This document discusses considerations for researching a social action issue. It notes that the research must be sensitive since the topic deals with personal issues that some people try to hide. Primary research through questionnaires may be best to avoid making people uncomfortable. There could be issues getting access to people affected by the social issue if they fear admitting they are impacted. The research would need to be fact-checked to ensure accurate information and avoid worsening perceptions of the problem. Any work produced would need to represent the issue and affected groups respectfully without causing offense.

1. Aims and Considerationssheet
ExistingProducts:
How manyexistingartefactsdoyoufeel youwillneedtolookat?
Well,inorderto getthe right extentof knowledge onpreviousworksandthe subjectIwill be
coveringIwouldfeel the needtolook intoahandful of differentexistingartefacts. Suchasposters,
leaflets,websitesetc.togetan enhancedknowledge oncampaigning.
What kindsof artefactsare youexpectingtolookat?
I wouldhope tolookat some alreadyexistingaroundthe subjectthatIwishto base/create mine
on whilstalsoexploringonesthatdon’trelate toclosely.Thiscouldbe acampaignthat was
globally/nationallypopularwithinthe media,raisingawarenessandpossiblyevenfunding.Iwould
lookat these sortsof campaigns to know what to domaybe visually,aestheticallyorverbally.On
the otherhand,I could alsolookat campaignsthatweren’tassuccessful maybe because the
issue/subjectwasuninterestingoroverlyspokenaboutandpeople justfinditdull,oreven
because itwasn’texecutedproperly.Iwouldlookatthese toknow whatnotto do withmine so
that I won’tbore or offendthe demographicoraudience Itailormywork to.
What elementswill youlook attohelpyouwithyourresearch?
I couldlookat a fewconsiderablyvital aspectswiththisline of worksuchasthe differentplatforms
of campaigninglike print,videooraudiotodiscoverwhere peoplewill gotohear itsuch as a
posteron the street,anadvertonline ora clipon the radio.AnotherthingIcouldresearchintois
for example if Ichose aprintplatformwhattype of designpeoplewouldpreferlike aleaflet,a
brochure,a website ora poster.Icoulddo so bycheckingadvertisementmarketingcirculations
(Secondaryresearch) tosee whichismostpopularamongstcampaignsorquestionthe target
audience themselvestogetamore directresponse (Primaryresearch).MostimportantlythoughI
wouldneedtolookat existingaestheticsformytype of campaignand othercampaigns to see
whichworksthe bestto capture attention,suchas usinga minimalistlookora deceivingfirst
impressionsotheyfellthe needtotake asecondlook.
Primary Research:
How manypeople wouldyouhope toquestionaspartof your primaryresearch?
Due to how unspokenof anissue mysubjectisIwouldrequire abroad range of opinionsall
varyingandhopefullyindepthsoanywherebetween10-20 I think.The onlyissue Iface withthisis
if it isif the people Iuse formyresearchfeel uncomfortable talkingaboutthe subject,which
unfortunatelyiscommon.
What methodswill youuse?
I feel Ishouldavoidthe face-to-face aspectof primaryresearch,aswiththissubjectit can seem
insensitiveasitis sopersonal andpeople maygetoffended.Questionnaires/surveys maybe the
rightroute to go downfor thistopicas people canskipquestionsthatmake themuncomfortable
or anxiousbutat the same time I may have issueswith the distributionof the questionnaires.Not
to a particularamountof people todevelopmyresults butthe rightkindof people whoeither
have knowledgeorfeelingsforthe subject.
Couldthere be issuesingettingaccesstopeople affectedbyyourchosensocial issue?
Yes,definitely.Thisisnotjustbecause itisn’tspokenaboutasoftenbutit doesstill existandthe
subjectneedstobe enlightenedasitis nota massive problemthateveryonefacespeople feel
okaywithignoringitwhichisthe worst possible thingtodo. I have includedalinktoan article
expressingthatitisnear to impossible tosee whothisissue affectsforpeople beinginfearof
admittingthattheyface these issuesatall due to whotheyare.Eitherthat or people strayaway

