This week our blog takes a look at the importance of introvert personalities in Market Research. Thanks to Susan Cain’s book – ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’, we came to realise that this topic has real relevance to our industry.

Market Research, as a career choice, tends to attract individuals who possess a more introverted personality. This obviously does not mean to say that extroverts don’t have a place within the industry, but for tasks such as data analysis or scriptwriting, which usually require independent work, the introverted individual tends to fair better.

It is the extroverts however, who we tend to use for our samples in Market Research studies. When it comes to answering questions, sharing ideas or discussing opinions with a group, the extroverted personality is more likely to involve itself.

Essentially what we’ve noticed is a trend towards introverts researching extroverts.

What’s the problem?

We like opinions. Love them in fact. Hearing what the consumer thinks about a certain brand or new product is what we (the Market Researchers) are here for. What’s important for us as an industry is to make sure that we’re collecting the best and most useful information from these consumers. To do this, we must make sure that all voices are being heard, not just the loudest ones.

So how do we encourage the quieter voices/personalities to join our conversation?

It’s clear that face-to-face interview techniques or a focus group environment may struggle to get the most out of the introverted character. Let’s take focus groups for example. What can often happen in this situation, as in any group environment, is that the louder, more dominant figures tend to lead the conversation and subsequently influence the behaviour of the other members (usually unintentionally we should add).

What we need to offer is a comfortable setting for all personalities, where individuals can share opinions without the threat of “louder” characters dominating the conversation. We’ve all experienced first hand through the huge rise of the likes of Twitter and Facebook that online social forums appeal to many individuals,particularly the introverts, as a place to share thoughts and ideas in a way which is often limited in public forums. The online focus group method is a prime example of an effective way to encourage introverted personalities to share information more openly. This is a quieter, more independent platform which has greater appeal to the ‘thinkers’ among us.

What is also useful about online techniques is their ability to generate discussion from not only introverts, but extroverts as well. we all know how difficult it can be to convey tone through the medium of text. This challenge essentially levels the playing field in an online Research environment  There is no reason why those who prefer working in larger groups and leading conversations won’t respond just as well in the online environment.  Remember, what we’re seeking a balance between the two and online focus groups are one of the best available solutions to this problem.

Why can’t we just rely on the extroverts?

Susan Cain, author of ‘Quiet’, states “there is no correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas”. To get the most out of people, we must allow them to develop and process information in an environment suitable to them.

It is often the case, Cain argues, that the most creative and innovative ideas come from introverted personalities (Charles Darwin and Mark Zuckerberg being prime examples). Working alone certainly isn’t a negative thing.  Solitude is a crucial ingredient to creativity and many of us will produce our best work in more independent environments. It is becoming clear that we must back away from this culture of considering extroversion to be the most desirable character trait in others and in ourselves.

Considering your sample

In Research, we mainly use demographic and geographic information to select our target samples. Given what we now know about introversion/extroversion is it time we put greater focus on behavioural and personality factors? Should we consider introversion/extroversion to be just as important as age or gender?

Let’s start thinking about the ways we can achieve this. Which techniques will provide the most useful data from both character types? How can we find a balance between the two? What information are we failing to gather from the introverts?

Here at Face Facts, we use mixed more research in a bid to tackle the challenges of introvert alienation; a combination of online and offline techniques. When using this approach, we offer a variety of methods to suit different needs. Our mixed mode projects invikve every kind of methodology and offers a great opportunity to explore merging methods. There are certainly plenty of options available to Researchers and we  know that the industry can offer myriad solutions to this challenge.

This topic is something we don’t hear enough about in Market Research so maybe it’s time to take action and speak up for the introverts!

Are you in Market Research? Do you see yourself as a more in introverted or extroverted person? Let us know your thoughts on the matter…

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The post Speak up for the Introverts! | Why We Shouldn’t Ignore the Quieter Voices appeared first on Face Facts.

It’s hard to be a Big Data skeptic – an out and out one anyway.

It clearly has great potential and is at the very least, fascinating. Data is certainly going to open up some fantastic possibilities, and has great potential; I merely suggest that we curb our enthusiasm. Sure let’s keep experimenting (wildly even), but let’s temper that with a bit of realism. Why? Well, certain questions have always bugged when it comes to Big Data: “Where is the human element in here?”, “Just because ‘why?’ seems a harder question than ever, should we ignore it?” and most importantly…

…“Who actually needs Big Data?”

