Do you think that the “inductive approach” (such as grounded theory) or the “deductive approach” (such as quantitative research) is more likely to yield important information for your research interest? Are there topics where they are equally likely to do so? How would each approach differ in focus?
 
One look at the Yale School of Art website is all that is needed to persuade us of the importance of research in web design. The assault on the eyes sends a signal to the brain which promptly implores the hand holding the mouse to escape to calmer scenes. The discordant color scheme and the rough looping action of the gif inspire the web designer to meticulously choose harmonious color schemes and give careful attention to detail when designing. To produce websites that communicate effectively, understanding the target audience is vital. For this reason, both inductive and deductive research is helpful for web design. Various methods of research can be more helpful than others, the type of the project must be considered when planning research.
Inductive research, and grounded theory, is often best for situations when designing a website for an audience of which the designer is not a member, or when a website does not succeed as expected. Participants can answer open-ended questions which provide insight into which components of the website contribute to its success. Additionally, if a developer wants to know what kind of images certain demographics enjoy, an inductive approach would allow them to gather data. By analyzing the data, they could reach conclusions that could help them develop websites that target specific audiences. Findings from inductive research could indicate whether people who access information on their phones prefer text or audio content and if certain circumstances affect their preference. The developer who is making an app that will primarily be used in the home may craft questions to determine if users would prefer audio or text content when at home, instead of asking what they prefer in general. After all, inquiring about an audio or text preference with a vague question may provide a misleading answer if those participating in the research think of their commute instead of their evening at home. Lastly, if a web designer wanted to know if the level of complexity for a website changed for different demographics, inductive research would allow them to find patterns between the level of complexity of a website, and the demographic who liked it most (or least). Thus, the developer can design with the ability to create a website that will be most desirable for the target audience.
In contrast, for some situations, deductive research will yield more effective results. For example, a developer who has implemented a new website can test whether the website has successfully boosted the sales of a business by comparing the sales of the year after the website change with those of the previous year. The developer should also consider the sales of businesses that sell similar goods or services, and total sales across the country, as compared to previous years. By including these factors in the research, the developer will not attribute a change in market-wide sales or in the economy to the new website. Similarly, to ensure that the website is reaching the target audience, researchers could conduct a survey of the visitors to ascertain the demographic of the majority. Then, if they find that their website is not attracting users from the desired demographic, they could adjust the website to engage that audience or modify the website to appeal further to the demographic group that is already viewing the website. Finally, a researcher may also want to find if certain fonts and font sizes are easier for seniors to read, especially for websites that are primarily used by those over fifty, like AARP, Pogo.com, and suddenlysenior.com. Deductive research would allow them to either confirm or disprove their hypothesis.
To find which color schemes are best when targeting specific social groups, a combination of both inductive and deductive research would be ideal. Beginning with inductive research, the team would gather data that would allow for the classification of participants into similar groups. Then, participants could view several websites and describe the mood and emotions felt when viewing each site. After analyzing the results and forming conclusions, the researchers could continue the project with deductive research. A larger number of participants would rate how much they like various templates containing different color schemes, using a number scale. This would hopefully confirm the conclusion of the inductive research, and the designers could then proceed to create websites, assured of the preferences of the target group.