I currently work as a content analyst on the market insights team at Hanover Research, specialized in survey design and analysis for B2C clients from various industries. For confidentiality reasons, I cannot share most client work here. However, I will explain a little bit about my typical workflow and projects.
Typical Workflow
I work on research with clients from various industries from technology to educational software to consumer packaged goods.
Stage 1: Pre-Design Scope
I begin by discussing client requests and needs. At this stage, I identify the goal(s) of the research, determine the target sample, and identify which methodologies will best serve the research questions. If necessary, I will facilitate conversations with the client for additional information or clarification.
Stage 2: Study Design
I then design studies focusing on target users, study goals, and data collection methods. At this stage, I recommend and implement methods that clearly address the client’s research questions, then write and program clean and easy-to-understand questionnaires accordingly. Again, I involve the client in this stage if any clarification is needed on the research details.
Stage 3: Analysis/Write-up
Once data have been collected, I clean and analyze data, create data visuals and/or interactive crosstabs, and write client-ready deliverables with actionable insights. At this stage, I write concise and comprehensive reports that address all of the client’s research questions.
Stage 4: Follow-up with Clients
Once the client receives the deliverables, I facilitate a client call to walk through the report. At this stage, I typically explain how data have been analyzed, how they should be interpreted, and what kind of actionable conclusions the client can draw from them in relation to their business agenda. I suggest ways to improve business development, user experiences, or concept designs with supporting evidence from the research in order to make informed business decisions.
Typical Outcome
I work within very tight timeline – typically producing at least one client-ready deliverable a week. These deliverables can be full Word document reports, PowerPoint reports, short white paper pieces, Excel data supplement, online dashboards, or Tableau dashboards, depending on decisions made during the pre-design scope stage.