With those doubts in tow, my initial reaction to an article about personal data improving our lives was a sceptical one. If data pioneers like Peter Laflin (Bloom Agency) and commentators like Tom Anderson (Odin Text) agree that not all company’s need Big Data – I wondered, who really needs personal data?

However, an article by Crawford Hollingworth (co-founder of The Behavioural Architects) quickly allayed some of this suspicion, and left me feeling rather excited for what he calls the ‘me-centric’ future.

Hollingworth’s belief is that personal data will help us challenge some of the default decisions we make in our life. He suggests that it’ll help mitigate the effects of ‘status quo bias’, which sees us make default decisions over better ones.

There arose my (default) question – “Do we all need personal data? What would we use it for?” and then more specifically “how easy will it be to make sense of our own data?”

So how might personal data work?

Hollingworth answers amply. His examples of personal data in action are fascinating, largely because they actually include our data in interaction with others’. The example that captured my imagination provided tools that might help you and I improve our financial decision making. And importantly it’d do that by helping us compare our own choices, and the costs involved, against others in our demographic. It’s exciting because Hollingworth demonstrates how data can help us understand and modify our behaviour offline – after all, we might make a lot of decisions online, but they often affect us offline.

Take midata, a service which the UK government are developing. Using it I could track all of my financial incomings and outgoings. I could then compare all of that data against averages from my age group, those in my area, with a similar sized flat, income, family size, all sorts. As Hollingworth notes, with this comparison I find myself empowered to make better decisions rather than accepting defaults. Or at least, it may confirm that I have been making the right decision already (not likely).

Comparison sites already enable us, in limited fashion, to enter our default choice and to then discover sensible alternatives, personal data could help us take this to the next level. I used a comparison service recently, but found myself puzzled when I had nothing to compare my expenditure with. I could see cheaper prices, but they were based on my existing expenditure, which I suspected was inflamed by an estimated bill. My question to the salesman was:

“Do you have statistics that suggest what my expenditure should be? Anything based on averages of people my age and people in my grade of accommodation and marital status?”

My question went unanswered. With personal data, that may be a thing of the past.

For personal data to be truly useful a lot will rely of the quality and usability of the service. Some of us may be data lovers already, able to surf easily through mountains of stats, but if you’re like me you’ll want things kept as simple as possible. In theory at least midata, and services like it, are going to provide us with a fascinating opportunity to make better decisions. But I think it’s too soon to say;  the proof shall most definitely be in the data pudding.

So, what would you like to see from these kinds of services? What aspects of your life would you like data on? And what do you think are the limits for data to improve our lives?

We are humans, not statistics after all.

The post Personal Data | How Will You Use Yours? appeared first on Face Facts.

In summary, the year long study compared the results of national polls to the tone of tweets in response to eight major political news events. What would you expect the results to be?

Well, as it turned out, data demonstrated that generally twitter feeling was far more negative. And, while 57% of those who tweeted news were Democrats, opinion swung either way between conservative and liberal depending on the issue.

So where does this non-partisan negativity come from?

Pew suggested a few reasons for their findings:

Those who receive news – and particularly those who tweet or re-tweet news – are very different demographically from the general public.

• Only 13% of US adults are on Twitter
• Only 3% (re)tweet news
• 50% of users are younger than 30 (compared to 23% of the general public)
• 57% who posted news were Democrats (compared to 46% of general public)

But why should that equal negativity? And how does that negativity not fall directly in line with Twitters’ liberal leaning?

One interesting thought emerged from Lawyer, Cass Sunstein. In a piece for the Yale Law Journal, he demonstrated the simple fact that when we discuss issues amongst groups of people we agree with, we self confirm.  And most importantly, we increase our leaning towards strong and often negative points of view.

“Human’s are hardwired for negativity, put us together, what do you expect?”

Interestingly enough, a study recently demonstrated that on Twitter people predominantly follow people, and groups, that they agree with.

(Celebrities may be the exception –  I simply do not accept that 3,318,647 people agree with, or even like Piers Morgan. Someone agree with me…)
With the ability to ensure we receive news from only those channels agree with; or tweet based on news we’ve heard from friends or read in papers  (all of whom we chose to read or listen to) is it any wonder negativity abounds?

Is Twitter just a Negative Place?

Not always – but when it is there seem to be a few clear reasons why:

1. Just as your access to varied points of view is unparalleled, so is your ability to shut yourself off to them.
2. Issues are bigger than 140 characters afford us. Brevity can be fantastic, but it also unfortunately necessitates reductionism.

