Formative and Summative Research

   Formative or Qualitative research is an exploration of the community in which an agency is situated and it helps agencies understand the interests, attributes and needs of the community. It is used to gain insight into the subject the project deals with and helps in problem identification and solving. It is essential in developing programs as well as improving existing and ongoing programs.

The advantages of formative research are:

• Knowledge develops more and more
• It provides quick feedback
• It can shows plans for the future
• It can achieve successful outcomes
• Improvement continuous as research keeps on adding

Formative research gives a lot resources and feedback. But there are disadvantages for this research method:

• Time consuming is one of the reasons of all the disadvantages
• Process can be exhausting
• Objectives collide
• Challenges are around the corner

There are 11 steps to conduct the formative research:

1. Identify the needs
2. Define the objectives
3. Recruit the respondents
4. Determine the number of the focused groups
5. Create the questions
6. Select a facilitator or interviewers
7. Develop a script
8. Choose a place 
9. Conduct in-depth interviews or focus the group discussions
10. Transcribe the interviews
11. Analyze the information

   Summative or conclusion research is an assessment of the participants focusing on the outcome of the certain program. It can be said as 'after the event' evaluation. Its data collects more objective and quantitative. This method are used to prove and judge. This method focused on the result not achievement

   There are few advantages about summative research, which is to simplified conclusion for every research conducted. Summative research is useful to compress every information into shorter version of the information, which rather called summary. Summary always appeared at the back of the novel books. When there are few advantages, a few disadvantages will sit beside them. Summative research is not that accurate as it seems because it doesn't show the exact results. Because of lack results, audience will not be able to receive every detail conducted. If it goes to novel books, readers curious and they are willing to buy them to know the answers.

  To conduct summative research:

• Conduct through surveys
• Do procedure step by step
• Set the goals clearly, then develop them in a suitable way
• Understand the targets clearly
• Have prior knowledge of the topic and that related to it
• If needs to conduct second test, revise the test by reflecting with the previous study
• conclude and predict what will happen in the near future according to the data analysis

Target Audience Profiling / Personas

   Target Audience Profiling / Personas is an assessment of the strengths and weakness of the current and potential competitors. It aims to establish a profitable and sustainable position against the forces that determine industry competition. 

   There are two main questions that can establish what makes the product or service unique.

• attractiveness of industries for long-term profitability and the factors that determines it
• determinants of relative competitive position within an industry

   Each sides have 4 main reasons of advantages and disadvantages:

   Advantages

• Provides greater understanding to find unnecessary info through the outcomes
• Have deep understanding of what the competitors are planning to improve and developing
• Predict the trends in the market and provide advantages to improve the product or service
• Know how to set the reasonable price by comparing the competitors

   Disadvantages

• Requires time a lot
• High cost
• Data interpret wrongly
• A chance of not succeeding

   To conduct the method:

• Conduct the research
• Gather the competitor's information
• Analyse the information
• Determined the competitor's information

What kind of research will support my graduation project?

Certain researches that can be used for my graduation project are Formative Research and Target Audience Profiling / Personas. Formative research: I can knowledge develops more, it provides quick feedback because since only half a month I need it as soon as possible. I need plans for the future and will it achieve successful outcome, and also I can improve continuous as research keeps on adding. Target Audience Profiling / Personas: I can understand what I need to know about the trends and audience's reactions, I can improve my research against the competitors. Information that I can get is how to make product that is on trend and how to compare the competitor get to the top.