Tool details
Desktop Research
Finding out what relevant information is out there and what other people have done.
Tool category:
Tool thumbnail
When to use
Early in the process.
Why you should
Reviewing previous research findings to get a broad understanding.
What you get
Insights, learnings and an overview of what is already done from before.
Steps to take
Log on to your computer and start googling, Yahooing, Binging, duckduckgoing, etc.
Further reading
Maybe someone has done research similar to yours before? They might not have done exactly the same as you're going to do, but it can give you useful insights and learn you something new.
If you know what has been done before, you know when you find something new.
You use your time doing insight better; you don't do what someone else already had done.