Introduction
In this blog I will be going to comparing the differences of secondary research to primary research and explaining what both are. I will also be checking to see if and where I have used them in my work.
Secondary Research
What is secondary research? Secondary research is a research method that involved using existing data. This data can be found published in places such as reports and documents, and also made available to us through public libraries, websites and data obtained through surveys.
Secondary research is much more cost effective than primary research, due to it making use of already existing data. Using the internet to find out answers is one of the most popular ways of gathering secondary research.
Where have I used secondary research in my work?
Throughout my blogs, I have taken data and answers from online to help improve my work and find solutions to my problems when I needed them. The most recent situation that I needed help with my work was during my asset pack modelling. I wanted to know how to combine the edges of a deleted face to create a new face on my model. To find this out, I watched a few videos online until I found the ‘bridge tool’ that I needed in Maya.
I also used secondary researched in my battle tanks project. During the beginning, I had to take statistics and dates of different tanks and dove deeper into movie and video game culture to find examples of tanks or tank-like vehicles that would suit as inspiration for my work. I thought this process was pretty interesting and easy.
Primary Research
Primary research allows us to collect data directly, rather than depending on data already collected from previous places. Primary research is typically used by businesses and/or organisations that can carry out the research themselves or employ a third party to conduct research on their behalf. One of the major advantages to primary research is that the data collected can be ‘pinpointed’ and more precise.
There are various ways of obtaining primary data. Through interviews, online surveys or focus groups.
Where have I used primary research in my work?
One of the main areas in my work where I think I used primary research is my concept art. I will look for a particular category of other people’s artwork to provide me with ideas and inspiration if I have a goal set in my mind. For example, I took inspiration from the gun carriage in Halo for my custom tank model. I liked the way it almost completely hovered over the ground, which allowed it to travel faster.
Furthermore, I have used primary research to gather data in my Welsh Bacc work. I had to create an online survey with another group member of mine to present to others and benefit our group. The good thing about this is that we were able to ask the exact questions we wanted with limited provided answers to them. This meant that our answers were going to give us ‘pinpointed’ research and results that we aimed for.
Primary vs Secondary Research
The main difference I can see between primary and secondary research is that one is more authenticated and more proactive than the other. Primary research is done by the people who need exact answers or want to have that authenticity other their data. They do this because they can afford to and it most likely saves time when trying to find the results they want. Furthermore, having the authenticity over good and sought-after data online these days is very useful.
Whereas secondary research is sifting though the findings of other people, searching until you get the results you want instead of doing it yourselves. Or trying to find an answer to something you don’t know about or a solution you want to fix but you don’t know how; such as my situation with the bridge tool in Maya.
Throughout my experience of using both, I have found that secondary research has been a lot more meaningful and helpful in my work as it has allowed me to move forwards in my work when I got confused. I was able to search for a few minutes and find the answer I need, and I still remember how to solve the problem to this day, therefore I think it is more useful to me as I can still recall my findings.
Primary Active Research
Primary active research is the process of taking inspiration and skills that we have learnt from primary research and experimenting with the skills we learn. For example, this could be something like enhancing concept art with elements of digital paint and/or editing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I much prefer to use secondary research in my work when it comes to finding solutions and answers to something such as my modelling. With work like that, I care less about the authenticity of the data and more about moving onto the next stage with my work. However, I much prefer to use primary data with my concept art. I can filter exactly what category of previous art I want to find and take exact features of each piece of artwork into consideration for my creations. When doing this, my brain almost automatically picks up on qualities and little unique ideas that I like and will adapt that into my work.
Leah Morrell Games Designer 