Growing Trust in Research

Research plays a vital role in an organisation’s decision-making processes. However, there are times when the value of research is questioned.

As professionals invested in the research industry, it is crucial for us to understand whether users of research truly believe in the work conducted by researchers. In this article, which draws from a paper presented at the 2022 Human Insights Conference, we will explore research findings that shed light on the beliefs surrounding research.

Challenging Beliefs: The Shoes of Prey Case

It's not uncommon to come across situations where research is challenged. Take, for example, the case of Shoes of Prey, a company that attributed its failure to market research. An article in Smart Company cautioned against relying solely on market research.

We felt compelled to investigate how widespread these beliefs are in the world of research users.

Picnic’s End-User Research Findings

Motivated by curiosity, we ran a small-scale study specifically for the Human Insights conference. Our research design was informed by eight initial 1-1 depth interviews, and n=176 online surveys comprising of a mix of Australian end-users, client and agency researchers.

The Value of Research in Decision-Making

An overwhelming consensus emerged from our study: research is widely regarded as one of the most crucial inputs into business decision-making processes.

• A majority (88% of research users) agreed that “Any decision that involves customers should consider the voice of the customer”

Research also helps uncover new pathways and strategies. This goes beyond merely answering hypotheses; in times of uncertainty, businesses need to understand the range of possible outcomes more than ever.

• Nearly all (99% of research users) agreed that “Research helps us uncover potentially new pathways and strategies”

Acknowledging the Limits of Research

Users of research are also well aware that research has limits and must coexist with other intelligence sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of complex business scenarios.

• Just 54% of research users agreed that “Research accurately tells us what people will do under certain conditions”

More than ever, research techniques and methods need to be better at eliciting real intentions and closing the say-do gap. Another way to up our “accuracy game” is to triangulate our results with other information sources.

• Nearly all users agreed that “there are limits to what research can achieve. It needs to play a role alongside other intelligence sources”

Therefore, the cumulative picture suggests that research plays a valuable but specific role within the decision-making landscape.

The Challenge of Interpretation and Usage

An interesting observation from our study is the acknowledgment that research does not yield a single truth.

• Most users (73%) agreed “research can be interpreted in many ways - there is not one single truth”

This lack of a strong, singular interpretation of research poses a challenge when it comes to predicting outcomes in the market. Consequently, selective styles of using research emerge, emphasising the need for researchers to provide thorough interpretations rather than just presenting survey responses.

Conclusion

The research industry has unique strengths, but there are areas of concern that require attention. To foster belief and trust among end-users, we must continuously build on best practices and prove the effectiveness of research.

Let’s embrace the challenge of being bolder in our interactions with clients and users, propelling the industry forward with a shared belief in the power of research.

This article is an abridged version of our research findings. Please contact us for a full walk-through and discussion.

Up next:

By understanding the diverse needs of different research users we can more confidently deliver insights that drive meaningful business decisions.

Understanding End-Users of Research: Four Personas

As researchers, we work with end-users or stakeholders on a daily basis.

In this article, we will explore the major end-user personas and discuss how we can focus our efforts to meet their needs more effectively.

We used our own 2022 study (which was presented at the 2022 Human Insights Conference) involving n=176 surveys targeting end-users of research, and client and agency-side professionals. Our findings have identified four distinct personas, each with specific attitudes towards research.

The Four Personas: Unveiling Attitudes and Behaviours

Each persona brings unique perspectives and requirements to the table.

• Focused Users

• These individuals are passionate about connecting the dots between research and other information sources. They rarely rely solely on research and seek a comprehensive understanding by considering multiple factors.

• These users would say: “Share research in the context of other information sources. It is complementary. Play to its strengths”

• How to work with them:

  • It is important not to lead with a ‘research-knows-all’ approach.

  • When synthesising and making recommendations, succinctly demonstrate an understanding of different information sources and acknowledge the limitations and contributions of each. 

• Reliant Sceptics

• While recognising the value of research in achieving alignment with stakeholders, Reliant Sceptics tend to be more cynical about aspects such as design, sampling, and quality control.

• Reliant Sceptics have said, “Research helps us …but I do wonder how data quality controls are implemented, what are the respondents’ experience, how much do they get paid?”. Building their trust requires addressing their concerns and ensuring research fundamentals are strong.

• How to work with them:

  • Involve Reliant Sceptics early in the research design stage. The real concern with this persona is when they appear late in the process, or even mid-way through the final debrief.  

  • Be ready to share proof points about the integrity of the research at the debrief.  Welcome additional conversations about the research approach to ensure buy-in.

• Insight Advocates

• This is the largest group, primarily consisting of agency-side professionals. They believe that research reflects real attitudes and behaviours, and they advocate for its usage in decision-making processes.

• Advocates generally believe “If you ask robust questions and can connect the dots, the customer is the best source of truth”.

• How to work with them:

  • This persona trusts research when it’s done right and often loves transparency and detail in methodologies and approaches, not to mention detailed reporting. Here, we must be mindful that broader audiences of research users want us to focus on business issues with succinct business recommendations.

  • When working as a team of client and agency researchers, we need to keep each other accountable for answering big business questions and thinking beyond research tasks. Insight Advocates need to be on a journey to sharing bolder interpretations of research to answer business questions in their organisation.

• Pickers and Choosers

• These individuals carefully select which insights to use, depending on their specific needs. They focus on proving or disproving hypotheses as they see fit.

• It’s said that they “carefully choose the insights they use; some are useful, some are not.”

• How to work with them:

  • The risk with this persona is that they can (wittingly or unwittingly) skew the narrative that comes from data. We suggest sharing findings widely and educating broader teams on the correct interpretation. In this way, the correct narrative ‘sticks’ and becomes widely held in the organisation. It makes it harder for Pickers and Choosers to run an alternative narrative.

  • Consider multiple or large debrief sessions and use intranets or knowledge management systems to share the official narrative.

  • Conclusions in reports should be strong and clear… or even ‘catchy’ i.e., easily repeatable in an elevator conversation.

Addressing the Needs of End-Users Overall

While we have called out specific recommendations when dealing with type of end users, our research also tells us that it is crucial to focus our efforts in the following areas:

1. Understanding the Stakeholder’s World: End-users want researchers to step into their world and gain a deeper understanding of their challenges. It is essential for researchers to deliver this deeper consideration, recognizing that end-users may not be familiar with the intricacies of the research process.

2. Consultancy and Decision Influence: There is a call for stronger consultancy around the interpretation and influence of research findings. Researchers must be bold in their delivery, even when conveying unfavourable results. By providing comprehensive insights and recommendations, researchers can become trusted advisors to their clients.

3. Strengthening Research Fundamentals: Reinforcing strong research fundamentals is key to addressing concerns about sampling and biases. This is especially important for the Reliant Sceptics, who require reassurance that research is conducted with rigour and accuracy.

4. Bold Interpretation: End-users prioritize proven effectiveness in research. Researchers should not shy away from offering bold interpretations and actionable insights that go beyond surface-level findings. By doing so, they can demonstrate the value and impact of research.

This has been an abridged version of our findings. Please contact us for a more detailed presentation and discussion.