Knowledge Pyramid — Research Methodology

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0 Definitions

1 Biology

2 Science

3 Product Knowledge

4 Quality Criteria

5 Measurement Method

6 Market Analysis

7 Comparison

8 Gaps & Verification

Overview

0 Definitions "What are the words?" 3-year-old

1 Biology "How does the subject work?" 8-year-old

2 Science "Which principles apply?" Student

3 Product Knowledge "What's on the label?" Consumer

4 Quality Criteria "How to spot good vs bad?" Buyer

5 Measurement "How to compare fairly?" Analyst

6 Market Analysis "What's available?" Researcher

7 Comparison "Which wins on the numbers?" Lab tech

8 Gaps "What don't we know?" Scientist

The 9 Layers

Definitions

What are the words?

Audience: a 3-year-old

Define every word in the research question. No jargon, no abbreviations. If a term appears in later layers, it gets explained here.

Section	Content
Core concepts	Define each word from the research question
Subtypes	Variants within each concept
What is "best"?	The evaluation criteria in one sentence

Rules of Thumb

Write as if the reader is 3 years old
Close with: "Building block: [what you now know → what you don't yet]"

Biology

How does the subject work in nature?

Audience: a curious child

Section	Content
Nature	How does it work without human intervention?
The crucial difference	What makes this fundamentally different from related subjects?
The reference profile	The gold standard from nature, quantified

Rules of Thumb

Start with nature, not products
The reference profile is the yardstick for the entire analysis
Use concrete examples ("a mouse", not "prey animal")

Science

Which scientific mechanisms determine what's good and what's bad?

Audience: high school student

Section	Content
Macro categories	The major groups (3-5 main categories)
Per category	Function + requirement + consequences of deficit/excess
Essential components	Substances that cannot be substituted
Boundary conditions	Factors outside the main categories

Rules of Thumb

Focus on WHAT and WHY, not HOW TO MEASURE (that's layer 5)
Use comparisons with everyday life

Product Knowledge

What's on the label and what does it really mean?

Audience: informed consumer

Section	Content
The label	Legally required information and how to read it
The numbers	What the analytical constituents actually mean
Marketing vs reality	Dissecting claims with real examples
The ingredient trap	When ingredients are misleading

Rules of Thumb

Show a GOOD and a BAD example side by side
Use real labels, not hypothetical ones
Calculate what the claim actually means

Quality Criteria

Which signals indicate quality or lack thereof?

Audience: informed buyer

Section	Content
Green flags	Positive signals with explanation
Red flags	Negative signals with explanation
The checklist	Concrete yes/no list usable in-store

Rules of Thumb

Make it binary: green or red, no gray areas
The checklist must be usable on location
Reference back to layer 2 for the WHY

Measurement Method

Which calculations are needed to compare objectively?

Audience: analyst / domain expert

This is the core of the pyramid. Here we define the method for fair product comparison.

Section	Content
The problem	Why direct comparison is misleading
Step 1: Normalization	First correction (e.g., dry matter basis)
Step 2: Missing data	Calculate what's not on the label
Step 3: Energy basis	The fairest comparison metric (e.g., ME basis)
The formulas	Exact calculations in code blocks
Reference profile	The gold standard on the new measurement basis

Rules of Thumb

This is the method, not the results (layer 7)
Work through one complete example (from label to final value)
Make formulas copyable in code blocks

Market Analysis

What's available, in which segments, at what price?

Audience: consumer researcher

Section	Content
Starting point	Current situation and reason for the research
Market segments	Price and quality tiers
Selection	Which products and why specifically these

Rules of Thumb

Select 3-6 products (no more)
Include the current product as reference
List prices per comparable unit

Comparison

Which product wins on the objective yardstick?

Audience: chemist / lab technician

The heart of the analysis. All previous layers converge here into hard numbers.

Section	Content
Step 1: Raw data	Table with as-reported values per product
Step 2: Normalization	Table with normalized values
Step 3: Energy analysis	Table with definitive comparison values
Step 4: Validation	Comparison with reference profile (✓/⚠/✗)
Conclusion table	Ranking with score + price + rationale
Cost analysis	Cost per period, difference vs current

Rules of Thumb

Show your work: each table builds on the previous
Use ✓/⚠/✗ for quick visual assessment
The conclusion table must be readable in 10 seconds
Cite the source for every number

Gaps & Verification

Where are the limits of this analysis?

Audience: scientist

Section	Content
Knowledge gaps	What we couldn't measure or verify
Sources	Literature, websites, databases
Recommended next steps	Concrete actions to close the gaps
Transition protocol	How to switch to the recommendation

Rules of Thumb

Be honest about what you don't know
Distinguish sources by reliability
Close with concrete next steps

Comparison

Helicopter to Detail vs Knowledge Pyramid

Aspect	Helicopter to Detail	Knowledge Pyramid
Direction	Abstract → concrete	Simple → complex
Purpose	Plan & build a project	Understand & evaluate a subject
Layers	Same subject, more detail	New abstraction level per layer
Reader	Knows the domain	Knows nothing — we build everything
Output	Implementation spec	Substantiated recommendation
Layer count	5	9

Situation	Method
You're building something (software, process, project)	Helicopter to Detail
You're researching something (product, service, decision)	Knowledge Pyramid
You're explaining to a non-expert	Knowledge Pyramid
You're writing an implementation spec for a team	Helicopter to Detail

Documentation Levels

Purpose	Layers
Explain to a child/parent	0–1
Consumer blog post	0–4
Advisory report	0–6
Full scientific analysis	0–8