Archive for the ‘Turning Data into Stories’ Category
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Clients tell us that one of the biggest challenges they face is writing great research reports. There is the overwhelming difficulty of turning data into stories — making sense of volumes of data without losing the big picture or the details. And there is the difficulty of truly communicating research so that it is heard, understood, believed, and ultimately used.
We were reminded of the importance of communication and writing research for multiple audiences from Eric Zorn’s recent column in the Chicago Tribune, from which we quote: (more…)
Tags: communication, journalism, media, Public Relations, qualitative research., research reports, stories
Posted in Presenting Research, Public Relations, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
Telling a story with data is one part finding the right words, and one part finding a compelling visual way to present numbers. Good visualization of data conveys the “big picture” at a glance. At the same time, it includes details so that the audience understands and sees both the whole and the parts. Effective charts also invite visual comparisons so that the viewer sees (without having to think about) the trends and patterns we are highlighting in a story.
We highly recommend learning about theories of presentation, perception, and data visualization, and we are big fans of Edward Tufte’s approach to visual explanations. At the same time, we recommend learning the basics of using simple tools, like pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, and so on. One good source for developing a mastery of the basics is a book called Graphing Statistics & Data: Creating Better Charts, from which we have learned a few tips about using bar charts: (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, data, statistics, stories, visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Methods & Tools, Presenting Research, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Friday, May 28th, 2010
We saw an ad today for a downloadable survey app similar to Survey Monkey or Zoomerang that was pitched as a tool for actionable insights. Wow! Download, install, run . . . click again, and there they are, sitting on your desktop or smart phone: actionable insights. (more…)
Tags: Data Collection, insight, Market Research, survey, survey technology, tools
Posted in Data Collection, Methods & Tools, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Today, an industry colleague (another owner of a market research firm) said to me, “We all lust after those big tracking studies.” For most market research firms, tracking studies are attractive because they involve big samples, multiple ongoing deliverables, and multi-year commitments, all of which means predictable, ongoing (and usually substantial) revenue.
At Versta Research, we lust after them for a different reason: they are the true test of whether our key personnel can really add value and insight to the work that we do. How do you take something routine and predictable, and turn it into an effort that delivers an “Aha” every week? Here’s how we do it: (more…)
Tags: insight, tracking studies, value
Posted in Market Research, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
A colleague in market research once complained to me that he felt bored and unchallenged by all the client satisfaction and loyalty research he was doing, claiming he had mastered it to the point that he could do satisfaction and loyalty research in his sleep. I was struck because I could not think of any market research that I found boring or unchallenging, and certainly none that I could do in my sleep. On the contrary, my experience is that doing great research requires intellectual work and waking thoughtfulness no matter how many times it is done and for how many clients. (more…)
Tags: insight, Market Research, satisfaction research, tracking studies
Posted in Market Research, Methods & Tools, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
A truly effective research report is both parsimonious and richly nuanced. In other words, (1) it is short and to the point, and (2) it captures the complexity of reality. But how do you do both? (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, research, stories, visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Presenting Research, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
When multiple surveys about the same topic give different results, consider yourself lucky. It provides an opportunity to dissect and understand the question you are trying to answer in a way you might not get otherwise. A recent New York Times article provides a nice example when it comes to polls about health care. (more…)
Tags: insight, survey, Survey Design
Posted in Survey Design, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Getting your research findings heard, understood, and used should always be your goal. That means more than putting findings into a report deck, presenting results to the marketing team, writing up press releases, or getting media placement for a PR story. It means having your audience engage with it by thinking, sharing, and taking action.
What do we know about the kinds of stories and research reports that can achieve this? A recent study reported in The New York Times provides some clues. (more…)
Tags: communication, Market Research, media, news, research, stories
Posted in Market Research, Presenting Research, Public Relations, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Data visualization will likely be one the biggest areas of innovation and development over the next several years. This is a good. A chart that clearly and succinctly displays detailed data in a way that captures the viewer’s attention and helps interpret the data can be incredibly powerful. Edward Tufte, a pioneer in this area, has been making that case for years. Of course a lot of Tufte’s examples have required sophisticated graphics and professional designers, which have put the “ideal” out of reach for most.
As fancy charts and graphics become more accessible to everyday users, we think it is critical to revisit the basics of charts. Many charts, even easy ones, are poorly conceptualized and poorly executed, which is even worse than showing your manager no chart at all. It is critical to understand what kinds of charts best display different types of data and highlight specific kinds of relationships you are trying to show. (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, data, visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Methods & Tools, Presenting Research, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
As an industry driven by data and information, market research and public opinion polling has seen dramatic changes in the last ten years and will no doubt change quickly and in big ways during the next ten.
Looking back, here are what we consider to be the five biggest changes that shaped current challenges faced by market research and opinion polling: (more…)
Tags: communication, data, Data Collection, data quality, Market Research, mathematics, media, online, Online Surveys, public opinion, Public Polls, Public Relations, research, Sampling, statistics, stories, survey, survey respondents, survey technology
Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Market Research, Methods & Tools, Online Surveys, Presenting Research, Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling, Turning Data into Stories, Uncategorized | No Comments »