Latest Articles
Hey there…have you heard of me?
In consumer and B2B market research circles we are often asked to assess market awareness and/or familiarity with brands, products and spokespeople or causes. These two related, but separate constructs, represent the first steps on the pathway from prospect to customer. Awareness should be measured in two ways – unaided and aided. Unaided awareness is […]
Census Regions – What it means for Hispanic Sample
Census regions are probably the last thing you think about when procuring Hispanic sample. Language, acculturation, and country of origin are likely at the top of your list. However, census regions are linked to all of the above. The Hispanic population distribution in the U.S. is considerably different than the rest of the population. For […]
Sampling and Other Considerations for Mobile Research
In a prior post I highlighted an interesting statistic – for any given project market researchers can now expect up to 40% response on smartphones. This percentage will continue to increase. The question then becomes one of what do we know about mobile responders and can this be applied to our sampling plans? First and […]
Three keys for designing effective mobile surveys
At the recent MRA Corporate Researchers Conference the training organization Research Rockstar presented a course on designing device agnostic surveys. The trend is clear that more and more surveys are being taken on smartphones and tablets. Desktop computers still account for the majority of responses, but for any given project market researchers can now expect […]
Top 2 Box Score – Avoid the Pitfall
Recently when giving my desk a much needed cleaning I came across an article by Jerry Thomas with the firm Decision Analyst. His whitepaper focused on the use of the top two box score as a measure for conveying scores to survey scales. The top box score is the sum of percentages for the top […]
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“How To” Posts
Data Visualization Lesson 2: Think of Grandma
As the old composition adage goes, if it doesn’t make sense to the reader, it’s usually the author’s fault. The same applies to data visualization. Much like written or spoken communication, visuals invite the audience to extrapolate information, draw inferences, and make judgments or decisions. If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, it […]
Ask Me No Leading Questions, and I’ll Tell You No Lies
The most common problem with the draft questionnaires that are sent to me is the use of leading questions. A leading question suggests the answer the survey author is looking for and often unintentionally reflects the author’s bias. As a result, the answers to such questions overstate actual support for the item being researched. Leading […]
How To Create Infographics: Tips & Tools
Not since the invention of online surveys has something sparked the imagination of our industry like Infographics. Sure, we haven’t mastered the art of making them, and we aren’t quite sure how to define them. Yet most of us know a good infographic when we see it (or think we do). I want to take a few […]
Order Bias Is a Larger Source of Error Than You Think
Last week I was writing a questionnaire for a client using their survey software account, and I was chagrined to discover that it lacked the ability to randomize the display of items in a choice list. This is a common capability of all modern survey software applications, including QuestionPro, Survey Analytics, Google Consumer Surveys, and […]
How to Do Proper Strategic Planning With Market Research
Are you looking to improve your business runs on a day-to-day basis? Then it may be time for you to focus on strategic planning with market research. Identifying how and by whom strategic decisions are made, what information is used to inform those decisions, and how to better use the data you have on your […]
Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Blog
After you’ve been blogging for a few months, it’s a good idea to take a step back, examine what’s worked, and refine your blogging strategy. Especially if you have only recently begun blogging, it’s important to frequently review your strategy and successes, to make sure that you are progressing toward your goals. This can be […]
5 Smart Ways to Use Polling
Editor’s Note: As a follow-up to our recent interview with QuestionPro President Erik Koto about that company’s acquisition of PollBob, I asked QuestionPro Marketing Director Elizabeth Larned to share her recent post announcing QuestionPro’s new polling product and including an excellent list of 5 use cases for web polling. If you’ve logged into your QuestionPro […]
How to Plus or Minus: Understand and Calculate the Margin of Error
Sometimes in the day-to-day work of conducting and interpreting market research, it’s easy to forget that many people who work with surveys on a daily basis have not had formal training in statistics. Even for those who have been trained, it can be useful to have a refresher from time to time. UNDERSTANDING MARGIN OF […]
Think Beyond iPad for Tablet Surveys
Researchers, when you read about companies equipping their employees with iPads, I know you’re dreaming about beautiful, feature-rich, touch-based surveys for the B2B market. In fact, this type of tablet-based survey is already being done today by the likes of SurveyPocket and others. You need to start thinking beyond just the iPad, though. The corporate […]
How to Ensure a Great Customer Experience: Keep it Simple
In my previous post, I sang the praises of OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation service that I believe has helped both diner and restaurant by establishing such an easily managed relationship between the two. I’m still praising OpenTable, but this time around, I’d also like to offer the company a gentle admonition: Stick to what […]
How to Present Research Data in a Way that Inspires Action
It’s one thing to collect data and feedback – but quite another to analyze and present the data in a way that is clear and inspires action. The Power Presentation Outline Here’s a presentation outline that you can use the next time you have to put together a killer presentation using research data.
