Trying to figure out how to prioritize which product features to build and market? The key to effectively driving decisions with these studies is helping leaders avoid analysis paralysis. Large feature studies can be overwhelming to interpret, so it’s important to build a cohesive story that points to clear recommendations. It is helpful to incorporate forced choice metrics to avoid flat results (and a flat story).

This type of study is also where it pays to pair quantitative data with qualitative verbatims to add color around the performance ‘whys’. You need to be able to explain results drivers - that is what’s most actionable to your partners.

You’ve figured out the ideal feature options for your product, but need to understand what the optimal mix is to drive consumer preference and market share relative to competitors.

When setting up a conjoint, I recommend begining with the end in mind - it never hurts to add more factors (price, duration, etc) or competitor offerings to your simulation options. This will ensure the research has longevity as the market continues to shift down the road.

Every product marketing team needs to understand the funnel of how customers find out about your product, why they choose you over others, and how they use your product & the role that it fills.

For some products, the Loyalty Loop is a defining aspect of who wins and who doesn’t. Often, if your brand isn’t in the initial consideration set, you don’t stand a chance of being picked. Product and brand selection isn’t always logical - existing relationships and brand perception are often core drivers of selection. It’s important to understand where your brand falls on the continuum so you can adjust marketing strategies accordingly.

This is my favorite form of qualitative research, made for the modern age to accommodate busy schedules and multiple time zones. AKA, higher data quality and a more representative sample. Boards also get you the high end of a qualitative sample (30-40 respondents), along with the richness and depth of individual interviews.

The dynamic format provides opportunities for unique participant activities (share a meme, write a book title, etc) and multiple response options (text, video, images), which result in deeper insights about the emotional perspectives of consumers. Not everyone is good at expressing themselves through writing (or is good at typing), so providing multimedia response options can help them shine.

Though I am not a moderator, I have a different skill set that makes me very effective at synthesizing themes on the fly and fielding & relaying observer questions while continuing to listen to interviews (AI tools make this much easier).

For these types of studies, it’s crucial to have a COMPLETE understanding of the business objectives (not just the research objectives) to enable pivoting mid study by iterating on the discussion guide for actionable recommendations. You never want to tell your partner “whoops, we didn’t explore that”. Interviews are your opportunity to explore nuances that you can’t touch in quantitative research.

My biggest call out when testing written concepts to crown the best positioning or messaging is to make sure they are meaningfully different. You’ll get the most fruitful results if the concepts are as unique from each other as possible. Consumers are less likely to pick up on small tweaks in language. Quality stimulus = quality results.

Also, ensure that each concept follows the same visual format so it’s easy for consumers to compare across the content. Your results will be cleaner if you are able to control for as many variables as possible (or else it will be hard to determine which change drove preference).

I also recommend testing concepts that look close to what you’d put in market, as creative aspects can impact how people interpret your message.

There is a soft spot in my heart for digging into consumer & industry trends, specifically those that are longer term & future looking (the BIG things that change how we live). I do research on AI, technology and health/science trends for fun in my free time anyway, so I know where to look to find good information.

For any deliverable or trend analysis - I don’t provide just the ‘what’, but also the ‘so what’ for your team. Knowledge alone isn’t powerful to those who don’t know how to action on it.

I’ve utilizing various social listening tools as a researcher for about 8 years. I find that the best platforms incorporate data from X and Reddit and have an AI capability to help you synthesize themes. Or else it’s up to you to diligently read through thousands of verbatims.

I’m specifically interested in Reddit’s Community Intelligence tool to really help brands harvest their wealth of conversations. Reddit is increasingly the marker for authentic, human opinions, mor so then branded, SEO optimized blogs and articles elsewhere online. Definitely a growing platform to keep in mind as your team builds social listening capabilities!

The beauty of AI tools is that you don’t necessarily need new research to develop a compelling, hybrid quant/qual view of your audience.

Personas are a great use for interview transcripts that have been collecting dust. Added bonus if you are able to incorporate internal data about who your customers are and how they use your product. My business partners have found personas as valuable tools that bring their customer to life and serve as a guide for creative development.