Suggestions for improving your research process
Using a MUPPET to help chase down rainbows with your horse and cart

Who am I?
Started PhD at the end of 2003 with
a Top Achiever Scholarship...
...the thesis will be submitted for
review in a few months.
What was I doing during that time?
• I.T. consulting & programming
• Traveling
• Growing up
• Battling the research process

What I will cover
Identifying the horse, cart and
1 rainbow within your research.
The missteps I took during my
2 research and its consequences.
MUPPET: simple tips for
3 keeping your research on track.
How MUPPET helped me
4 formalise my research process.

1 2 3 4
Chasing rainbows with your horse and cart

1 2 3 4
Objective Interest Process
Outcome, ambition Personal, lifeblood Argument, methodology

1 2 3 4
Without a process you are not moving towards
your objective, just enjoying your interest.

1 2 3 4
Without an interest, research is a long hard
slog and the outcome unsatisfying.

1 2 3 4
The interest sustains and the process leads

1 2 3 4
But what happens if...
...the interest drives the process?

1 2 3 4
Letting my cart get ahead of the horse

1 2 3 4
Objective: “better” digital collaboration

1 2 3 4
The technical diversity within the industry poses a problem

1 2 3 4
Building Information Models Or so we are led to believe
result in better digital collaboration

1 2 3 4
We currently do a bad job of BIM is a “perfect” record of an
outcome, but the processes that
recording the design story led to it are lost or forgotten.

1 2 3 4
Interest: applying Web technologies within architecture practice

1 2 3 4
These Web-centric technologies are reshaping the way we
communicate, acquire information and conduct commerce.

1 2 3 4
The architecture industry has been slow to adopt such practices.

1 2 3 4
Rather than develop a research process, I followed my interests.

1 2 3 4
I blogged my thoughts and findings because in the context of the
research it “made sense”.

1 2 3 4
I developed and tested a software prototype embodying interesting
Web technologies within an architectural collaboration environment.

1 2 3 4
Gartner Group, 2006
Realisation - The industry lacks Principles are decision aids
principles for digital collaboration in a rapidly moving environment

1 2 3 4
Proposed the
principles of the
Project Information Cloud
Simplicity
Ubiquity
Decentralisation
Modularity
Context Sensitivity
Information Awareness
Evolutionary Semantics

1 2 3 4
Problem: How to robustly justify the hypothesis of
the principles without starting from square one?

1 2 3 4
Using MUPPET to foster the research process

1 2 3 4
M otivate Eureka moments only take you so far.
U ndertake Write something research related every (other) day.
P lan Consciously identify your rainbow, horse and cart.
P onder Understand how your actions relate to the research.
E xchange Talk to everyone (relevant) about your research.
T est Evaluate what you have done & where you are going.

1 2 3 4
Motivate: Research is not a sprint but a marathon broken up by euphoric “eureka” moments.

1 2 3 4
Undertake: Creating something tangible establishes a point of discussion and reference.

1 2 3 4
Plan: Start developing your research structure immediately with the knowledge it will change.

1 2 3 4
Ponder: Try not to blindly act but if you do, take time afterwards to assess its research value.

1 2 3 4
Exchange: Develop the key research ideas through elevator, email and coffee pitches to peers.

1 2 3 4
Test: No (research) plan survives contact with the enemy, be prepared to change or compromise.

1 2 3 4
Applying MUPPET to improve my research process

1 2 3 4
Eureka moment - the research actually dealt with
M otivate broader digital collaboration principles.
Action: Take the time to analyse all the research
U ndertake results to develop a process that justifies this finding.
P lan
P onder
E xchange
T est

1 2 3 4
M otivate
I was writing reasonably regularly about the subject
U ndertake but it was informal.
Action: Commit to writing “real” thesis chapters.
P lan
P onder
E xchange
T est

1 2 3 4
M otivate
U ndertake
P lan I knew the high-level structure of my thesis but below
this was patchy.
Action: Review everything produced, assemble it into
P onder a viable structure and identify its shortcomings.
E xchange
T est

1 2 3 4
M otivate
U ndertake
P lan
P onder The prototype had inspired the eureka moment but
experiments prove hypothesis, not create them.
Action: Determine how the prototype’s results prove
E xchange the identified digital collaboration principles.
T est

1 2 3 4
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photochiel/
M otivate
U ndertake
P lan
P onder
Regular publishing of blog content and papers had
E xchange built worldwide ties within the industry.
Action: Proactively engage with a broad range of
T est people to develop the viability of the research.

1 2 3 4
M otivate
U ndertake
P lan
P onder
E xchange There was very little cohesion between the writing on
the blog, the published papers and the prototype.
T est Action: Continually work through the argument until
all aspects of the work have a consistent message.

In conclusion
• How I approached my research was not “right” but it was worthwhile.
• Select your research interest wisely as it will sustain you.
• Identify achievable and precise research outcomes.
• Formulate and follow a research process early on.
• Resist the urge to “see where your interest takes you”.
• If in doubt remember MUPPET:
Motivate, Undertake, Plan, Ponder, Exchange & Test