Research Project: Living Organ Donations

Imagine if you had to find blood before you could have a surgery. What would you do? Where would you start? This is the situation if you need a kidney. Or a Liver. Or some other spare human part.

InsideHeads is researching this topic and welcoming feedback on ways to normalize living organ donations in society, as well as improve the experience for both donors and recipients.

To begin, we have an initial list of ways to improve the donor experience and need feedback. Would you be so kind to please take a quick moment to read through and comment on what goes through your mind?

Any surprises? Any you would champion? Any you disagree with? What might you change or add? All feedback is much needed and greatly appreciated, as we begin our initial fact finding mission to design a comprehensive, long term, and effective research study. Thank you!

15 Suggested Improvements to Improve the Living Organ Donor Experience

1) Healthcare team member bios and genuine introductions to the donor candidate

2) Clear understanding of the donor advocate/social worker position and the donor patient’s rights

3) Who sees what when regarding confidential donor patient data

4) Access to, and explanation of, donor patient test results

5) Secure private messaging with the donor healthcare team

6) Clear explanation of what will happen to the donor patient (and their body) from pre to post op

7) Notification, transparency and consent for invasive supplemental procedures the hospital considers standard

8) Who will be allowed in the OR and why, and how privacy during the operation will be maintained

9) Steps taken to ensure donor patient privacy and dignity, and how those are guaranteed

10) The opportunity to make reasonable requests for increased privacy, and how those requests will be ensured

11) Telehealth zoom meetings with healthcare team that are guaranteed secure and private

12) How all communication with the healthcare team complies fully with HIPAA

13) Visitor ID checks and appointment verification upon entrance to the hospital.

14) Donor patient escort out of the hospital and helped into a ride when released after surgery

15) An official operative report where the original record is accurate, complete, and transparent to the donor patient post surgery

If you are interested in participating in the data collection (help with distribution of surveys and recruiting for focus groups), please call! The non-profit we work for is looking to build a research army across the country to gather much needed data on consumer thoughts and behavior. We need you!

Quant or Qual

How to choose the best method for your research study

Quantitative and qualitative research are both scientific methods for data collection and analysis. They can be applied alone, or in combination, to maximize insights.

The Basic Difference: Going Beyond What vs. Why

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH, AKA QUANT

Quantitative research relies on large sample sizes to collect numerical data that can be mathematically analyzed for statistically significantfindings. Surveys are structured, questions are typically closed-ended, and answer choices are fixed. However, quantitative research may also include a limited number of short-answer open-ended questions to help clarify why people responded the way they did to a closed-ended question. Eye tracking, facial coding, and even Big Data fall under the umbrella of quantitative research, with computers analyzing enormous volumes of data incredibly fast.

Quantitative studies produce numerical data, which allows for statistical analysis and ultimately precise findings. The US Census is a great example of a quantitative research study – fixed and close-ended questions, an enormous sample size, a collective review of many respondents, and measured population segments.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, AKA QUAL

In contrast, qualitative research seeks to understand the reasons behind the numbers, as well as what is not yet known. Sample sizes are smaller, questions are unstructured, and results more subjective. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative studies insert the researcher into the data collection process. The researcher probes responses and participants provide more detail. Qualitative data is collected through interviews, group discussions, diaries, personal observations, and a variety of other creative and ever-expanding means.

Qual studies work with textual and visual data, interpreted and analyzed for directional findings. Qualitative research studies include fluid and open-ended questions, a smaller sample size, an in-depth review of each respondent, and emerging themes.

Visual representation of how quantitative + qualitative data differs

A quant study collects specific data from a large number of people, and a qual study goes deeper to collect greater insights from a small number of people.

How to Choose

The answer to whether you proceed with quantitative or qualitative research lies in your research objective and available resources.

  • Why you’re doing the research
  • What you need to know
  • Your budget, staff, + schedule
  • How the findings will be used

Consider these possible scenarios the next time you’re stuck and don’t know which way to go:

Quant + qual can come together in other ways. A questionnaire with open-ended questions, while ultimately coded numerically, can offer a window into the unknown. Focus groups that also include poll questions or surveys can produce hard data when analyzed in total, even if the results are not statistically significant.

With good planning, quantitative and qualitative research come together like a dance, guiding the marketer’s success with every step.

I Say Hybrid, You Say Multi-Method

Combining quantitative and qualitative research approaches is an ancient strategy, but the names continue to change with the times. I did a bit of research and found the following terms being used to describe that ideal combination of quantitative and qualitative research. What term do you use? And why? 😉

Personalized Attention from InsideHeads

“I really appreciate the personalized attention and customer service from InsideHeads. I have recommended the InsideHeads online focus group platform to several research colleagues.”