Twitter is an interesting and frustrating paradox. On one hand, it allows access to a myriad of differing views which can engender positive discussion, supporting social change of the sort seen in the Arab Spring. But on the other hand, it’s unfortunate that we are also able to tightly restrict what we want to hear; and it’s brevity means that the meaty issues are often whittled down and reduced to quips and point scoring.

The fact is… tweets are often total throwaways.

If humans’ are already hardwired for negativity, Twitter makes it easier than ever to flippantly pick fault.

Think back to the Invisible Children campaign in 2012 and you’ll see an honest, stark reflection of Twitter’s capacity to actually be rather shallow; firstly demonstrating positivity, then quickly reverting to the negative.

Having watched a well produced, tug-on-the heart strings video that sold the plight of children forced into soldiery by African Warlord, Kony, hundreds of thousands of us re-tweeted, shared, and supported.

Then, within days, pundits began to poke gaping holes in the organisation’s pop-understanding of International Relations. With our eyes & ears full of this, plenty of us (me included) made a rather rapid backtrack, having hours before yelled ‘Down with Kony’ from the digital rooftops.

What does all this mean?

Well, there is room for some fascinating behavioral research!

The scope for qualitative studies into our attitude and persona’s on Twitter is staggering, and quite frankly exciting.

How does the structure of these social organisms effect the way we communicate? All current research certainly indicates it does effect us – but how?

Psychologists like Deutsch’s Douglas Van Praet, point out that most of our real decisions are made unconsciously; so how much can we take from an environment in which we are so innately self aware? A place where we can build whatever picture of ourselves we like?

Or here’s a thought – considering how much of our lives we now spend online – is this persona, in fact, reality?

The post Tweeps | Why So Negative? appeared first on Face Facts.

Everything about this event screamed “sure thing” to me. From its branding and line-up of speakers, to its extensive marketing and promotion, it did everything right and I expected to find myself on an industry panel in front of a bustling audience. The trouble is, that just didn’t happen.

So what went wrong?

You could blame a thousand little things for this unfortunate occurrence and I heard many of them mentioned on the day – I even said a few myself. Sure it could have been the venue, or the date, or even the time, but with hindsight in my favour I’ve come to an entirely different conclusion…

We all know how difficult it is to be a recent graduate; quite frankly it’s difficult no matter how long you’ve been in the world of work. At a time like this it’s never been more important to do everything you can to raise yourself above the competition. Attending student conferences like UGRE is one clear way of doing that, along with heading to recruitment fairs, networking events, open days and doing internships/work experience programmes like the Face Facts Grad School.

The lazy student myth

You could blame student apathy for the poor turn out and in some cases you would be right but, having been to several other very well attended student events over the last 4 years, I don’t believe this to be the case. Of course there will always be those students who would rather drink than study and who don’t see 6am for 3 years solid unless it’s when they’re walking home from a club! That is an undeniable part of the student experience, and for some it is the only experience. However many of the students I meet are deeply concerned about their future and they’re incredibly proactive in doing everything they can to succeed in these challenging times.

So why are conscientious and intelligent students attending other events but not UGRE? My fear is that Research, be it academic, commercial, scientific or social, hasn’t done enough to captivate and inspire their generation. Professions in industries like Marketing, Finance and Retail are highly visible to young people today. However, Research by its very nature, is no extrovert; it does not shout loudly or call attention to itself. The discoveries that today’s Researchers are responsible for, are largely used by other industries to create change.

Research users are, for all intents and purposes, actors on a stage, performing for an audience teeming with young people. This places Researchers resolutely in the role of stage-hand; the ones quietly operating behind the scenes, working hard to make the actors look good.

The introverted nature of Research

This is certainly not an article designed to tear down the role of the ‘actors’, far from it in fact, we have much to learn from them. However the actor/stage-hand analogy does highlight just how little of our world the average young person gets to see at a time when they’re discovering who they want to be and what career they might like to undertake.

It’s no wonder that UGRE didn’t have as many attendees as other student events when you realise that their generation (my generation, in fact) are making decisions about the role, value and status of Research based upon a shallow understanding of the industry. Most have no idea about the many depths and facets of Research and we have to take responsibility for that ignorance.

