7-Day Creator Research Plan: Topic and Comparable Projects
Gary WhittakerCreator Project Milestone Academy · Milestone 6
7-Day Creator Research Plan
Complete one focused research cycle and save a usable Research and Comparable Project Record.
Before Day 1
Gather your records from Milestones 1–5. Create one document or spreadsheet titled:
Add these sections:
- Research questions
- Source log
- Claim and evidence table
- Audience evidence
- Comparable-project matrix
- Confirmed, challenged and unresolved assumptions
- Project implications
- Final decision
Day 1 — Convert assumptions into research questions
Review the project, audience, outcome, human contribution and central message. Identify the assumptions that could weaken the project if they are wrong.
Write at least ten questions, then choose the five that most affect a project decision.
Question categories
- Audience: What does the intended audience actually ask, need or misunderstand?
- Accuracy: Which factual claims must be checked?
- Format: Which formats or delivery methods suit the problem?
- Comparable work: What already exists and how is it positioned?
- Risk: What rules, limitations or boundaries must be understood?
Output
| Research question | Decision it affects | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Example question | What will change when answered | High / Medium / Low |
Day 2 — Build the source-quality plan
Decide what kind of source is appropriate for each question before searching.
| Question | Best source type | Freshness requirement | Evidence standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform feature or policy | Official documentation | Current | Direct primary source |
| Audience frustration | Relevant comments, interviews, reviews or support questions | Recent where possible | Repeated pattern, not one anecdote |
| Professional or regulated issue | Qualified authority or official source | Current | High |
| Comparable experience | Direct review of the project | Current version | Observed and documented |
Output
A source plan for all five priority questions.
Day 3 — Research facts, claims and limitations
Collect evidence for the statements your project may ask the audience to trust.
| Possible claim | Source | What the source supports | Date checked | Use, narrow or remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write the claim | Record the source | State the exact support | YYYY-MM-DD | Decision |
Separate direct evidence from your interpretation. Record limitations and contradictions.
Output
At least five claims reviewed, including any claim central to the project promise.
Day 4 — Collect audience evidence
Look for the audience’s own words in relevant questions, reviews, comments, search language, community discussions, support requests or direct conversations.
| Audience language | Underlying need | Connection to project | Possible change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact short phrase or paraphrase | What it reveals | Message, format, scope or offer | Keep / revise / investigate |
Do not turn a small sample into a universal conclusion. Look for repeated concerns and meaningful differences between audience segments.
Output
Five to ten relevant audience observations.
Day 5 — Select three to five comparable projects
Choose projects that are useful for comparison, not only the most famous or visually similar.
Include a mix where possible:
- One close direct comparison
- One different format serving a similar need
- One low-cost or free alternative
- One premium or high-support alternative
- One project with a meaningfully different philosophy
Output
| Comparable project | Why selected | Relationship to my project |
|---|---|---|
| Project name | Reason | Direct, indirect, format, audience or business-model comparison |
Day 6 — Complete the comparison matrix
| Dimension | Comparable A | Comparable B | Comparable C | My project implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience | ||||
| Promise and message | ||||
| Scope and format | ||||
| Evidence and authority | ||||
| User experience | ||||
| Access or price | ||||
| Strength | ||||
| Gap or limitation |
Write what you observed, not what you assume about the creator’s intentions or success.
Output
A complete compare-and-contrast matrix plus one sentence describing your project’s useful difference.
Day 7 — Make the research decision
Sort your findings into three groups.
Confirmed
Assumptions supported strongly enough for the current project stage.
Challenged
Assumptions that need narrower language, a different format or a changed decision.
Unresolved
Questions that remain open and require later testing, expert input or a cautious limitation.
Complete the final record
Project:
Audience:
Central message:
Five priority questions:
Best sources reviewed:
Claims revised or removed:
Audience patterns:
Comparable projects:
What comparable projects do well:
Gaps or unmet needs:
My project’s useful difference:
Confirmed assumptions:
Challenged assumptions:
Unresolved questions:
Required project changes:
Research update date:
Choose one decision
- Proceed: evidence supports moving into the next milestone.
- Revise: the project remains viable but specific decisions must change.
- Hold: a critical question, risk or evidence gap must be resolved first.
Final readiness checklist
- I researched decisions, not just a general topic.
- I used appropriate source types.
- I recorded the date and limits of important sources.
- I separated evidence from interpretation.
- I collected audience language without overgeneralizing.
- I reviewed at least three useful comparable projects.
- I identified strengths without copying.
- I recorded contradictory or unresolved evidence.
- I can state what changed because of the research.
- I saved a proceed, revise or hold decision.
AI support prompt
Review the research notes and comparable-project observations I provide. Separate verified evidence, audience anecdotes, creator interpretation and unresolved claims. Identify contradictions, missing source details and decisions that are not yet supported. Do not invent sources, statistics, audience needs or project details. End with a table of confirmed, challenged and unresolved assumptions.