InsideHeads client ratings + reviews
Holly Gooding, Assistant Professor, Harvard University

QRCA Annual Conference

Every year, all members of the Qualitative Research Consultant’s Association (QRCA) are invited to convene at the national conference. With so many research industry conferences to choose from, why is the annual QRCA event always top of my list?

Because it’s worth it.

The cost of my annual membership and the one-time conference fee is nominal compared to the value I derive from the experience, both personally and professionally.

Since becoming a member of QRCA in 2006, I’ve missed just two annual conferences and have no plans to miss another. Each year, I joyfully eject myself from the office and immerse myself in a pool of peeps interested in how humans do what they do and why humans think what think.

The QRCA conference is not your typical annual bash, with a slew of pushy sales presentations. Instead, topics and speakers are heavily vetted, ensuring each conference includes the most relevant, useful, and inspiring learning sessions. Dedicated vendors support the conference by displaying and demonstrating the newest tools and technology for qualitative research. And members open their arms, from a distance if necessary, to welcome you fondly into the fold.

For all who are QRCA or want to be, looking forward to seeing you in-person in San Diego January 19-21, 2022!

x             o              x            o          !

-jen

Why are Some Marketing Research Studies Doomed to Fail?

Regardless how you intend to get your data, the first few steps to achieving success are often brushed over or pushed aside on the way to the finish line. Before identifying the best means of engagement, it’s critical to clearly define both the research objective and the target audience.

  • Where you’re going and why
  • Who you need to interview and why.

Like a beacon of light, a well considered objective propels a project purposely forward to the finish line. Without it, findings flail and resulting recommendations are at risk.

Knowing who to interview to achieve the objective must also be clearly defined. Recruiting appropriate participants starts with a client conversation to identify  demographic, lifestyle, and behavioral attributes of prospective participants. Well designed, unbiased screening questionnaires and extensive identity verification procedures ensure accurate and effective recruiting.

Despite the simplicity of this secret sauce, InsideHeads surveyed research buyers on LinkedIn and discovered “actionable insights” to be “most desired”, yet also “rarely achieved”.

InsideHeads clients always receive pointed recommendations. Born from a deep understanding of both data collection and strategic direction, InsideHeads delivers intelligent insights that will move your unique initiatives forward.

Which Online Qual Research Method Has the Lowest CPI?

Calculating cost-per-interview (CPI) of different qualitative research methods can be an eye-opening exercise. Excluding recruiting and incentives, which vary, we can estimate typical costs of different methods.

CPI estimates below assume:

  • 4 focus groups
  • focus facility & support
  • project management
  • moderator fees (guide design, interviews, & analysis)

In-Person Groups – Face to Face in Real Time

6-8 Participants for 2 hours

Average CPI $650

Multi-Media Bulletin Board Over Time

15-20 Participants for 3-5 days

Average CPI $353

Text Chat in Real Time

15-20 Participants for up to 2 hours

Average CPI $191

Webcam (Video Chat) in Real Time

3-5 Participants for up to 2 hours

Average CPI $988

Contact InsideHeads for a free estimate on your next online marketing research study. Call +1-877-In-Heads or email info@insideheads.com.

When Did Online Qual Begin?

The moment people could connect and communicate online, researchers were there. In the beginning the research was technical, paving the way for a vast network of open communication that was to follow.

As this virtual network of people grew, marketing researchers strapped on their boots and began exploring new ways of mining and collecting data. It wasn’t long before social researchers suited-up and started using email, group chats, and bulletin board systems to gather information. All of these initial efforts cleared the way for what is now known as online qualitative research.

While the first online focus group via group text was conducted by Marian Salzman in a pimped-out AOL chat room in 1992, it was actually research boards that came first. As early as 1984, when the “internet” was limited and accessible by only government researchers and universities, one student at Syracuse University was using a bulletin board system over NSFNET to interview students at UCLA.

Learn more about the history of online qualitative research in Qual-Online, the Essential Guide, available on Amazon.

Online or In-person Focus Groups?

When comparing the costs to conduct focus groups online to in-person (face-to-face), it’s important to consider which elements are, and are not, included in each.  First, let’s compare the basics of four popular types of focus groups:

In-Person Face to Face in Real Time

6-8 Participants for 2 hours

Multi-Media Online Bulletin Board Over Time

15-20 Participants for 3-5 days

Online Text Chat in Real Time

15-20 Participants for up to 2 hours

Webcam (Video Chat) in Real Time

3-5 Participants for up to 2 hours

Now let’s take a look at the cost categories each of those focus group methods will include:

Recruiting & Incentives

Recruiting for online or in-person requires effort, attention, and reliable sources. Cost per recruit are comparable across methods.

