2.5 Research designs
The objective of research design is to inform details of how a research
is being conducted. It talks about “how” every activity in the
research was carried out (procedures) including but not limited to the
source of data and how it will be collected, how research questions will
be formulated, how they be answered and theories where applicable. A
design would have explicitly provided information about the study type,
described the study population and sample size with justification, the
unit of analysis and measuring technique. Several research designs have
been adopted in practice to help evaluate IS interventions, in
particular digital health interventions. Research designs in the medical
field are influenced by a hierarchy of evidence from existing
literature. This evidence must be based on exhaustive search and
collation of literature in a systematic manner. Similarly, in IS, the
achievement of validity and reliability are fundamental when using
quantitative research and questionnaire instrument for that matter. When
using qualitative research method, validity and reliability are achieved
through triangulation, the use of multiple data source with a succinct
explanation of strategies used in collecting data including meticulous
design of interview guide. Of the four triangulation types, namely
method, investigator, theory, and data source type, the data sourced
type is used by most qualitative research on human phenomena in many
cases to test validity (Carter, Bryant-Lukosius, DiCenso, Blythe, &
Neville, 2014). However, the challenge with multiple data types is scope
and the level of consistency or fidelity regarding the instruments used
in gathering the data. IS research has enjoyed designs from both medical
and management.