Research Strategies

Thorough research is a crucial step in understanding what issues users may experience with their devices. Remember, you’re helping real people keep as much stuff out of landfills as possible! 

Here are some research strategies for an example device (Dell Inspiron 16 7620 2-in-1):

Experiment With Keywords

  • Use Google to search for "Dell Inspiron 16 7620 2-in-1 won't turn on,” "problems,” “troubleshooting,” “issues,” “not working,” “failure,” “broken,” "repair,” “malfunctioning,” “how to fix,” etc.

  • When search results aren't helpful, try different keywords. This often works better than examining multiple results pages.


Rely on Humans With Experience

  • User forums on a manufacturer’s website, or sites like Reddit, can often provide insight on common device issues.

  • YouTube can provide a wealth of information—just be sure that the channel is trustworthy. Avoid slideshows and automated narration, as they often indicate low-quality information.

  • Use enthusiast sites like this one—they will pop up in searches. Browse through them to get a feel for common problems.

  • Customer reviews on retail websites, like Amazon or Walmart, can help you identify common device failures. Check the 1-3 star reviews and look for recurring complaints, rather than extreme isolated cases.

  • Avoid sites that are overly wordy, extremely generic, and/or full of advertisements. These sites generally prioritize ad revenue over providing quality information—and are increasingly generated by AI, with limited human oversight.


Check Manufacturer Sites and Manuals

  • User and service manuals provide basic troubleshooting information that may help kickstart your search.

  • If you find repair-oriented or parts sites, the parts that they sell for your device will clue you in to what hardware failures people tend to experience.


Research Similar Devices

  • Some devices have little to no repair information about them (either because of manufacturer frugality, or simply because no one has bothered to try and fix that device yet). Don't let this hinder you! 

  • Instead of searching for model-specific information, try looking for issues that affect the product line as a whole (“Dell Inspiron 16” instead of “Dell Inspiron 16 7620 2-in-1”).

  • Use common sense and think of some problems that could possibly arise, i.e. not turning on, overheating, or black screens. You can also research problems with other, similar devices in the same series or category; odds are, some of the problems will apply to your device as well.