Primary Research Basics: Inforum

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+ Primary Research Emily Gremel Strategist Square One Design

description

A presentation outlining what primary research is and how to conduct and analyze it. The presentation compares primary and secondary research. It walks the audience through selecting research objectives and methods, how to draft a study, and how to recruit appropriate respondents. It discusses interview techniques and provides some basics on analyzing data and drawing conclusions. This presentation is aimed at start-ups and entrepreneurs looking to conduct their own research on modest budgets and timelines.

Transcript of Primary Research Basics: Inforum

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Primary Research

Emily GremelStrategistSquare One Design

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+Agenda

Research Basics

Research Planning

Conducting Research

Analyzing Results

Outcomes

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Research Basics

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+Primary vs. Secondary Research

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Research specifically designed and conducted for your project

Examples: Surveys Customer Interviews Stakeholder Interviews Observation Usability testing

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Research done by a third party, analyzed and applied to your project

Examples: Articles Competitor information Scientific research Anything from a reliable

source outside of your team that applies to your project

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+Thorough Research Process

Primary Research• Focus Groups• Surveys• Interviews• Observation• Experimentation• Open Forums

Secondary Research• Journals• Industry Press• Research Reports• Competitor

Information• Other third party

data

Aggregation Combining multiple sources and findings to project realistic,

meaningful findings.

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+Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

Denotes quality of responses

Number of respondents is secondary to the quality of individual responses

No set minimum for number of participants

Almost always primary research

Denotes quantity of responses

Quality of individual responses is secondary to the number of respondents

Typically not considered reliable data unless sample size is greater than 30

Could be primary or secondary research

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Research Planning

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+Preparing Objectives

Understand what you want to learn before you attempt to do research.

Prepare a list of specific items you’re trying to touch on.

Confirm that your objectives are open-ended Good objective: to determine which toothpaste brand is

preferred and why. Bad objective: to determine why people like Crest

Toothpaste best.

Keep it realistic!

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+Potential Research Objectives

Validate assumption about unmet need in the marketplace

Develop or fine tune a viable product concept

Define your target audience

Create a more thorough map of the competitive landscape

Identify when to pivot away from a failed product or plan

Test existing products for potential improvements or pitfalls

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Selecting a Format

One-on-one Interview

Focus Group

Survey (qualitative or quantitative)

Passive Observation

Experimentation

A/B Testing

Open Forums

Usability Testing

Make sure you choose the best format for achieving your objectives.

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+Create an Outline

Once you have selected a format, create an outline to alleviate stress and stay organized.

Craft an introduction to get respondents comfortable.

Create topic headings.

Group related questions under the same topic heading for ease of organization, and to help the respondent track with your questions.

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+Question Flow

Begin with simple questions to get your respondent comfortable.

Move through your outlined topics by starting with more general questions, and delving into specifics later in the survey.

If using scales or rating systems, stay consistent.

Demographic questions should be asked at the very beginning or very end of the survey – personal preference.

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Types of Questions

Dichotomous questions: Yes/No Used Product/Did Not Use Product Male/Female*

Likert Scale: Strongly Agree Agree Neutral/Don’t Know Disagree Strongly Disagree

Rating Scale: Number scales: 1-5, 1-7, and 1-10 are

most commonly used. Other scales: Excellent, very good, good,

acceptable, poor.

Open-ended Word association Unstructured Can be long or short format

You may use a blend of question types depending on your format and objectives.

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+Types of Questions

Start your research with this – once your existing assumptions are validated, you can gather additional information.

Validate that there is a need your product or service can solve.

Example: Questions about what you

assume the unmet need to be Demographic questions to

pinpoint the audience for that unmet need

When you have identified an unmet need in the marketplace, you can dig deeper to understand if/how your product or service is meeting that need.

You can also gather information about the sales and marketability of the product or service.

Examples: Is an unmet need now being

served? How? How much are consumers willing

to spend? Understand motivations and

behaviors

Validate Assumptions Gather Information

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+Types of Questions: Concept Testing

You may present a concept or potential product in a variety of ways: Emailed or shipped ahead of time Read over the phone Shown in person Shown via computer or tablet screen

It’s suggested that you limit the number of concepts shown in an interview to 3 concepts to avoid overload.

