Market Research Kit

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Guide

How to get started planning great market research

Overview

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Participants: Solo or small group (1-3)

Time needed: 3 hr 15 mins

Activities: 9

Outcomes: Vision, Key Research Questions, Methods, Resourcing Plan, Timeline

Get the template:

access the Miro template here⁠

to get started

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Part 1: Vision

In Part 1, you’ll develop a vision and research questions to guide your work.

You can complete this kit solo or with a small group. The choice is yours.

Activity

Duration

Instructions

⛰️ Vision Setting

5 mins

Step 1: Prepare

Bring everyone (or just yourself if you are flying solo!) into the space by recalling the context of why you are looking to conduct the research you’ll be planning today.

Ask each person to choose their animal for the day by adding their name in the blue sticky beneath the animal of their choice.

Step 2: Write a vision

The vision statement helps us understand the different perspectives that each of us brings to the research processis a tool that can be changed if needed. This is a 'work in progress' vision. Think of it like a compass - throughout our work we will use it to ask the question ‘Are we going the right way?’

Take 1-3 minutes. Everyone should silently (we call this ‘together, alone’) write down where they hope to be and be as specific as possible. Add numbers, metrics and measures where you can.

Step 3: Share

Take 2-3 minutes to share back the vision statements. Listen for the different perspectives and what each person hopes to get out of the project.

🎯 Research Statement

20 mins

Step 1: Learning Focus

Take 60 seconds to brainstorm "What are we hoping to learn as a result of this research?" Add one statement next to your animal in the first column.

Step 2: Select Learning Focus

Take 60 seconds to read what has been written and vote (using a red dot) on the 'most important thing you want to learn'. (We call this a ‘dot vote’.) Use the Decider (blue dot) to select the final focus if needed

Step 3: Repeat

Repeat steps 1 & 2 to complete the 3 parts of your research statement

‘because’ - this is your ‘why’, why is it important we learn about this?

‘so that we can’ - this is your ‘so what’, what will you do differently as a result?

Step 4: Compile

Add top voted items to the template to build your research statement.

Remember you can update this at any time you need to. The purpose of this Research Statement is to help us get started on our journey.

This is a 'work in progress' statement. Think of it like a compass - throughout our work we will use it to ask the question ‘Are we focused on the right thing(s)?’

🗺️ FAQ Mapping

15 mins

Step 1: Note

In this step we get explicit about what we know, what we think we know, and what we would like to know.

Using ‘together, alone’, take 3-5 minutes to silently fill out stickies in each category: Facts, Assumptions, Questions.

It’s okay to have duplicates, we’ll collect them in the next step.

If you are doing this with a small group, you’ll use the next frame to discuss.

🃏 Focus Finding

15 mins

Step 1: Copy over the Assumptions & Questions

In this step, we want to identify the key themes we’ll focus our research on. To do this, we’ll look for patterns in our Assumptions and open Questions.

Copy the Assumptions & Questions stickies from the previous activity to the open area in the Focus Finding board. Don't worry if this is messy.

Step 2: Sort Into Broad Categories

Pick one Assumption/Question (any will do) and move it under the first category header. Ask the team "Has anyone got something that's about the same thing?". Keep moving stickies under this category until you need to move to the next category.

Label the category and continue for all the Assumptions/Questions

Step 3: Vote On The Most Important Research Questions

Narrow down the key research questions we want to focus on answering using ‘Dot Voting’. Each person can use the dots provided to cast their vote.

Ask "Which questions are the most important to answer to achieve what we set out in our research statement?"

If you are finding it challenging to narrow down the most important questions, this is a great opportunity to set up a question framework. Choose up to 3 themes with up to 2 questions underpinning each.

Change the sticky colour to green to highlight the selected questions.

🚧 Impact Board

10 mins

Step 1: Copy over the Research Questions

Copy over the selected Research Questions from the previous exercise

Place them next to the impact board

Step 2: Rank By Depth

Take the first Research Question and ask the team to hover their mouse on the vertical axis to share “what depth of understanding do we need?”

Choose higher on the axis where you need more context in order to ask the right questions. Choose lower on the axis where you already have an understanding of the context and you need to validate how common this may be.

Place it roughly in the middle of where the team suggest.

Taking the next statement, ask the team to hover their mouse on the Depth axis.

Place the feature roughly in the middle of where the team suggest. Remember, approximate is OK. Keep going until all features are ranked.

Avoid "it depends" discussion and ask people to be approximate.

Step 4: Rank By Scale

Starting with the highest depth statement, ask the team to hover their mouse along the Effort axis to show "what scale do we need in order to build our understanding?”

Choose the right end of the axis for those where validation at scale, with many people is needed to get a big-picture view of the market. Choose the left end of the axis where you need a deep understanding from a fewer number of people.

Step 5: Feature Priorities

After all solutions are roughly segmented by Depth and Scale, review the strategy for each quadrant to help guide the methods you select in part 2.

If all the Research Questions fall into the ‘quant research’ quadrant, a survey alone may be the right tool. However, it’s likely you will need to use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods in order to answer all your Research Questions.

(PS:

Mixed Methods Research

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allow for

Research Triangulation

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- both of which can be a beautiful thing!)

Invite people to share whether they are broadly comfortable with the placement and adjust accordingly.

