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.
4. +
Primary vs. Secondary Research
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Research specifically designed
and conducted for your project
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Research done by a third
party, analyzed and applied to
your project
Examples:
Examples:
Surveys
Customer Interviews
Articles
Stakeholder Interviews
Competitor information
Observation
Scientific research
Usability testing
Anything from a reliable
source outside of your team
that applies to your project
5. +
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.
6. +
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Research
Denotes quality of responses
Denotes quantity of responses
Number of respondents is
secondary to the quality of
individual responses
Quality of individual responses
is secondary to the number of
respondents
No set minimum for number of
participants
Typically not considered reliable
data unless sample size is
greater than 30
Almost always primary research
Could be primary or secondary
research
8. +
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!
9. +
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
10. +
One-on-one Interview
Focus Group
Survey (qualitative or quantitative)
Passive Observation
Selecting a Format
Experimentation
Make sure you choose the best format
for achieving your objectives.
A/B Testing
Open Forums
Usability Testing
11. +
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.
12. +
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.
13. 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.
14. +
Types of Questions
Validate Assumptions
Gather Information
Start your research with this –
once your existing assumptions
are validated, you can gather
additional information.
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.
Validate that there is a need your
product or service can solve.
You can also gather information
about the sales and marketability of
the product or service.
Example:
Questions about what you
assume the unmet need to be
Demographic questions to
pinpoint the audience for that
unmet need
Examples:
Is an unmet need now being
served? How?
How much are consumers willing to
spend?
Understand motivations and
behaviors
15. +
Types of Questions: Concept
Testing
You may present a concept or potential product in a variety of
ways:
Read over the phone
Shown in person
Emailed or shipped ahead of time
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.
17. +
Recruiting Respondents: Who?
No target market defined
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
Look for a diverse but
representative demographic
group
Defined target market
If you have multiple target
markets, make sure to gather
data in a way that keeps these
separately
18. +
Recruiting Respondents: How?
Small Budget
Look within your own network
to recruit
Obtain referrals
Large Budget
Speak with existing customers
You can hire a firm to recruit or
help you develop a sample
profile. Some firms include:
Manta
Dun & Bradstreet
FPDS
You can offer incentives to help
aid participation numbers
19. +
How Many Respondents Do I
Need?
20-30 respondents
identify 90-95% of the
attributes
5 respondents identify
<50% of the attributes
MIT Study, Griffin & Hauser, 1993.
20. 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
Enticing
Respondents
21. +
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
22. +
Probing and Clarifying
DON’T ASK
DO ASK
What else?
Anything else?
When you said ________, what
did you mean by that?
When you said, ________, did
you mean _________?
Can you elaborate on that?
You sound ________ about
that. Can you tell me more?
(When respondents expressly
state like/dislike) What do you
like/dislike about that?
(Without expressed like/dislike)
What do you like/dislike about
that?
How could it be better?
Even thought the product is
great, how could it be better?
23. +
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
25. +
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
26. +
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?
27. +
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.
31. 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.
Outcomes
All of your hypotheses were confirmed –
full steam ahead!
+
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.