The general model for the swb research and development cycle is to watch what people do when they solve real problems. At the level of interactions among people, there are recognizable behavioral patterns that are both positive and negative. We must learn how what a working environment needs to be like to encourage the positive aspects and to diminish the effect of negative traits. At the level of human-computer interaction, we must learn what people really do when they work with computers, and then design a computational environment that supports such real work. The general trend in science is to collect lots of data.
Scientists are good at collecting data.
The recognized products of science are written statements that define the problem. Such statements present theory and data analysis that apply to a solution of the problem. When there are lots of data involved, data management and analysis can be surprisingly difficult. In the fast moving scenarios present in modern research laboratories, our ability to collect data far outstrips our ability to realize the full potential for understanding. It is a rare data set that is analyzed more than once.