lot of research already done in this field.
This is not a problem. It's an opportunity! If you are interested in the use of technology to improve efficiency, you should read a few VERY recent articles about the newest technologies in use.
Those articles will include section near the beginning that REVIEW a lot of other articles. When you read the literature review, it will give you a "crash course" on all the recent developments.
Your job is to read about lots of recent developments and then see what PROBLEM can be solved to improve efficiency.
You have 2 tasks:
1.) Read all about quantitative and qualitative research designs so that you know what your options are.
2.) Read some literature reviews in recent articles about subjects that interest you.
When you have read about 8 different research designs and also 8 different recent articles, and if you take notes about all of them, you will be ready to plan a project!
:-)