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Conducting Research

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+Recruiting Respondents: Who?

Look for a diverse but representative demographic group

Use your research to test your own hypothesis

Start with existing customers and gather their demographic information

Start by using a few of the attributes of your target market

If you have multiple target markets, make sure to gather data in a way that keeps these separately

No target market defined Defined target market

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+Recruiting Respondents: How?

Look within your own network to recruit

Obtain referrals

Speak with existing customers

You can hire a firm to recruit or help you develop a sample profile. Some firms include: Dun & Bradstreet Manta FPDS

You can offer incentives to help aid participation numbers

Small Budget Large Budget

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+How Many Respondents Do I Need?

20-30 respon-dents identify 90-

95% of the at-tributes

5 respondents identify <50% of

the attributes

MIT Study, Griffin & Hauser, 1993.

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Enticing Respondents

Use ACTiVATE®/University affiliation: Non-threatening approach Typically associated with ethical

research methods, trustworthiness

Identify a benefit to them: Latest technology from an academic

source You’ll share the findings with them

upon their request Won’t take up a lot of time (only use

this one if it’s true)

Incentivize them: If funds are low, offer each

respondent with the chance to win a prize (could be a free product, cash, gift card, or something from a partner business)

If funds are high, or your sample set is highly targeted, you may need to pay each interviewee for their time

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+Effective Interviewing

Be friendly, but have no vested interest in outcome

Record after getting informed consent

Probe and clarify

Listen more than you talk

Strive for a supportive, but non-biased conversation

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+Probing and Clarifying

What else?

When you said ________, what did you mean by that?

Can you elaborate on that?

(When respondents expressly state like/dislike) What do you like/dislike about that?

How could it be better?

Anything else?

When you said, ________, did you mean _________?

You sound ________ about that. Can you tell me more?

(Without expressed like/dislike) What do you like/dislike about that?

Even thought the product is great, how could it be better?

DO ASK DON’T ASK

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+Expecting the Unexpected

Recruitment/sample set

Scheduling

Weather

Tech difficulties

Respondent problems: Doesn’t qualify Confused by questions Language barrier Refusal to provide

demographic information Refusal to provide other

information Quits midway through

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Analyzing Results

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+During and After the Interview

Record the interview if possible

Write notes during or within 24 hours of the interview

Organize responses in similar format to facilitate comparison

Send notes to respondent for clarification and confirmation when necessary and appropriate

Send thank you notes for one-on-one interviews

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+Analyzing Your Results

With qualitative research, you should look for common themes amongst multiple participants.

In the case of a consumer profile, divergent data could mean different things: In one case, if half your consumers are college students and the

other half are parents, it indicates you likely have two target audiences.

In another case, if you find half your consumers don’t use sunscreen in the summer, it’s likely not a relevant attribute of your target market.

Be wary of picking sound bites just because they support your hypothesis – is there evidence that the opinion is shared by many?

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+Analyzing Your Results

When doing quantitative research, you are going to end up with a lot of data.

Look for instances where the data is “telling a story”.

Just because something is statistically significant doesn’t mean it’s important. For example, you might find that almost 100% of people

use paper. That doesn’t mean you need a chart to show it.

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+Analyzing Your Results

Understand that correlation does not always equal causation.

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+Analyzing Results (Example)

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Outcomes

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Outcomes

All of your hypotheses were confirmed – full steam ahead!

Your respondents didn’t see a need for your product.

You may have misidentified your target market. Who does need it?

No audience? No sales. Pivot away.

Respondents favored a competitor’s product heavily.

What can you change to become more attractive than your competitor?

Everyone liked the product – but they don’t want to pay for it!

Can you add additional features or benefits to change this?

Do you need to re-examine your revenue model?

Your product was a hit – but the packaging or messaging was a miss.

Realign your brand.

You may face a variety of circumstances after your research has been conducted and analyzed.

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QUESTIONS?