Research design should be:

The first consideration in a research project.

Selected during the initial meeting with a client.

Selected after thoroughly considering the problem and research objectives.

Formulated after data analysis.

Selected after thoroughly considering the problem and research objectives.

Explanation:

Research design should be selected after thoroughly considering the problem and research objectives. Research designs are the frameworks of research methods and techniques chosen by a researcher to achieve the objective and aims of the study, hence, a research design should be chosen only after the objective and problem of the research has been full considered so as not to adopt a design that does not capture the data needed or related to the objective of the study.