Promoting careers in Research

It’s clear that now more than ever, we have a duty to communicate the many fulfilling careers available in the Research sphere. We set up The Face Facts Grad School to tackle this problem head on and there are programmes like it emerging in all areas of the industry. It’s a great start but to make a real difference we need more people to adopt an ‘industry responsibility policy’, which seeks to sustain this vital sector.

So no matter what kind of Research you do, the time has come to step out from the wings and into the spotlight.

Are you working to change attitudes to careers in Research? How would you suggest the industry initiate change?

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The post Careers in Research | The forgotten option? appeared first on Face Facts.

Here’s what he had to say…

Oh no, not Market Research!

Market Research is an odd industry, isn’t it?

You don’t hear many kids say “I want to be a Market Researcher when I’m older”. There’s something which just hasn’t been very appealing about it to young people throughout the last however many years..

It seems that many of the people we work with here kind of ‘fell’ into Research. It’s an area which many end up in after training or studying in another field, often something totally unrelated to MR.

Why is this? Why don’t more of us want to enter Market Research from a young age? What more can the industry do?

It has become clear to me that Research is very misunderstood. It receives an unfair and incorrect perception from many people (through no fault of their own). Go and ask a student (which we have) what they associate with Market Research and they’re going to say either “old ladies with clipboards” or “irritating telesales”. Obviously, this doesn’t do the industry justice and we need to put this right.

You don’t know what you’re missing

Like many outsiders, my view of MR wasn’t particularly positive before joining Face Facts. I wrote in a previous blog how I had half-expected to find a group a nerdy blokes scrolling through endless spreadsheets and debating which colours to use on their next pie chart. The industry just didn’t seem very… exciting.

I soon came to realise this was extremely inaccurate.

There are loads of wonderfully innovative and creative aspects to Research. The problem is that most of us outsiders just don’t know about them. Whilst at Uni, studying Market Research as a one term module, I had no idea about the likes of eye-tracking and neuromarketing. These methodologies would have fascinated me and most likely, fascinated many of my fellow Marketing students. We focused heavily on the more ‘traditional’ methods like questionnaires and focus groups and spent very little time discussing the developing technological and psychological areas the industry is now exploring and implemented. Questionnaires and focus groups are certainly important (and can be very interesting too) but these should be included as just two options within of a much larger Research toolkit.

I certainly didn’t hear enough about the online features used in Research during my studies. Recently, here at Face Facts, we discussed the benefits of online focus groups and the important role they have to play in reaching wider samples. The digital world continues to be a hot topic in just about every industry and we know that many people (especially the younger generations) take a keen interest in this subject. I’m convinced that there are plenty of young people out there who would love to work with online technologies in a Research environment. The trouble is many of them just aren’t aware of the options. (That’s why it’s so heartening to see initiatives like the Face Face Grad School beginning to take root.)

Let’s look ahead

Some of the future trends I’ve touched upon (neuromarketing and advancement in digital technology) demonstrate how Research is much more exciting that it is often perceived to be.

During my brief time working for a Research company, I’ve completely changed my view on what the industry has to offer. The work that is done here is far more interesting than I had initially expected and I enjoy hearing about the latest projects the team are working on. It’s a shame that I wasn’t of this viewpoint whilst being taught the subject two years ago.

One of my main tasks throughout the last three months has been blog writing. I love doing this, particularly if it involves looking into a new area or discovering an idea I’ve never come across before. This allowed me to explore future trends of the Market Research industry and gave me a glimpse into what the future might hold.

Big Data, social media, advanced technology… how can we not be excited by all of this? I hope that these expanding areas will engage new generations and help them discover the real Market Research world and everything it can offer. There’s certainly a lot more than meets the eye and it would be nice to see Market Research receive the interest it deserves.

Do you think Market Research is viewed unfairly? What do you think should be done about it?

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The post Fresh Perspective | A look at the Market Research industry appeared first on Face Facts.

This week our intern, James, compares his experiences of working within a Design agency to life here at Face Facts. By comparing the two agencies, he discusses similarities, differences, expectations and misconceptions about the two environments.

Day to Day

Let’s start with daily activities. What will you spend most of your time doing?

One thing is for sure, you will always have something to do. This is true for both agencies in my experience. At the Design firm, I spent most of my days researching clients and products, monitoring trends and looking for new creative ideas. To do this, I would have to scroll through lists of company information, compare hundreds of product descriptions and present findings through PowerPoint presentations (these occasionally refused to cooperate with me). Between these tasks I would be asked to join staff meetings where we would discuss the latest projects and share opinions about our latest work (and have a chat about our weekend plans).

