Research is a broad term that we generally use to say "not making stuff up, shooting in the dark, and wasting time". We include research in various forms at pretty much every step of the entrepreneurial process. The objective is to increase our chances of success and save time by better understanding users and learning from what others have tried and tested. Without research, we tend to make assumptions about what users want and need, and we're often wrong, which leads to mediocre products nobody wants. Another common pattern due to lack of research is “tech bros rediscovering the wheel”, which a bit of literature review and market research can help us avoid.
A step-by-step guide of the process you’ll go through, with links to the toolkit
Each step of the entrepreneurial process needs a different research approach. Below are some guidelines that fit well enough in most cases.