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Research findings must focus on how they impact your objectives , they must be solution oriented, and they must be actionable. They must tell you what action you need to take to meet your objectives. Therefore, we often work backwards from the decisions that need to be made in designing research methodologies. Below are issues we address:What are the questions that need to be asked? What is the appropriate way to ask them so that we get answers that are meaningful? What is the best source to get the answers? What are the best research methodologies to give us actionable information? What are the best methods to analyze the data collected to derive meaning? How do we get from meaning to actionable information? What are the questions that need to be asked?We spend a considerable amount of time with each client discussing what they want to achieve and how they see their business climate. We look for hidden assumptions that need to be tested to insure the answers we provide will help our client make better decisions. Before we design a survey, we sometimes conduct some form of qualitative research, such as in person interviews or focus groups, with existing or potential customers/constituents to be sure our client’s perceptions of issues are in sync with their market/constituency. What is the appropriate way to ask them so that we get answers that are meaningful?The way questions are phrased can greatly influence the kinds of responses we get. In one study, performed by the Institute of Survey Research at the University of Michigan, researchers found a 15% difference in how people responded to a question simply based on changing the word “prohibited” to “banned” in an item. We must even consider whether respondents are likely to know the answers. Based on our own experience, we know that people will often answer questions even when they no little or nothing about the topic. We have over twenty-five years of experience designing questions that will provide useful, unbiased answers. We also pretest questionnaires to be sure that they are easily understood by respondents. What is the best source to get the answers?Sometimes getting useful answers requires that we look at existing records, sometimes that we talk to people, and sometimes that we observe peoples' behavior. We are innovative and creative in looking at alternatives. On one project we videotaped license plates of vehicles exiting mall parking lots to identify a large group of mall patrons and their method of access. On another project, we brought our expertise to the analysis of “slamming” records to show the Texas Public Utility commission that a long distance carrier’s performance in minimizing “slamming” incidents was exemplary and not poor, as originally perceived. What are the best research methodologies to give us actionable information?We match what our client needs to know with the best way to obtain the information. We either use qualitative methods, such as executive interviews, or quantitative methods, such as surveys, or a combination of these. What are the best methods to analyze the data collected to derive meaning?The point of data analysis is to discover patterns in the data that provide the answers we need. Often the simplest statistical tools are best able to do this. On other occasions more sophisticated methods are required. Our philosophy is to use the simplest method that will give the answers we need. The reason for this is that the tools are often more intuitive for the client. We have found that the easier the method is for the client to understand the more likely it is that the results will be used effectively. Having said that we do use a variety of data analytic methods including simple cross tabs, univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling and conjoint analysis. How do we get from meaning to actionable information?For research to be of any value, it must give us the insight to make good decisions. We might find meaning but not know how to use it to take productive action. Almost twenty years of experience across many industries has given us the insight to help our clients take the final step from understanding information we give them to understanding what actions will move them toward their objectives.
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