At Face Facts Research, I can usually be found battling with WordPress software, trying to assure that my latest blog uploads in the way it is supposed to. So far, I’m winning the battle but it still puts up a fight from time to time (I write this knowing that this content will be transferred to WordPress within the next couple of hours).

When working in a Specialist Fieldwork agency, there’s one thing that you are sure to encounter… spreadsheets. There is just no avoiding the wonderful world of Excel (wonderful may not be the most appropriate description). Much of the work here involves this programme, so it’s definitely a bonus to have a good understanding of how it works.

The Latest Project

A new project has come in, how will you approach this?

During my brief time in a Design Agency, starting a new project was quite an exciting experience.

The client would turn up, sit down with the team and discuss a project brief. This was usually followed by “sure, we can do that” and “yes, of we’ll make your website/brochure/display look fantastic”.

The client nearly always had an idea of what he or she expected, but allowed the creatives to decide on the majority of the design work.

Creating or representing a company’s brand is a big responsibility. It requires Marketing teams to put their all into each piece of work. A task I found very exciting, though quite daunting.

In the Research world, when a client asks us to handle a project for them, we know exactly what is expected of us. We know whichsample to use, how to gather respondents and the best ways to collect their data. We have the tools ready and prepared for immediate use. There’s very little ‘umming and arring’ about the required approach, a benefit to any busy workplace. It’s a nice environment to be in when the process runs so smoothly.

Each team member immediately has a good idea of which aspect of the project they’ll be working on. Scripters will produce the survey, interviewers will communicate with respondents and so on.

The goal is always to collect the relevant data, measure and deliver the results back to the client, possibly with some analysis thrown in there too. The objectives of the Research are clear and both parties know what information is expected (although there always some surprises in the responses!).

What am I Working on?

When a new project came in to the Design agency, the team would sit down together and have a long discussion about the task ahead.

Who’s going to design the first draft? Who’s going to write the content? Who’ll be piecing it all together? Lots of decisions had to be made.

The duties of the team were fairly interchangeable and one area of work could likely be handled by a number of people. This differs slightly for the Research agency where staff capabilities are more defined.

Research agencies build teams of specialists in various fields, be it CATI, face to face work or scripting. Everyone’s role is clear and the staff has a good understanding of each other’s capabilities.

Dividing the workload of a project is a fairly simple task. You know who should work on what and you don’t need to spend too much time discussing a range ideas and opinions about each activity, although team meetings were always useful.

The Final Production

The final stages of a project took a little longer in the Design agency than it did for the Research side. When we (the Marketing team) were happy with our creation (website/brochure etc.) there was still one more hurdle to go…the client.

The client could quite easily look at the ‘final’ copy and decide that he/she didn’t like it (although this never happened during my experience there). If you’ve experienced this, you’ll be aware of how frustrating this can be, particularly if you thought you’d done a great job.

The end product from a Design team is far more subjective than Quant Research if it doesn’t meet client satisfaction, alterations will need to made. This often makes the final stages of a project rather stressful (leaving less time to relax and drink tea).

In Research, if the client wants 1000 online surveys sent to their customers, this is what the Research team will produce. If Quantitative information needs to be collected from a focus group, then that’s what will be delivered. What the client asks for, the client gets, with no uncertainty or nasty surprises.

With Quant work, it’s all about the data. Research agencies know that services should do exactly ‘what it says on the tin’. However, there are many creative ideas and solutions available through Quant work (Face Facts can offer plenty!) but usually not to the same extent as those offered through Design projects.

Unfortunately creative freedom is often sacrificed for structure and reliability (although it is easier to schedule in a tea break). A key difference between the two agency experiences.

Don’t Judge a Book…

Desk-pounding, overly-opinionated, loud-mouthed ‘idea men’ and know-it-all ‘artsy fartsy’ designers. These characters, I had assumed were to be found in all Design agencies (some of you may have certain individuals in mind).

It turned out that my colleagues were far from these descriptions. There wasn’t a struggle to be heard, ideas weren’t criticised and desk-pounding was kept to a controlled minimum. The environment was calm and the team felt comfortable putting suggestions forward for how to provide the best service to the client. I blame television for my initial misconceptions.

Before joining Face Facts, my perception of the Research world was very different to what it is in reality.

To be honest, I expected offices of nerdy blokes scrolling though never-ending Excel spreadsheets and days filled with looking at pages of graphs and tables of percentage figures. ‘Creativity’ certainly wasn’t a word I associated with Market Research.

