BACKGROUND RESEARCH
This 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.