Monday, Thursday & Friday
Although I have been on holiday this week I intended to use some of the time to catch up with work projects.
In particular, there are three areas in which I have lots of raw interviews that need to be written up and interpreted and then the interpretations put into reports. These reports will then be discussed internally and, if all goes well, used to formulate campaign plans. Therefore it is essential the raw data is presented properly as mistakes at this stage may well result in a flawed campaign.
The difficulty is that most raw data is repetitive. Out of the hundred or so interviews I have done so far, the variations between them are tiny. Yet it is the variations that give you the insights. That is why it is important to do two hundred interviews rather than just two, even if you suspect they will all basically say the same thing. It is only by noticing the small variations that you can see the bigger picture. I hope this does not sound too obscure!
Usually I start with sending out a questionnaire. Remember that you cannot just work with the people who return their questionnaires, you need to chase up an equal number of those who don't return them, as otherwise you are going to get bias creeping in. Then I book in personal interviews (usually at a suburban hotel near where they live, although I also go and see people at their homes). I always try to do interviews myself even though I have a budget to use a researcher. Meeting people personally allows you to go back to them (usually by 'phone) and ask supplementary questions. You always have to ask the important questions (the ones you want serious answers to) several times in different words so that you can assess whether they are telling the truth.
In my experience people love telling you about their lives, even the most taciturn and obstructive subjects will eventually open up (and then you can't stop them!). The key is to be genuinely interested in what they are saying and not try to steer them in a particular direction. You also have to have an instinct for knowing what they really want to talk about.
Anyway, I meant to get a lot of this typed up.
But actually I have hardly got anything done.
Although I have been on holiday this week I intended to use some of the time to catch up with work projects.
In particular, there are three areas in which I have lots of raw interviews that need to be written up and interpreted and then the interpretations put into reports. These reports will then be discussed internally and, if all goes well, used to formulate campaign plans. Therefore it is essential the raw data is presented properly as mistakes at this stage may well result in a flawed campaign.
The difficulty is that most raw data is repetitive. Out of the hundred or so interviews I have done so far, the variations between them are tiny. Yet it is the variations that give you the insights. That is why it is important to do two hundred interviews rather than just two, even if you suspect they will all basically say the same thing. It is only by noticing the small variations that you can see the bigger picture. I hope this does not sound too obscure!
Usually I start with sending out a questionnaire. Remember that you cannot just work with the people who return their questionnaires, you need to chase up an equal number of those who don't return them, as otherwise you are going to get bias creeping in. Then I book in personal interviews (usually at a suburban hotel near where they live, although I also go and see people at their homes). I always try to do interviews myself even though I have a budget to use a researcher. Meeting people personally allows you to go back to them (usually by 'phone) and ask supplementary questions. You always have to ask the important questions (the ones you want serious answers to) several times in different words so that you can assess whether they are telling the truth.
In my experience people love telling you about their lives, even the most taciturn and obstructive subjects will eventually open up (and then you can't stop them!). The key is to be genuinely interested in what they are saying and not try to steer them in a particular direction. You also have to have an instinct for knowing what they really want to talk about.
Anyway, I meant to get a lot of this typed up.
But actually I have hardly got anything done.
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