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Research How-To 🔍

Step-by-step guides for each type of research quest

Never done research before? No problem. These guides assume you're starting from zero and walk you through each type of investigation step by step.

📚 Knowledge Gathering (Literature Reviews)

"What does the research actually say about this topic?"

Step 1: Define Your Question (Week 1, Day 1-2)

Pick something specific: - ❌ Too broad: "accessibility and colors" - ✅ Just right: "do high contrast color schemes trigger vestibular symptoms?"

Write it down: - What exactly do you want to know? - Why would this help developers/designers? - What would a good answer look like?

Step 2: Find Your Sources (Week 1, Day 3-7)

Start with free sources: - Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) - PubMed for health-related topics - Government accessibility sites (.gov) - Major university research repositories

Search tips: - Use simple terms first: "high contrast headaches" - Try different combinations: "color contrast vestibular" - Look at what recent papers cite for older studies

Keep track: - Title, authors, year, where you found it - One sentence about what it says - Whether it's actually relevant

Step 3: Read and Take Notes (Week 2)

For each source: - Read the abstract first - does it actually answer your question? - Skip if it's not relevant (seriously, it's okay) - For relevant ones: what's the main finding? - How many people did they study? - Does their conclusion make sense from their data?

Red flags to note: - Tiny sample sizes (like 12 people) - Studies from decades ago that might be outdated - Research funded by companies selling related products

Step 4: Synthesize What You Found (Week 2-3)

Look for patterns: - Do most studies agree? - Where do they disagree? - What questions are still unanswered?

Write your findings using our template: 

## TL;DR
[2-3 sentences: what's the main finding?]

## What Studies Found
- [Finding 1] - based on [X] studies with [Y] total participants
- [Finding 2] - but only [Z] studies looked at this
- [Conflicting finding] - some studies say X, others say Y

## So What Does This Mean?
[What should developers/designers actually do with this info?]

## What We Still Don't Know
[What questions still need research?]

Step 5: Fact-Check Yourself (Week 3)

  • Can someone else find your sources?
  • Did you represent the findings fairly?
  • Are you making claims bigger than the evidence supports?

🎯 Field Studies (Community Explorations)

"What are people actually experiencing in real life?"

Step 1: Pick Your Community (Day 1-2)

Choose based on: - A specific accessibility challenge you want to understand - A community you can access respectfully (public forums, etc.) - A group size that's manageable (start small!)

Examples: - Reddit communities around specific conditions - Developer forums discussing accessibility tools - Social media hashtags about user experiences

Step 2: Set Your Boundaries (Day 2-3)

Decide: - Which platforms will you look at? - What time period? (suggest 3-6 months max) - What topics are you focusing on? - What topics are off-limits? (crisis posts, very personal medical details)

Write this down before you start - it'll keep you focused.

Step 3: Lurk and Learn (Week 1)

Before collecting anything: - Read community rules and culture - Understand what kinds of discussions happen - Notice how people talk about their experiences - Get a feel for community norms

Don't collect yet - just observe and understand.

Step 4: Ethical Collection (Week 1-2)

Read our Social Media Ethics Guide first.

As you collect: - Screenshot or copy relevant discussions privately - Note general themes, don't focus on individual posts - Remove usernames/identifying info immediately - If something seems sensitive, skip it

Keep track of: - Total posts you looked at - How many were relevant - General themes you're seeing - Questions that come up

Step 5: Find Patterns (Week 2)

Look for: - What problems come up repeatedly? - What solutions do people share? - What frustrations are common? - What works well for people?

Group similar experiences: - Technical barriers (tools don't work) - Social barriers (people don't understand) - Design barriers (interfaces are confusing) - etc.

Step 6: Write It Up (Week 2-3)

Use our template: 

## The Community
- [General description - no identifying details]
- [Size/activity level]
- [Where you gathered info]

## What We Learned
- [Theme 1]: [Anonymous examples]
- [Theme 2]: [Anonymous examples]
- [Theme 3]: [Anonymous examples]

## Takeaways for Builders
[What should developers/designers do differently?]

Never include: - Usernames or identifying details - Direct quotes without permission - Specific platform names if they could identify people

🛠️ Tool Discovery (Ecosystem Mapping)

"What tools already exist and how well do they work?"

