Background research is especially important for engineering design projects, because you can learn from the experience of others rather than blunder around and repeat their mistakes. To make a background research plan— a roadmap of the research questions you need to answer -- follow these steps:
Identify questions to ask about your target user or customer.
Identify questions to ask about the products that already exist to solve the problem you defined or a problem that is very similar.
Plan to research how your product will work and how to make it.
Network with other people with more experience than yourself: your mentors, parents, and teachers. Ask them: "What should I study to better understand my engineering project?" and "What area of science covers my project?" Better yet, ask even more specific questions.
Use this Background Research Plan Worksheet to help you develop your own plan.
For an engineering design project, you should do background research in two major areas:
Users or customers
Existing solutions
Research your target user or customer. Everything humans design is ultimately for the use of another human. (Think about it— even products designed for animals or plants are first purchased by another human!) Your choice of target user will sometimes have a big impact on your design requirements. For example, if you design something for a toddler, you need to make sure that there are no small parts that could be swallowed. Some customers are more sensitive to the cost than others, and so forth. You might describe your target user in any number of ways. Here are some examples:
Age (old, young, infant)
Gender
Occupation
Hobby interests
Amateur or professional
Whether users have disabilities and require accommodations
Size
First-time user or experienced user
Research the products that already exist to solve the problem you defined or a problem that is very similar. No one wants to go to all the trouble of designing something they think is new, only to find that several people have already done it. That would be depressing! So, you want to investigate what's already out there. Only then can you be sure that you're making something that more effectively fills a need. And keep in mind that what is "better" depends on your requirements. You might want to build something that's been around for hundreds of years, but do it with recycled materials from around the house. The device might be old, but the construction materials new (or used!).
Research how your product will work and how to make it. When it comes time to build their solution, savvy designers also want to use their research to help them find the best materials and way to do things, rather than starting from scratch. Background research is also important to help you understand the science or theory behind your solution. If you are entering a science fair, judges like to see that you understand why your product works the way it does and what causes it to perform better than other products.
Engineers are lucky, because there are three ways to do research regarding users and existing solutions:
Observe users first-hand, either as they use a similar product or solution or in the environment in which they encounter the problem.
Examine and analyze similar products and solutions. Looking at similar products is super important. Other engineers spent a lot of time designing them, so you might as well learn everything you can from their work. And it is fun! You might even want to take similar products apart! (Ask first!)
Conduct library and Internet research.
When you or your parents are driving a car, there are two ways to find your destination: drive around randomly until you finally stumble upon what you're looking for OR use a GPS or look at a map before you start. Finding information for your background research is similar. Since libraries and the Internet both contain millions of pages of information and facts, you might never find what you're looking for unless you start with a map! To avoid getting lost, you need a background research plan.
Source: Science Buddies