I’m referring specifically to market research here! When conducting, listening to and evaluating market research, that’s the mindset you need to have in order to critically evaluate the insights revealed. This is not an easy task as we naturally gravitate or filter to what we want to hear versus keeping a truly open mind throughout the process.
Ahhh, the open mind! Free of pre-conceived notions, perceptions and attitudes. “Keep an open mind” one might advise when trying to learn something new. It’s often easier said than done. You see, we as human beings have natural bias, beliefs and perceptions that can be years in the making. Embarking on a market research project, whether it be message testing, concept testing or any other research being used to make critical business decisions, we have hypotheses and beliefs that can impact how we interpret what we hear. After many years of conducting research and moderating thousands of interviews, we can always tell when a client is “searching for what they want to hear”.
After many years of conducting research and moderating thousands of interviews, we can always tell when a client is “searching for what they want to hear”.
It is natural to have a preferred narrative, message, concept, etc. when heading into research—it is human nature really. The key is to not let those existing perceptions filter what you hear. There are various ways to minimize this including leveraging your research partner. At SYFT we ensure that each project begins with a discussion about existing hypotheses or ideas our client has about what the research is going to explore. Naturally, areas in which there are existing perceptions are at greater risk for biased interpretation. We utilize this understanding to not only influence how we design the research questions, but also how we present and discuss the findings with our client. With qualitative work we have a continual dialogue with our clients throughout the interview process to discuss what is being heard. It helps to minimize biased interpretations as well as ensure the research process remains fluid.
So, the next time you need market research, remind yourself to keep an open mind and choose a research partner that will evaluate ALL the insights to provide an unbiased perspective that may challenge personal preferences. This may just be the difference between good and great decisions for your brand.
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