In reality, tools and methods used by the agency for communicating with clients, discovering new information and gaining thorough insight are certainly not stuffy and boring, far from it. I was surprised with what the industry had to offer and I continue to find interesting aspects of Research that I had been previously unaware of. Research certainly proved itself to be a lot more than numbers and spreadsheets.

It’s also worth mentioning that the staff here in the office definitely does not consist of nerdy blokes (they are actually very few ‘blokes’ here at Face Facts Towers anyway) and the team are certainly not boring. A dull agency wouldn’t have a sausage dog as part of the staff (although Selsig’s work ethic has raised a few eyebrows – he’s more of a work little, play lots kinda guy).

The post Agency Life | An Intern’s Perspective appeared first on Face Facts.

It’s election day!

If you’re an MRS member in whatever form, you’ll have just received your voting form for the MRS council election. In fact, you’ve probably already voted – and of course you voted for me… you must have! Ok maybe it’s not such a sure thing, the other 7 candidates (vying for four spaces on the Council) are all great and I’m proud to be running alongside them.

Those of you who know me will know that I’m very passionate about Research; in fact you’ll know I’m a passionate person in general. And passion being what it is, often leads to bold action. I already started a Quantitative Fieldwork agency (this one) in a Recession; and hopefully you’ll have been involved in The Research Mafia at some point, whether at one of our events/conferences or via our ever growing LinkedIn group.

But if you don’t already know me: why vote Alison?

Well, I love this industry. I’ve been part of it for 12 years since starting my own company while at Uni; and for the last few years I’ve decided to stand up and be counted. Wherever I can I’ve been pushing collaboration, and championing the industry. So with the MRS Council it’s great to have the chance to take it all one step further.

This industry has been all about innovation for the last god knows how long. That’s all well and good – we have to move forward as an industry – but how should we do that and who should lead? Well, leaders will always rise to the surface, but I believe it is the duty of the MRS to ensure that we can all of us drive this change. The most meaningful change in any culture, any organisation comes from the bottom up as well as the top down – what does that mean? That means the MRS needs to look at how accessible it is to not just its members, but the industry it represents.

It’s not about revolution; this is much more about developing the MRS as a representative and meaningful organisation.

What else? Once we’ve started building a better industry – one built on a basis of harmony, with development stemming from figures and organisations of all sizes and statures – it’s time to start championing our new improved Research to those who seek to use us. There’s been a lot of negativity in 2012 outside of the industry (something particularly well embodied by our dear friend @angry_mr_client): articles have been published and captains of industry have questioned Research’s relevance and validity. Isn’t it time we addressed that?

The MRS has the perfect position to champion our industry: as part of my role, I’m keen to make sure we do exactly that – helping not just better the industry from within, but repair our image as seen by potential buyers, and reignite their interest in what can be a truly dynamic and fascinating industry.

I don’t profess to have all of the answers – but I do promise that I have the determination to start along the road of finding them!

Thank you!

The post MRS Council Election | For Your Consideration… Alison White appeared first on Face Facts.

Generation X… Where it all began.

There is plenty of discussion available as to when Gen X officially began and ended, but most dates put it at around the 1960s – 1980s. They are defined as the generation born after the post war baby boom and, most importantly for us, born before the introduction of digital technology. Modern Market Research was in its infancy when this generation were born. However as Generation X has grown so too has Market Research and for that we can (in part at least) thank the rapid growth of digital technology. It was in the 1970s that Apple made their first personal computer and Microsoft developed their first operating system. The technology which so many of us have grown up with, were in their infancy at this time.

Gen X embraced the digital world with gusto and they will always be remembered as the generation that pushed technological development to its limits. Their contributions to technology saw the birth of the mobile phone; which is arguably the most life altering technology of the generation. Although for Research, the full impact of the mobile still remains to be seen, fundamentally it has allowed unparalleled access to consumer which, until now, had been unfathomable.

This is not to discredit the developments in Online Research that have been seen as a result of Generation X; the Internet has fundamentally changed the life of every human being, respondents included. Something which was unheard of by many people 20 years ago has become intrinsic to the life of virtually every man, woman and child on the planet. Whilst the effects of Mobile Research still remain to be seen, the impact of Online Research upon our industry is profound. The ability to have a respondent engage with surveys wherever and whenever it suits them, has revolutionised Research. The deluge of technological innovations in Market Research is due in no small part to Gen X, and we owe them thanks for many of the forms of Research upon which we rely today.

