An attempt to describe, understand, and develop a theory about a social issue.

Searching for potential issues rather than testing for problems already assumed to exist. Exploratory research is an important step in usability testing and is often achieved by letting representative users freely explore a system while noting any problems that they encounter.

a type of research designed to accumulate background information to help define a problem; a prelude to conclusive research that aims to help decision makers choose a course of action in a particular problem or situation. Characterized by the lack of a formal research design. Example: research to gather information on how consumers make decisions on computer purchases, including specific uses of the computer, the criteria used in evaluating alternatives, the number of brands and models considered, the number of stores visited, the importance of advertising in the brand selection process, and the importance of sales help at the retail level. Sometime called informal research. See causal research and descriptive research.

Research designed to investigate an area on which little information exists. This includes the use of pilot studies, which are trial runs of an experiment. The aim is to gain more information before doing more thorough research.

A research design in which the major emphasis is on gaining ideas and insights.

Research undertaken prior to the main survey in order to gain understanding of the subject. In CSM exploratory research should be used to understand what customer requirements are.

Exploratory research is a type of research conducted because a problem has not been clearly defined. Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects. Given its fundamental nature, exploratory research often concludes that a perceived problem doesn't actually exist.