Facility & Live Support (in-person or virtual)

Whether your interview is conducted within a brick and mortar building or using an online research platform, people need a place to gather. Multimedia Bulletin Boards and Webcam Groups are still ripe for tech issues, so going with providers who offer significant support is both wise and costly.

Research Services (e.g., discussion guide design, moderate, report)

Expert researchers put in the hours to design studies that will yield reliable data and reveal keen insights. Research expertise is needed to conduct any focus group , but the amount of time required will vary. Bulletin boards and Webcam groups require the most time and attention, while chats are the most time and energy efficient. In-person groups means everyone has to travel, and you’ll also incur ancillary facility costs for food and administrative help.

When figuring costs, consider the volume and quality of conversation that results from each of the four group interview methods listed.

In both in-person and webcam focus groups, only one person can speak at a time, yet bulletin boards and online chats enable everyone to talk simultaneously. This multi-synchronous response maximizes the volume and depth of data you can receive in the same amount of time.

Also consider the fact that in-person and webcam conversations provide helpful facial cues, yet boards and chats prompt more candid responses from participants.

Bottom line? There’s no easy answer. The options available for conducting group interviews each have their pros and cons for different situations. Checkout average CPI for each method in this post.

Before you pick your platform and plow ahead, consider first taking stock of your research needs. You may find a perfect fit in a more budget-friendly method!

Contact InsideHeads for a free assessment, +1(877)-In-Heads.

Who Provides the Best Marketing Research Platforms?

When conducting marketing research online, it’s important to understand and implement the technology required for your target market. So who do you tap for the best research platforms: a company who knows technology, or a company who knows research?

Let’s look closer at what makes the best online marketing research platforms successful:

Mobile FriendlyMobile Research Studies

Today, online research studies need to be mobile responsive, while also accommodating older technology (some people still use desktop computers, it’s true.) While reported estimates vary, it’s safe to say that most of your online survey respondents will see it first on a smartphone.

Seamless Access

Platforms also need to be easy for all possible respondents to understand and use. With so much invested in recruiting, why send prospects to a survey that might not work? The best data collection, whether quantitative (surveys) or qualitative (online focus groups & IDIs), comes from research platforms that work seamlessly on any device, O/S, or browser.

Affordable

If you have to blow your entire budget on technology, we’ll just call that misdirected funds. The most expensive technology comes from fat tech firms who hang their hat on staying relevant and being “agile”. The best technology comes from companies who understand the market and custom design robust platforms with stable, time-tested code that eliminates the need for expensive user support. Tools like these are the secret weapons of seasoned researchers.

For your next online marketing research study, consider a company that understands technology and research. InsideHeads conducts marketing research and designs & develops the best marketing research platforms to do it correctly. From programming to presentations, InsideHeads has been conducting successful online marketing research studies since 1998.

Give us a call, you’ll like what you hear.   +1(877)-IN-HEADS

Great Ideas Gone Wrong

When you hear a great idea, how do you know? The idea may sound great, but just because it has good intentions doesn’t mean it will work.  At the very least, a great idea should be feasible and harmless to others.

Good Intentions

Not long ago a group of dedicated volunteers in my town got together to raise money for the local rescue squad. Their idea was to print and sell drink cards that offered a free drink at each of 6 local restaurants. The drinks were valued at $36 and the cards were priced at $20, and all the local restaurants agreed to accept them. Our town is a heavy tourist destination, so cards were given as gifts to visitors to encourage them to check-out local establishments.

Lasting Damage

People bought lots of drink cards and loads of money went to the rescue squad. Success, right? Wrong. Visitors who received the gifted drink card and attempted to use it encountered restrictions and ignorance from uninformed seasonal bar staff. So while the money was made in the moment, the damage of dissing tourists is immeasurable. Vacationers not only recount bad experiences to friends and family members, today their comments on social media reach further and linger longer. Ouch.

The drink card debacle is just one small example in the shadow of a far more substantial bad idea that occurred in Flint, Michigan. Town officials saved money in the moment, but gave way to irreversible damage down the line. Hindsight… you know what they say. So what’s the takeaway?

No Repeat

I can’t help but wonder: We all learn from our own mistakes, so why can’t we also learn from the mistakes of others? Sure, big gaffes get the news, but most mistakes only enlighten the bumbler. In today’s connected world, where is the portal to deposit our lessons learned? Facebook and Instagram are filled with accomplishments, carefully selected ‘selfies’, and emotional, envy-inducing posts. Wikipedia offers us our collectively edited facts, and millions of websites push products and self-serving information. Where is the hub for all things that went horribly wrong? All the lessons of war. Of life. A virtual library of bittersweet warnings, filled with evidence of what not to do.  Or perhaps a way to tag those bits of learning amidst all that worldly web content.

With today’s technology and our tendency to share, a blunder blog sure sounds like great idea…