01 / Plan & Understand

researcher.

One question. Several perspectives. A clearer picture.

researcher is my workspace for questions I want to examine more closely. I type or dictate a thought, several models work on it and web sources add context. Their perspectives become a shared answer that I can follow up with the next question.

The story behind it

A sketch of the idea

Current stage: In use
Who it’s for: People exploring topics and preparing decisions
What it changes: Sources, perspectives and follow-up questions in one context

01 /

Start with a question

Sometimes I need a quick explanation. Sometimes I want to understand a market, compare tools or explore a broad subject. researcher interprets the question and chooses an appropriate workflow.

A short question receives several independent answers and a synthesis. Research adds sources from the web. A broader subject starts with a plan of individual questions that I can review and approve.

02 /

Bring different viewpoints together

The models work independently at first. A synthesis then brings their thinking together and explains where their assessments differ. That gives me a useful starting point for deciding what to examine more closely.

Web search and source reading add to these perspectives. References accompany the answer, and the progress view shows which steps are running. The research process stays easy to follow.

03 /

Turn broad topics into useful questions

A broad question benefits from a plan. researcher divides it into smaller investigations, each with its own sources and perspectives. The overall answer opens with the key findings and then moves into the detail.

I find this a helpful way into a new field: get an overview, explore individual points and then bring the connections back together.

04 /

Keep the conversation going

A follow-up carries the previous context forward. It can explain a term, explore a statement or start a new round of research. The answers stay together in the conversation as the idea develops.

Existing answers can also be combined into a new version while their original perspectives remain available. I can build on different results and return to where they began.

05 /

Take useful discoveries with you

When research names particular products, places or tools, the URL check can find their official websites. The results can go straight into a personal stack in rainy for further sorting and use.

Research becomes the start of the next task: a comparison becomes a shortlist, then a collection I can find again. As an installable web app, researcher is also close at hand on a phone or tablet.

From idea to use

What it makes easier.

01Type or dictate questions and choose a fitting research path
02Bring independent model answers together in a synthesis
03Include web sources and references in the research
04Explore broad topics with an agreed research plan
05Continue with follow-up questions in context
06Combine answers while keeping their original versions
07Find official websites and collect them in rainy stacks
08Use the web app on phones, tablets and desktops

What I take away

Good research gives me a clear place to start and makes me curious about the next question. Different perspectives help sharpen my own thinking.

— Philipp