Research method · Step 2
What you are testing, and what you are holding still
A question identifies the unknown. A hypothesis states what the team expects, why, and what evidence would show that expectation is wrong. Variables define what can change and what must remain controlled.
01
What this step decides
Commit before the result
Write the expected relationship, mechanism and measurable consequence before work begins.
Classify the variables
Identify independent, dependent, controlled, confounding and contextual variables.
Make contradiction possible
Agree which result would not support the hypothesis and how a revision will be recorded.
02
How it works in a commercial setting
Commercial research must be rigorous without becoming detached from operations. We design around safety, production, data access, cost and time while keeping the question and evidence standard intact. Practical constraints are recorded as part of the operating envelope, not edited out of the result.
03
A worked example
For an edge model, the hypothesis can state that a defined compression method will bring memory below the device limit while retaining the minimum detection result on a fixed holdout set.
04
The record this step leaves behind
- Hypothesis register
- Rationale and prior evidence
- Variable and control table
- Measurement method and uncertainty
- Competing explanations and revision history
The Ignition research value chain
One methodology, six steps — each with a named output
- 01FrameA testable research question
- 02DesignExperiment plan & controls
- 03ExecuteRuns & recorded findings
- 04IntegrateSpecialists, coordinated
- 05GovernEvidence log & audit trail
- 06ReturnValidated, claim-ready records
General information only. This page does not determine R&D Tax Incentive eligibility and is not tax, legal, financial or grant advice. Whether any government support pathway may be relevant depends on the project's specific activities, structure, evidence and the current program rules.
Next step
A researcher reads your description — not a salesperson.
Bring the operating problem, the result you cannot explain or the decision your team cannot make with confidence. You will get a reply within two business days — including when the honest answer is that a research pathway is not the right tool.