Name the question
Decide what you want to understand before collecting examples. A question about a service journey needs a different set of sources from a question about a business model.
Independent notes / Business, design & context
Look closer.
Compare
with care.
A research-minded way to explore business and design across Asia. Start with a specific question, follow the sources and leave room for the context behind every comparison.
Open the research notebook →
Context before conclusions
Sources before certainty
Questions worth keeping
01 / A useful research posture
A broad region.
A precise question.
Research becomes more useful when the claim stays close to its evidence. These four lenses help turn a large area of interest into a note you can examine.
Make the context visible
Record the place, sector, audience and period relevant to the material. “Asia” is a broad frame; a useful note explains the narrower context it actually examines.
Keep the source trail
Save the original source, its publication context and the claim it supports. Separate direct observation, a reported statement and your own interpretation.
Use a common lens
Choose dimensions that make the comparison useful. Keep differences in scope, timing and evidence visible instead of turning unlike examples into a simple ranking.
02 / Read in layers
An example is
a starting point,
not a whole market.
A compelling design or business story can invite a large conclusion. Read outward from the source and make each step of the reasoning visible.
Read our editorial approach →-
01
The original material
Begin with the document, product, service or published statement you are examining. Note what is directly present and what you still need to establish.
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02
The surrounding context
Look for information that explains the setting and purpose of the material. Keep relevant language, audience and publication context attached to the source.
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03
The alternative reading
Ask which other interpretation could fit the evidence. A second perspective may reveal a missing source or a comparison that needs a narrower claim.
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04
The supported conclusion
Write only what the material can carry. Distinguish a specific observation from a wider proposition that would require more evidence.
03 / A source ledger
Make a claim
easy to retrace.
A small amount of structure helps you return to the original material and see where an observation became an interpretation.
| Record | Question | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Who produced the material, and for what purpose? | Record the author or organisation and the original publication context. |
| Scope | Which place, sector, audience and period does it cover? | Keep the boundaries beside the source rather than adding them from memory later. |
| Evidence | What does the source actually show or state? | Save a precise note and the relevant page, section or other locator. |
| Interpretation | What are you inferring from the material? | Mark your reasoning as interpretation and note what could change it. |
04 / From material to meaning
Give the note
three distinct jobs.
Description, comparison and implication are related, but they are not interchangeable. Let the reader see which kind of statement you are making.
A / THE OBSERVATION
Describe before judging
Record the feature, decision or business question you are looking at. Use concrete language that another reader could understand without sharing your first impression.
Output: a clear descriptionB / THE COMPARISON
Explain what is comparable
Show why the selected examples belong in the same discussion. Use the same dimensions while acknowledging differences that prevent a direct like-for-like judgement.
Output: a bounded comparisonC / THE IMPLICATION
Keep the conclusion proportionate
Explain what the comparison suggests and who might find it useful. State what remains uncertain and what further research would make the conclusion stronger.
Output: a qualified takeaway05 / Before sharing a note
Review the limits
as carefully as
the takeaway.
A useful note is clear about its evidence and its boundaries. A final review can reveal where the wording became broader than the research.
Check the representation
Use names and terms accurately, preserve attribution and avoid treating one example as representative of a whole place. Revisit any language that relies on a stereotype rather than a source.
Check the comparison
Ask whether the examples were selected for a clear reason. Identify differences in period, audience and purpose that affect the conclusion, and explain where the comparison stops being useful.
Check the uncertainty
Separate open questions from established observations. If a missing source matters to the central claim, narrow the claim or leave that point open for further work.
A place to begin
Turn your interest
into a research brief.
The research notebook takes you from a question and a source ledger to a comparison you can explain. Use it for your next business or design investigation.
Read the research notebook →