No results from filter

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Part 2: Structure

As you dive in to Part 2, you’ll determine the audience, methods, data collect and outputs.

We recommend duplicating the ‘Structure Planning’ frame to brainstorm different combinations of methods. If you are working with a small group, create one frame for each person, complete the activities solo, then compare notes and select the best option to move forward.

Activity

Duration

Instructions

🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏾 Audience

10 mins

Step 1: Prepare

Get familiar with the overall structure of the board.

In column 1, you’ll see the 4 elements you’ll be working with today: Audience, Methods, Data, Outputs

In column 2, you’ll find a set of corresponding cards.

No need to read everything now. Take it one element at a time

Step 2: Select the Audience(s)

The Audience is who you will need to reach as part of the research. You may have a single audience, such as a particular customer segment, or be looking for a more holistic understanding from different perspectives.

Silently review the ‘Audience’ cards.

Identify the audience(s) most critical to your research. Click and drag the card to move it to column 1.

You may choose to add your own audience card. Double click into the template card to edit the text.

🧩 Methods

10 mins

Select the Method(s)

The Methods will determine how you collect data from your audience. (Think survey, interviews etc...)

Silently review the ‘Method’ cards.

If you aren’t familiar with some of the methods, start with a good ol’ fashioned Google search to learn more and see what new methods you might want to explore.

Move the relevant card(s) to column 1.

💽 Data

10 mins

Select the Data You’ll Collect

The type of Data you collect will be driven by the methods you choose and will determine the outputs you will be able to produce at the end of the project.

Silently review the ‘Data’ cards.

Move the relevant card(s) to column 1.

Keep in mind, it is your responsibility to keep any personally identifiable data you collect safe and to respect the rights and privacy of your research participants. In the EU, this is governed by

GDPR

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(it’s also just the right thing to do).

🧩 Methods

10 mins

Select the Outputs

The Outputs are determined by the type of data you collect and the needs for your project and organisation. Ask yourself “What output is needed from this research in order to spark positive change/action?”

Silently review the ‘Output’ cards.

Move the relevant card(s) to column 1.

🖼️ Review

20 mins

Step 1: Review your Research Structure

It’s time to zoom out and review what you’ve assembled.

If you are planning with a group, take some time to share back the cards each of you have selected and discuss which option to take forward.

If you are planning solo, review the option(s) you laid out and think critically about which meets the objective(s) you set out for your research.

Step 2: Dive into the detail

Once you’ve built your structure, go back through each element to respond to the specific questions. Double click to write on the white stickies.

Audience - Get specific about the who within each audience you will reach with the research. This step will help you narrow in on the recruitment and, ultimately, serve to kick-start your participant screener.

Methods - Match each method with the specific Research Questions you highlighted in Part 1. One method may answer several research questions. You might use multiple methods to answer one research question from different perspectives.

Data - Review data protection by determining how data will be stored/kept safe and who is responsible.

Outputs - Outline your intentions/vision for how each output will be used. Is there a specific stakeholder group this output will be most valuable for? Is there a specific objective you are working to meet (e.g. inform, engage, motivate)?

Step 3: Evaluate for Perspective & Inclusivity

You’ve just spend time looking at what/who to include in your research. There’s always a flip-side, spend a moment to get explicit about what/who you are excluding as a result.

Ask yourself:

Who am I excluding? What perspectives might I be missing?

How can I make my research more inclusive to collect more diverse perspectives?

There are many great Inclusive Design Toolkits out there including those from

Microsoft

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Airbnb

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, and

the University of Cambridge

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Part 3: Plan

In Part 3, you’ll set your Research Plan in motion by determining the resources you’ll need and the timeline.

Activity

Duration

Instructions

🧰 Resourcing

Step 1: Prepare

Resourcing will help you determine the people, partners and tools you need to complete your research. Some capabilities you may have in house, others you may want to outsource.

Silently review the ‘Resource’ cards.

Step 2: Sort

Sort the cards into those where you have the capabilities in house and those you’ll need or want to outsource.

Step 3: Dive into the detail

After sorting the cards, respond to the prompts on the white stickies.

You may want to use this as a starting point for a more robust resourcing plan and include budget by hours or costs for each line item

🗓️ Timeline

Step 1: Build the Key Milestones

Use the timeline template to visualise the key milestones and any approvals that may need to take place throughout the project.

Double click any card to edit the date or task name. Click and drag a card to change the order.

Step 2: Add Approvals

Identify any key approvals that will need to take place in order for the project to progress. Add them to the approvals row.

Step 3: Make It Your Own

Use this template as a starting point to build a more robust project plan in the platform of your choice, or add stickies to begin to flesh out key tasks in a collaborative way.

🚀 Action Plan

Step 1: Celebrate!

Congratulations! By completing all 3 parts of the toolkit, you are even closer to understanding your research questions.

Step 2: Identify the Next Steps

Before you go, take a moment to identify the immediate next steps - what will you do by the end of the week to continue your progress?

Ask: “What is the first step we need to take?” Allow the team to suggest the next step.

Often the steps are big, eg: “Start recruitment.” Ask probing questions to narrow the focus to smaller steps, “What is the first thing we would need to do in order to start recruiting?” or “What would we need to do before that?”

Step 3: Identify an owner

For each ‘next step’, ask: “Who is going to own this?”

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