Machines can tell us where to
look, but ultimately humans still
need to assign meaning
Market
Research has
normalized
on prior
methods, so
new methods
not only
have to show
improvements
in cost and
speed, but
also still
correlate
with findings
from previous
methods
in the business of understanding
people
to
answer
business
questions and support decisionmaking. The challenges we face
are consistent: getting access
to the right people, collecting
information, understanding the
meaning of the information, and
then communicating to decision
makers. Technology has evolved
to support all facets of this
process. In our digital connected
world, we can get access to
participants, collect information
from them and more quickly
analyze
and
communicate
results.
Are clients open to new
technological advances in
the market research? How
can be clients educated for
the same?
Customers have shifted to
digital medium (mobile)
Steve August: Clients are open
whereas
many
market
to new technological advances
researchers
are
still
in so much as those advances
comfortable
with
traditional
deliver valid information that
supports decision making at methods of data collection
improved speed and reduced – how can we speed up the
cost. Technology of itself is not adoption of new market
the end or the product, the real realities?
product is valid information
faster and streamlined decision
making.
What are the recurring
challenges that a market
technology
really
researchers faces on a daily Can
human
basis? How can technology decipher the
emotions or we still need
help ease these issues?
a human touch (market
Steve
August:
Market researcher) to do the job?
researchers
face
essentially
the same core issues that have
always been. Ultimately, we are
emotions based on text and
facial coding, but there are limits
that point out the need for the
human touch truly understand
the full picture. One example
from a study last year: During a
test of a TV ad spot, a automated
facial coding system recorded
a participant expressing a lot
of anger and negative emotion.
When researchers interviewed
the participant to explore his
reaction, he said (paraphrasing),
“I was angry because I don’t
generally react to advertising,
but this ad really touched me,
and I was angry that it was
making me emotional. ”Machines
can tell us where to look, but
ultimately humans still need to
assign meaning.
Steve August: Technology is
proving to be able to detect
Steve
August:
Continual
education and demonstration
of valid results will be the key to
accelerating adoption.
Market
research has normalized on prior
methods, so new methods not
only have to show improvements
in cost and speed, but also still
correlate with findings from
previous methods.