Generation Y… My perspective.

If you, like me, are a member of this ‘millennial’ generation, then you will remember a time before the ‘world wide web’ lived in your home, your car and your pocket – this is one of the main standards by which we are defined as a generation. We are the children who remember the first computer room in our school and the uniquely irritating sound of a dial up tone. We are also the generation that are defined as hardest hit by the recession; with record levels of unemployment taking their toll. Despite this however, recent polls suggest that of all the generations, Generation Y are the most optimistic about the future of the global economy.

In terms of Research, we have played witness to the developments of Online and Mobile Research. As a generation we have seen the birth of the many technologies upon which we now depend. Undoubtedly one of the greatest developments of our era has been the global adoption of Social Media. The first of which to gain real popularity was of course Myspace. Today, for many of us, it would be impossible to imagine a world without our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Linkedin or Google +…the list is of course endless. This, along with the development of analytic tools, has allowed for a more comprehensive knowledge of a consumer than ever before.

Generation Z… Last, but by no means least

Generation Z are the children born in the 2000s and they represent the most technologically savvy generation seen yet. Even though they are in their infancy as a generation, the way in which they currently experience technology will ensure their dominance in the technological markets of the future. There are children as young as one that are so used to iPads that they are unable to turn a magazine page. It is clear that we have seen the birth of a generation so fluent in technological vernacular that IT lessons in school, as we know them, may become obsolete.

For them, a world without mobile phones and the internet would seem incomprehensible, as the ‘digital world’ has become intertwined with the real one. We are even beginning to redefine what is ‘real’ as the eve of augmented reality looms. With new forms of Research relying on the information individuals divulge to the web, a generation of tech-savvy toddlers will likely result in the biggest pool of consumer information ever seen. The future of Research is therefore quite literally in their hands, only time will tell what developments will be brought about by Generation Z. We had better train them wisely.

Do you think children really are the future?  Will the Digital future be bright? Let us know what you think:

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Market Research is certainly no exception to this tech boom. As an industry, we’ve seen the likes of mobile research, social media and big data enter the mix in recent years. Market Research has welcomed these advancements with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity and continues to explore their capabilities.

The Online Invasion

Digital methods are fairly commonplace in today’s Research toolkit. There are now a wide range of online options available to us, including social media analysis, forums/online communities, digital surveys and online focus groups, to name but a few. When we add this list to our existing arsenal of “traditional” methods, it becomes clear that one thing that the industry is not short of, is options.

What’s the Point?

Digital methods have many advantages and, in many cases, have made Research quicker, cheaper and more effective. Let’s explore these benefits are little further.

Faster research
The speed at which online surveys, for example, can be distributed is phenomenal. A click of a button can send thousands of these surveys across the world in seconds. The benefits of this ability should be obvious. I’m sure that you, like us, like to see projects done quickly and efficiently, whilst maintaining their standard  of quality.

Wider reach
One of the greatest advantages of Digital Research is its ability to reach a wider audience in geographical or cultural areas which have been hard to contact through other methods in the past. Online methods, such as social media data collection, work particularly well with groups like the youth/young adult market who are comfortable using technology to express thoughts and opinions. More comfortable than say, through a face to face interview.

Cost-effective
The lack of materials, travel and time required for Digital Research usually keeps cost relatively low. This is particularly beneficial to any company conducting large-scale projects involving big samples and high levels of data analysis.

Simple communication
Emails, texts, forums, Skype messages… the list goes on. Contacting respondents has never been easier. The number of ways to communicate with others has increased significantly, making it simpler for us to deliver our messages and improve engagement. Obtaining follow-up messages or tasks from respondents has been made a whole lot easier too.

Eyes on the Trends

Monitoring trends and looking to the future of digital technology helps us, the MR industry, to prepare for the next “big thing” and be aware of potential changes heading our way. Keeping an eye on online trends is essential for Market Research as it can greatly influence the way we approach our work.

In late 2012, Adobe teamed up with Econsultancy to discover challenges and opportunities facing organisations in 2013, as predicted by over 700 digital professionals. Their findings can be found here.

Highlighted within their key findings (and presented beautifully as an infographic) ‘Social Media Engagement’ and ‘Mobile Optimisation’ were deemed to be “top priorities for Marketers in 2013”. Insights like this can have significant value for Researchers and we must look carefully at the impact these could have on our industry.