Step 1: Define Your Territory (Day 1-2)

Pick a specific domain: - ❌ Too broad: "accessibility tools" - ✅ Just right: "color contrast checking tools" - ✅ Also good: "React accessibility testing libraries"

Step 2: Find All the Tools (Week 1)

Search everywhere: - Google with different terms - GitHub topic searches - Package managers (npm, pip, etc.) - Tool directories and "awesome" lists - Ask on relevant forums/communities

Cast a wide net first - you'll narrow down later.

Step 3: Create Your Inventory (Week 1-2)

For each tool, collect: - Name and website/repository - What it does (one sentence) - Who it's for (developers? designers? end users?) - Cost (free, paid, freemium?) - Last updated (is it maintained?) - How popular it is (GitHub stars, downloads, etc.)

Use a spreadsheet or simple table - makes comparison easier later.

Step 4: Test Key Tools (Week 2-3)

Don't test everything - pick 5-10 most promising ones.

For each tool: - How easy is it to get started? - Does it actually work as advertised? - How's the documentation? - What are the limitations? - Any integration issues?

Keep notes on: - Setup time - Learning curve - Actual usefulness - Major pros/cons

Step 5: Analyze the Landscape (Week 3)

Look for: - What types of tools exist? - What's missing? - Which tools work well together? - What are the common pain points? - Are there clear leaders vs. niche tools?

Step 6: Document Your Findings

Use our template: 

## The Full Landscape
### Established Tools
[The ones everyone knows about]

### Hidden Gems
[Good tools that aren't well-known]

### Gaps We Found
[What's missing that should exist]

## Recommendations
[Who should use what and when]

💡 Research Proposals

"Here's a question we should investigate"

Step 1: Identify the Mystery (Any time)

Good questions come from: - Gaps you found in other research - Problems you keep hearing about - Assumptions everyone makes but no one has tested - Tools that should exist but don't

Step 2: Check If It's Already Been Done

Quick search for: - Similar research questions - Existing tools that solve this - Recent discussions about this topic

If someone else is already doing it: Consider joining them or picking a different angle.

Step 3: Write Your Proposal

Use our template - keep it simple: 

## The Question
[What exactly do we want to find out?]

## Why This Matters
[Who would benefit? What decisions could this inform?]

## How We Could Investigate
[Research methods, who we'd need to talk to]

## What We Hope to Learn
[Expected outcomes]

Step 4: Share and Refine

  • Post as a GitHub issue
  • Get feedback from the community
  • Revise based on suggestions
  • See if others want to collaborate

⚙️ Tech Proposals

"Here's how we could build a solution"

Step 1: Start With a Problem

Base your proposal on: - Research findings that point to a solution - Community needs you've identified - Gaps in existing tool landscape - Your own experience with accessibility challenges

Step 2: Sketch the Solution

Think through: - What would this tool actually do? - Who would use it and when? - How would it fit into existing workflows? - What would success look like?

Step 3: Research Feasibility

Check: - Are there existing libraries you could build on? - What's the technical complexity? - How much work would this be? - What skills would contributors need?

Step 4: Write Your Proposal

## The Problem
[What research/experience led to this idea?]

## Proposed Solution
[High-level description, maybe some code examples]

## Technical Approach
[How you'd build it, what technologies]

## Success Criteria
[How would we know this actually helps people?]

Step 5: Get Community Input

  • Share as GitHub issue
  • Ask for technical feedback
  • See if others want to collaborate
  • Refine based on discussion

🆘 Getting Help

Stuck on any step? - Comment on research issues - Ask in community discussions - Tag maintainers for guidance

Not sure if your research is good enough? - Share early drafts for feedback - Remember: helpful insights matter more than perfect methodology - Community will help you improve

Worried about ethics? - Read our Ethics Guide - When in doubt, ask - Protecting people is always the priority

Remember: Research is about curiosity and helping people, not impressing academics. Start simple, ask questions, and improve as you go.

Every expert was once a beginner who asked good questions 🌱