject. It should help to derive a definitive conclusion selectively putting in concern that, the deductions it makes do not necessarily imply a problem solution (Zikmund & Babin 135). This research design, majorly rely on secondary research. This include informal discussions with employees, consumers, competitors and management; data and literature review and more formal approaches like focus groups, projective methods, in-depth interviews, pilot and case studies. It also applies the use of internet in carrying out research (Creswell & Clark 100). This allows for research methods, which are highly interactive in nature. Feeds like RSS, provide updated information, leading search engine results can be sent to researchers by electronic mails through Google alerts and comprehensive search results are obtained over long periods using Google trends. Results from exploratory research provide valuable and penetrating analysis of a particular situation. However, it may not be helpful in decision-making, qualitative nature of explanatory design often fails to answer questions; ‘how often’ and /or ‘how many’; thus, it is likely to present errors when generalized (Grinnell & Unrau 42). Exploratory research include among others, social exploratory research, which tend to study how people interact within the setting under question and what meanings their actions portray and the issues that concern them (Zikmund & Babin 35). The objective here is to learn and try to find out social phenomena with no definite expectations. Exploratory research is majorly applied at preliminary stages of problems or an issue at hand. Its other feature is applied research in administration, which concerns the necessity of flexibility in handling and dealing with the problem (Muller 57). Moreover, there are data limits and the imperative decision-making. Field research and case studies are also among other research methodologies, which fall under exploratory research designs. Exploratory research helps in gathering preliminary information that is useful in defining a problem and making hypotheses suggestions. Since it involves description, it describes things like the market potentiality for a product or the demographics and consumer attitude. Hypotheses are tested about the cause-effect relationship. This helps in determining which variable might cause a certain behavior (Hague 183). Correct definition of a problem is highly critical in any company. It is crucial to the first step marketing research process. Sometimes, problems may be wrongly defined; such wrong definition of a problem may result into wrong formulation of research objectives (Muller 153). This leads to waste of money and time in the whole of the marketing research process. In this regard, exploratory research enables one to acquire skills for good problem definition and objective formulation. This process involves, recognizing a problem or opportunity, finding out the necessity of the information, understanding decision-making environment. That is, the company, using signs to help clarify the problem, translating the management problem into a marketing research problem, determining the existence of the information and whether the question can certainly be answered, then statement of the objectives (Creswell & Clark 176). In the marketing research process, there is the need to create research designs. This is a plan that addresses the research objectives or hypotheses. The researcher develops a definite framework to answer a specific problem (Grinnell & Unrau 159). In choosing the design for research, the researchers need to highlight period and the cost (Wood & Ross-Kerr 141). This will help in identifying the design type. The researcher should make a decision whether to use descriptive or causal studies, and they should as well involve descriptive answer questions like, who, where, how, what, and when. It can tell about two variables that appear associated. For instance, advertisement and sales but fail to convince that high advertisements results into high sales. On the other hand, causal studies indicate whether one variable correlates with the other. Based on the objectives of the intended project, a descriptive or causal study is chosen (Wood & Ross-Kerr 85). After choosing the design to use, a researcher works on the data collection methods. These can be observation, survey or experimentation. The next thing to do is to select the sampling procedure first; the researcher must define the population of interest well, and then chose either probability or non-probability sample to use. Probability sample is the situation every element within the population date set contains a known nonzero probability of being selected. Non-probability samples emphasize on the indiscriminate selection, where chances are unknown (Hague 166). Collection of data then follows. This can be through interviews, internets, surveys, and observations. The data collected thence is analyzed. Data analysis aims to interpret and make deductions from the mass collection of data (Wood & Ross-Kerr 91). The researcher may use a simple, frequent analysis that may be terminated in complex-multivariate techniques (Grinnell & Unrau 319). After the completion of data analysis, the researcher prepares the report; writing and presenting it. Exploratory research helps to manage the research process. It provides knowledge about the formal research request that a company must undertake before engaging in the thorough process of marketing research. This is a basis of identifying project to be funded. It is formalized approaches to allocate the scarce research funds represent an approach to identify problems; thus, the disbursement of the funds needed to solve them (Creswell & Clark 77). In conclusion, these two types of exploratory designs may be applied in a business situation. Notably, the first being the movement of artistes and designers in discovering new ideas and results, and the second is a research design that is used in marketing research, and it can be used in determining ways of improve the quality standards of any company. The former can be used to improve on the quality of products while the later, to find out necessary improvements and recommendation. As a research design, exploratory design entails a lot that improves on any researcher’s skills in conducting marketing research. Works Cited Creswell J. W, Clark P. L. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. United States: SAGE, 2010. Print Wood M, Ross-Kerr J. Basic steps in planning nursing research:from question to proposal. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print Grinnell R. M, Unrau Y. A. Social Work Research and Evaluation: Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice. USA: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print Hague P. N. Market research: a guide to planning, methodology & evaluation. NY: Kogan Page Publishers, 2002. Print Muller W. G. Collecting spatial data: optimum design of experiments for random fields. New York: Springer, 2007. Print Zikmund W, Babin B. Essentials of Marketing Research. NY: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print Read More