As market researchers pay more and more attention to the need for compelling data visualizations, Hans Rosling’s work with interactive data is becoming a catalyst for a fascinating new type of data visualization: animated statistical graphs. He uses them to show world social and economic trends over time, and the effect is exceptionally powerful. Here is a video of his TED talk well worth watching, in which the first eleven minutes are focused on interactive graphs:
Others are following his lead, though not always to the same superb effect. Here is another animated statistical graph, this one documenting drone strikes and fatalities in Pakistan: (more…)
It’s our job to deliver bad news as well as good news, right? To tell clients what they’re doing wrong so they can fix their problems and leap to the next level of profitability, right? Why would they spend money collecting data if they just wanted to hear how much customers love them? In fact, why would they want to hear how much customers love them, if the research says otherwise?
A recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests some answers that may surprise you. (more…)
This is my dog Lancelot on his first day at his new home
If you have ever done “clicker training” with a dog, you know how amazingly effective positive rewards are in training, versus the old-fashioned method of “correction” and negative feedback. Identify and reward the behavior you want, and you can teach an old dog new tricks within hours. It works for people too, which is why so many HR and business experts talk about the power of praise in teaching and motivating employees. I can relate to this. I love my work most when our clients offer generous praise and tell us that we exceeded their expectations.
But I also worry: Is the work really good? Is it as good as it can be? Is it finding its way up to other managers and decision makers, and is it helping them, too? Maybe this reflects professional insecurity, but new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research shows it is common as people gain expertise in their fields. Quoting the study published a few months ago: (more…)
Or better yet, we might say “Why GOOD Research Takes So Long.” Our answer (before you feel inspired by the video embedded below) is that good research is creative and thoughtful and takes a great deal of intellectual energy at several crucial points:
It puzzles over multiple ways (including data sources and methods) to get novel answers
It thinks “behind” what managers are asking to figure out better questions that have unknown answers
It experiments with new techniques of data collection that might not be standardized
It toys with data and investigates multiple approaches for analysis
It turns data into stories that get revised and refined so that managers see the answers in ways that matter
This week we published Versta Research’s quarterly newsletter with a feature article entitled “How to Design an Excellent Chart.” It addresses one critical piece of turning research data into compelling stories by focusing on the process of data visualization. For us, that process involves five steps:
I’m not sure if this cartoon is funny. Maybe I’m just not cynical enough (ha! my friends are laughing already!) But I can’t think of any managers or clients for whom I’ve worked that are like the pointy-haired boss in this episode. I have never been asked to provide tons of data that look so boring it will be ignored. On the contrary, most for whom I have worked worry about getting mountains of meaningless data because too often that is what research suppliers deliver.
What do managers and clients want—even those who are less-than-enthusiastic about market research because it has too often failed them in the past? Here’s my experience of what they want: (more…)
Last week when we took Google Surveys for a test drive, we did not mention one disturbing aspect of their tool. It does not affect how you would use the tool, but it is worth talking about because Google unfortunately perpetuates the false notion that technology and tools can generate insights at the mere click of a button. “Push this button, and voilà, your story! Click this tab for actionable insights!”
I’m always inspired by this video from Vi Hart, who describes herself as a “mathemusician.” She doodles and draws, finds numeric patterns and insights as she does it, and weaves interesting (and funny) stories around those insights.
I recently saw a press release about a study showing that only 19.5% of news release headlines are optimized for SEO. It brought to mind all kinds of issues about how best to report numbers in press releases. In particular it highlighted the important issue of whether specific numbers are meaningful and whether they communicate a misleading sense of precision.
For example, when a survey reports a margin of error to any decimal place, it suggests a level of precision that is misleading. Do a quick search, and you’ll find press releases reporting margins of sampling error such as +/- 4.8%, +/- 10.5%, or +/- 1.85%. These numbers are based on sample size formulas that assume perfect random sampling and one hundred percent response rates, which are almost never achieved. (more…)
We came across these images in a series of humorous montages that professionals had created about what they do. This one was created by Jason Sullivan:
This week we published 
Last week when 
