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2/10/09

Ski surveys

We’ve talked plenty about good survey methodology, sampling, and making sure you’re getting the right information, and here is another excellent example: I was up in the mountains this past week skiing and decided to demo (i.e. try out) some new skis.  So, I went to the shop at the resort and tried several different […]

By David KennedyRead More

1/29/09

Observation rooms … they’re not just for focus groups

My wife is a fourth year veterinary student at Colorado State University, and on a recent visit to the veterinary teaching hospital I noticed they had several focus group rooms – sort of. I recognized the rooms immediately – two-way glass, audio and video recording, etc.  Instead of group discussions though, they use the rooms […]

By David KennedyRead More

1/27/09

What are we weighting for?

Let’s say that you just conducted a public survey of your community for a community needs assessment.  In your community, 29% of residents are between age 18 and 34, and 29% are age 55 or older.  Yet among your survey respondents, 8% are  aged 18-34, while 52% are aged 55 or older (this is a […]

By Beth MulliganRead More

1/19/09

Tradeoffs between survey length and cooperation

In a previous post we discussed how survey length can indirectly drive up participation recruitment costs.  Another often-ignored consequence of long surveys is poor quality data that may or may not be easy to identify.  Even conscientious participants lose the desire to be cooperative as a survey drags on.  By the sixth page, or the […]

By Beth MulliganRead More

1/14/09

Is Detroit now asking the right questions?

A few weeks ago there was an article in the Denver Post about the reason for the demise of the US auto industry (thanks to Chuck, our finance manager, for passing it along to me). In the article, Ed Quillen mentioned an age-old anecdote about asking consumers what they want.  When US automakers built and […]

By David KennedyRead More

1/12/09

The not so ultimate question?

In a recent edition of Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, there was an article (Article ID: 20081004….requires registration, but it is free) on the Net Promoter Score (NPS).  The NPS has long been touted by many as the best way to measure customer satisfaction, and a key characteristic of the system is its simplicity. In case you […]

By David KennedyRead More