Take social media engagement as an example. With experts suggesting that Marketers will be looking to improve content delivered via the likes of Facebook and Twitter, we should be thinking “what does that mean for us?”. More brand presence on these sites – more customer engagement – more opinions (re the brands) shared amongst online users – more opportunities to gather customer satisfaction information? – more research!.

Waiting by the Phone

It may be interesting to hear that 2013 will be “the year of the mobile” with 43% of Marketers stating that mobile optimisation is one of the three most exciting digital marketing opportunities of the year. How useful is that information to the Research industry? Well, we must also take note of the fact that 56% of the same sample say that they still need to understand how users Research and purchase products via mobiles. Hurray! Lots of interesting Research projects heading our way, right?

Are We Prepared?

So, we know what may be coming and we know what tools we have available. The question is, how do we go about it? With all this digital technology at our disposal, it can be tricky to choose the right approach. There are many factors to consider before taking action. How confident are you that digital tech will achieve the best results? How do your customers and clients feel about online methods? Can “traditional” methods offer a better solution? Are the interviewers you use confident with operating tablets, smartphones and other digital devices slowly making their way into even the most traditional methodologies?

Digital Research methods offer fantastic new options but we must remember that they are not designed to replace “traditional” methods. They are additions to our toolkit, new approaches to consider and more techniques to explore. We must welcome them into our world and investigate their capabilities as much as possible. The future of Market Research surely involves the coexistence of the two approaches, right?

One thing is certain, digital evolution will continue to add an exciting new dimension to Research as we know it and we should be looking forward to seeing the impact it will have.

Are you using online methods to conduct your Research? Let us know your thoughts about their impact on the industry.

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It really was a happy coincidence that when we came to the letter ‘V’ in our A-Z series, that we were reminded of the topic of ‘Data Visualisation’ by Research Live, from their recent article by Brian Tarrin on Award Winning Design. The title is fairly self explanatory, as it literally means the ‘visual representation of data’, and originated primarily in the form of maps and graphs; so it’s hardly a new concept. Since the 1800′s Data Visualisation has been evolving and in the 2000′s, it began to take on the form that we see it in today The shift in style and format occurred as the internet emerged as a new medium for it to be displayed on and distributed through. Today it has become an integral part of Research as it offers a format in which data can be presented which is both visually entertaining and informative.

What’s the big deal?

Data Visualisation has changed the way Research is presented, as over the last decade people have become more and more interested in data, and subsequently a ‘user friendly’ format was necessary. In an article on Data Visualisation for ‘Smashing Magazine’ Friedman argued that the “main goal of data visualisation is to communicate information clearly and effectively through graphical means”. This undoubtedly has been achieved most noteably in the use of Infographics, which have taken the industry by storm in recent years. Last year Ray Poynter, from Vision Critical wrote a guest blog for us arguing that Infographics were the biggest thing to happen to the Market Research Industry in 2012.

It’s certainly fair to say that they have changed the way we both, present, and interpret data, however, as with anything they do come with their disadvantages. Primarily that the design aspect often means that data is difficult to interpret. As Freidman highlights “designers often fail to achieve a balance between form and function, creating gorgeous data visualisations which fail […] to communicate information”. Which ultimately undermines their purpose in the first place; a problem which is widely associated with Infographics across the industry.

Making data cool

Fundamentally however, Data Visualisations have done wonders for the industry as they have made data ‘cool’. This is not to say that it doesn’t have any value in its raw form, however Data Visualisations take mathematical data and transform it into a more attractive and marketable product. In terms of Social Media, Data Visualisations have allowed ground breaking change, as they can be accessed in a format that can be easily distributed. One site – ‘visual.ly’, demonstrates this particularly well. They offer a service similar to Pinterest, where people post their Infographics in a variety of categories, and others can like or share those which they like the most. On their site visual.ly highlight the main benefits of Data Visualisations as a format which ‘tell your story, drive traffic and amplify Social Media presence’ and therein they reveal just what it is that have made Infographics so popular both within the industry, and the consumer.

In a world in which the internet dominates, and people want information at their fingertips, Data Visualisations are the perfect medium to reach a large audience. They are far easier to distribute through Social Media than raw data and also far easier to understand. This success in effectively communicating data, is ultimately what ensures that Data Visualisations are here to stay and we predict that they will remain a big part of Market Research for many years to come.

Do you use Data Visualisations in your company? Do you think they’re part of the future of Market Research? Get in touch and join the conversation here:

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