Download the Strategies for Successful Surveys eBook
Neil Armstrong, an aeronautics engineer, astronaut, and – oh, yeah – the first man to walk on the moon once said, “research is creating new knowledge.” This is true in many fields. Most research begins with an idea, theory, or hypothesis. But these things are not knowledge, they are suppositions. Suppositions are gateways into knowledge but not knowledge themselves. Without solid research, you’re left guessing.
Quantitative research quantifies a problem by generating numerical data – usually through surveys – that can be used to quantify the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of specific groups of people. It’s a powerful way to uncover insights that can be applied in business situations. How do engineers regard a specific software product? What is the market potential for a new medical device? How do potential customers feel about the last iteration of your mobile device? Surveys can give you the quantitative insight that helps answer these questions.
But conducting a survey that produces valid, relevant, and actionable data isn’t as easy as drafting a list of questions and sending it out to an email list. How do you craft a survey that gets the information you want? How do you ensure your questions do not create bias or confusion? How do you ensure that your target audience are the ones responding to your survey? It can get complicated quickly.
In GLG’s ebook, Strategies for Successful Surveys, we’ll discuss three aspects of quantitative research. Starting with the basics, you’ll learn how to select the survey that best meets your research needs, how to design your survey, and how you can best reach the right respondents. We’ll cover both questionnaire design (how to create the questionnaire to get great data) and research design (how to reduce bias and weight results).
A well-run survey can provide you with the insight you need to stop a product development roadmap before it makes a wrong turn. It can give you the insight you need to make a smarter investment by understanding how the audience may receive a product or service. It can help you advise clients of your own, by giving you insight that they may not even know they need.
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