Designers use secondary research from existing sources, including government data, academic literature, industry reports, standards, patent databases and published market information. It helps them understand users, contexts, constraints and existing solutions before primary research.
In B2.1 The design process, secondary evidence supports investigation of a design opportunity and development of an evidence-based design brief and design specification.
| Source | Information provided | Design application |
|---|---|---|
| Government data | Population statistics, demographic trends, health, environmental and economic data | Defines target market size, characteristics and needs |
| Government legislation/regulations | Legal safety, accessibility, material and environmental requirements | Establishes mandatory design constraints |
| Academic literature | Peer-reviewed theories, scientific findings and material properties | Provides credible technical knowledge |
| Industry reports | Sales trends, preferences, technologies and competitors | Reveals opportunities and supports positioning |
| Standards and patents | Testing requirements, technical standards and protected inventions | Supports compliance and avoids infringement |
| Reviews and product information | Features, prices, user experiences and reported problems | Identifies weaknesses and improvement opportunities |
A literature review is a structured process of finding, evaluating, comparing and synthesizing published information. Designers define a research question, select relevant sources, assess credibility, identify patterns or disagreements, and draw conclusions that inform decisions. It must analyse multiple sources rather than merely list summaries, although a published review article may itself be a secondary source.
Designers should check , relevance, publication date, author expertise and possible bias. compares evidence across different sources, increasing confidence in findings and revealing inconsistencies. Secondary evidence is usually efficient and broad, but outdated or generalized data may not represent the intended user group.