2. fromthe issue entirelypretendingthatitdoesn’texistdemeaningthe peopleresponsibleasthe
problemitself.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-we-dont-know-the-size-of-the-transgender-population/
How will youknowif yourresearchhasbeen successful?
I will knowif myresearchissuccessful byproducingwhatIand othersaroundme feel doesthe
victimsof the issue enoughlimelightsothatothersnotdealingwithitfinallycome tothe
realisationthatitdoesexistanditisa problem, thatlike all others,needstobe solved.
I feel altogetherthatif myworkhas legitimate factsand/oropinionsthatpeoplesee as
appropriate orfulfilling,thatIhave successfullyresearchedthe subjecttoinreturncreate a piece
of workthat doesthe subjectandthose involvedjustice.
Considerations:
Why mightyouneedtobe sensitive whencarryingoutresearch onsocial actionissues?
I will definitelyneedtobe sensitivewhencarryingoutmyresearchforthissocial issue asit isa
verypersonal subjectwhichcanbe discardedas‘wrong’bya lotof people andIwouldnotwantto
give off thatimpression.Alsoconsideringhow manypeople hidethe factthatthisis an issue for
thembecause theyare too scaredto show that it is.
Couldyouface any problemswhentryingto researchsocial actionissues?If so,isthere away to
overcome these?
I hope I wontcome across any problemswhenresearchingsocial actionissuesbutagood
contingencyplanisalwaysimportantwiththese subjects anyway. Forexample,anyfactsthatI find
wouldhave tobe double maybe eventriple checkedtomake sure theyare accurate soif
presentedwe wouldn’thave anyissueswithfalsefiguresoraccusationsof makingthe situation
seemevenworse thanitactuallyis.
Where wouldyouexpectyourfinishedpiecestobe displayedanddistributed?
If my finishedpiecesweretobe displayedonthe internet,maybe onapopularsocial networkthen
it ishighlylikelythatitwill be distributedonothersiteslike fromTumblrtoFacebook.Onthe
otherhand if itwere physical copiesthatwere displayedlocallyIhighlydoubtthattheywillbe
distributedasmuch.
What fundingissues mightasocial actionorganisationface?
Most social actionorganisationsrequire fundingtocampaignandadvertise the factthat theyare
campaigningbutinothercasestheymay require fundingtofix asocial issue.Butanissue mayup
rise if theyare a campaign,whichwishestochange a global issue thatonlyraisesenoughfunding
to do theirworklocallyornationally.Eitherthator fundingcouldbe cutentirelyaspeople stop
believinginthe campaignortheycannotthemselvesaffordtogive moneytothem

3. What ethical considerationsmightyouneedtothinkabout?
EthicallyImay needtoconsiderhowpersonal thissubjectistothe individual andratherthan
discussitcommunallytotake more of a sensitiveapproach,whilstalsonotbeingtooforward.I
may alsoneedtoconsiderthe visual representationof thissubjectwithmyworkbecause Iwill
wantsomethingthatrepresentsthe subjectwell butnosothat people are offended.
How couldsocial,personal andpolitical issuesaffectyourresearch?
Socially,myworkcouldbe affectedbecause peoplecanbe veryopinionatedonthe subjecteven
verballyabusivetowardpeople aboutitastheyfeel sostronglyaboutiteitherpositivelyor
negatively.Personallypeople mayhave gone throughtraumaticeventsintheirlife due tothe
severityof theirsituationandthiscanprove to be a sensitivesubjectthattheymaywishto forget
rather thanpromote to others.Finally,Iwouldn’tsaywe wouldcome acrossanyissuespolitically
as theydon’taffector are eitheraffectedbythe governmentatall/often.
How couldthe community characteristicsandtheirresourcesaffectyourresearch?
Communally,Iwouldhave toverballyannounce mygoalsandintentionswiththe campaignsothat
people don’tgetoffendedortoohighinspiritsthatif it doesnotbecome a successthat theyput
too muchon the line forit to be.ResourcefullyIwouldneedinformationonreal life
stories/situationsinvolvingthe topicunderdiscussionsothatpeople unawarehave amore
detailedideaof it.Facts are verycritical in anycampaignas if theyare incorrector a formof
dramatizationitgivesthe wrongimpressionthatitisbuiltupon linestomake people feel badfor
no reason.