Elena Leichardtwww.linkedin.com/in/ElenaLeichardt

• How to start?

• What research methods to use and when: Interviews,

Focus Groups, Surveys?

• What to consider when doing an analysis?

• Tips and tricks

• 10+ years in Market Research and Customer Satisfaction

• 5+ years in Program Management

• International business experience

• Toastmasters

• www.linkedin.com/in/ElenaLeichardt

Plan Discovery Validation Analysis

“The more time you spend here, the less time you will spend anywhere else later.”

Background

• What problem are you trying to solve?

Business questions

• What decisions will this research help you make?

Research questions

• Behavior

• Perception

• Segments

Methodology

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

• Sources

Next steps

• Actions

• Timeline

Includes:

Most important!

Review Research Plan with all internal stakeholders to get their buy-in

Review already gathered feedback to understand most vocal problems:

• Did other teams already reached out to customers and did analysis on related topics?

Consider using Online Customer Community to brainstorm initial ideas:

• Plus: easily available

• Minus: only customers; only your company fans (biased)

• Goal:

• To learn CLIENT’s point of view, CLIENT’s “vocabulary”

• Observe day to day client tasks/problems

• Plus: observe in natural habitat

• Minus: opinion of one

• How:

• Get names from Sales Managers, Operations, etc.

• Send out a screener survey to (about) 200 past and/or current users

• Conduct 15-20 interviews

• Make sure to bring a SME with you

• Goal:

• Get CLIENT’s point of view, CLIENT’s “vocabulary”

• Get a comprehensive list of ideas/problems/suggestions from clients

• Plus: (unlike in interviews) participants can piggy-back on each other’s ideas;

can be virtual; last only 1 hr (save time)

• Minus: can be hijacked by 1 extra vocal participant

• How:

• Review detailed Focus Group Guidelines

• Send out a screener survey to (about) 200 past and/or current users with demographic questions to

recruit the right audience

• Select 3-4 participants for each segment focus group

• Develop a Discussion Guide (open-ended questions, not leading)

• To facilitate your focus groups, find somebody who doesn’t care about your product, but is a good

listener

• Once again, make sure to bring a SME with you

• Goal:

• Narrow down the comprehensive list of ideas/problems/suggestions

that you got from focus groups to include only the most important ones

• Plus: You will learn what the majority of your potential clients want

• Minus: Survey design – art and science

• How:

• Mailing list from Operations, research firms, etc (pre-qualified candidates)

• Rate focus group findings in your survey

• Consider offering incentive

• Program your survey (Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, etc)

Start with an open-ended question to get top-of-mind thoughts (and finish

there)

Structure survey into groups of related questions • Overall evaluation questions

• Process/subprocess questions

• Problems/wish list

• Demographics

Have transition statements (“In this next section, please tell us about your installation experience.”)

Be precise (Wrong: “How long was your baby in the hospital before you brought him home?” Right: “How many days?”)

Use (not utilize) simple words (foreign-language speakers), explain acronyms

Keep it short, preferably under 5 mins (survey frequency from your company, ratio of closed/open-ended

questions, number/value of incentives)

Ask somebody else to test your survey (Wrong: “Are you a Customer or a Partner? Yes/No”. Right:

“Customer/Partner/Other)

How many mistakes can you find?Example 1:

Please rank the following features of your spouse on the scale of 1-5?

• Attentiveness

• Fidelity

• Sense of humor

Example 2:

Now that you've seen how you can save time, would you buy our product?

Example 3:

When was the last time you upgraded your computer and printer?

Example 4:

• How many years have you owned your vehicle?

• 1-3 years

• 3-5 years

• more than 5 years

Example 5:

What is your opinion of Crazy Justin’s auto-repair?

• Pretty good

• Great

• Fantastic

• Incredible

• The Best Ever

• Review survey findings from each of your market

segments (customer/partner, etc.)

• Are there big differences?

• Are there common themes?

• Word of caution: focus your presentation on main

themes/most mentioned comments, not a single comment (doesn’t matter how much you like it)

• Review relevant business data

• Come up with recommendations

• Present to your management team (keep under 10 slides)

• Plan:

• Make a plan

• Make sure all stakeholders agree with the plan

• Include interests of several market segments in your research plan

• Bounce your plan off somebody familiar with research best practices

• Research:

• Remember: Talking to one customer is not research

• Aim to use qualitative and quantitative methods

• Analysis:

• Identify main themes and present them with your recommendations