Generative Research
Research to work out what to build.
Definition
Research conducted to understand a problem space and identify opportunities, before a solution exists.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
On this plate
In plain language
Research to work out what to build.
Example
Contextual sessions with warehouse staff before deciding what the app should do.
Commonly confused with
Close neighbours that get substituted for each other. The difference is stated first, then the condition that picks one over the other.
Evaluative Research
TermWork that tests whether a given design or product works.
Key difference
Generative research runs before you know what to build and produces direction. Evaluative research runs against something that exists and produces judgement. The mistake is evaluating a decision you have not made yet.
Use Generative Research when
- The problem is not settled.
- You are deciding what is worth building.
- The output feeds framing, not a fix list.
Use Evaluative Research when
- There is a design, prototype or live product to judge.
- The output is a list of problems and their severity.
- The decision is whether to ship, change or revert.
Local chart
TERM·021 · Region X · Grid C5
This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.
Continue from here
Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.
Deeper reading
The full entry behind this definition.
- Contextual InquiryRES·012 · Research method
- User InterviewsRES·003 · Research method
- DiscoveryFLOW·004 · Workflow