Glossary

Language matters. Talking to stakeholders, in focus groups, on questionnaires. Take time to get it exactly right
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Ad Hoc Research
Research that is specially commissioned, in which the design of the study is tailored to the specific requirements of the client. Sometimes also referred to as tailor-made or bespoke research.

Conjoint Analysis

Algorithm Break out

A statistical modelling technique which enables complex combinations of options or attributes to be ordered and ranked in a meaningful way based on customer responses.

A mathematical formula, model or set of rules, usually used to generate predictions from different inputs.
Where research or analysis results are required for a particular sub-sample within a larger sample, e.g. teenage boys within an all males sample. If you intend making important decisions based on a break out, then ensure sample sizes are sufficient for that purpose.

Customer

An individual or business to whom you provide a service.

Customer or Segment Closeness

Also known as personal immersion. Techniques for clients to have direct interaction with and observation of customers or a segment, to help build understanding and develop ideas.

Customer Journey

CHAID (Chi square aid) Analysis

A statistical technique used to describe the relationship between one dependent variable (e.g. satisfaction) and a number of independent variables. Results are usually presented in a decision tree format. One of the types of multivariate analysis.

The steps customers go through when interacting with an organisation, key points of which can be identified (mapped) and explored.

Customer or Segment Understanding

Cluster Analysis

A deep appreciation about customers and segments, involving a knowledge of who they are, what they do, what they think and feel and what they want or need from us.

A statistical technique used to identify groups of individuals who are similar to each other and dissimilar to individuals in other groups.

Database

A set of computerised quantitative data, records or statistics available for analysis.

Cost-benefit Analysis

Depth Interviews

For a project or initiative, a comparison of the costs vs. benefits to help assess whether a project is worthwhile. Ideally, benefits are also quantified in financial terms (e.g. savings) so a return on investment can be calculated, although for some projects this may not be possible.

Personal, in-depth one-to-one interviewing, often used for qualitative customer research where the subject matter is very sensitive, or where full comprehension of the issues is critical.

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Desk Research
Must be done before commissioning new research and refers to any information which is already or easily available. Includes internal sources, such as government statistics and previous research, free sources such as the internet and external sources such as commercial market reports which can be bought off the shelf e.g. Mintel, Euromonitor.

Focus Groups/Group Discussions

The most common qualitative research technique. Groups are normally attended by 6-8 people, facilitated by an experienced, highly skilled interviewer. Can be very effective in getting beneath surface perceptions and reasoning. Mini groups are focus groups with 4-5 people.

Diagnostics

Geo-demographics

In research or analysis, refers to the reasons why a behaviour or perception exists. Diagnostics can be stated or direct (reasons explicitly given by a respondent) or can be inferred or indirect (interpreted or derived from other respondent responses).

Ethnography

A branch of qualitative research which is focussed on observation with minimal interaction; sometimes called observational research. Includes observing participants over a time period, during a task or exercise to understand what happens in practice and unconscious actions/language. Often involves fly on the wall filming or recording and, increasingly, web approaches e.g. observing chat rooms or blogs. Interpretation is usually provided within a psychological or sociological context.

Historically, geo-demographics has classified and segmented people related to census information and where they live (increasingly postcode). There are numerous commercial systems available e.g. Acorn, Mosaic etc. which are predominantly used for direct marketing. Technology shifts have led to the development of Real time geo-demographics which includes a wider range of more dynamic spatial information such as out of home locations and time of day.

Golden Questions

Face to Face Interviewing

A set of questions or rules which allows you to recruit or identify segments in future qualitative or quantitative studies without replicating the whole segmentation analysis. For quantitative studies or databases, you typically aim to predict segment membership with 70% accuracy.

Interviewing a respondent in person rather than by telephone or online. Often abbreviated in documentation as F2F and also referred to as personal interviewing.

Hypothesis Insight

A possible explanation about why things are the way they are, to be tested and proved or disproved. A deep truth based on behaviour, experiences, attitudes, emotions or beliefs that is relevant to the task or issue, rings bells with target customers and is powerful enough to effect change.

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique to examine responses to questions (usually scaled questions) to create groups of questions which are similar to each other and dissimilar to questions in other groups. Usually done as a precursor to segmentation analyses or to reduce duplication in a complex questionnaire.

Integrated Data Sets

A new data set based on merging or overlaying different databases and/or quantitative data sources.

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Latent Class Analysis Multivariate Analysis Needstate
A more recent type of Cluster analysis which can take into account a wider range of different types of information. An umbrella term for statistical techniques that simultaneously examine relationships between a number of variables. An umbrella term which summarises the set of needs, wants and aspirations that apply to a particular issue or in a particular situation. Segmentations can be developed where people are differentiated according to their different needstates.

Pairs

A qualitative approach where respondents are interviewed as a pair, rather than individually. Useful where some dynamic is helpful, but where the topic, or respondents themselves, may be sensitive. Sometimes set up as friendship pairs where respondents know each other.

Pilot

Small-scale test of a questionnaire or discussion to ensure it is working properly and optimised before the full fieldwork.

Psychographics

Omnibus Survey

A regular, syndicated fieldwork service usually among a large general sample, e.g. all adults, where a client buys one or more tailor-made questions to be asked of all or part of the sample. Offers a relatively cheap and quick means of obtaining a limited amount of quantified information from a large sample. Interviews can be via F2F or phone.

An umbrella term which summarises the set of motivations and underlying psychological assumptions which apply to a particular segment.

Qualitative Research

Online Quantitative

Exploratory research among small numbers of customers. Particularly good at understanding why respondents act/think in particular ways (diagnostics) and language. Techniques include focus groups, depths, pairs and triads.

Interviewing a respondent online rather than via F2F or telephone. Online research is increasingly conducted through panels of respondents who have agreed to take part in market research on an ongoing basis.

Quantitative Research Respondent

Measurement research conducted among a large enough sample of respondents to generate statistically significant data. Anyone responding to any kind of market research. It could be an individual, someone from a business, or some kind of stakeholder.

Online Qualitative

An umbrella term which can cover a variety of techniques including online focus groups, chat rooms, websites and blogs. Often used on technology-related issues or among technology-savvy, geographically dispersed samples.

Segmentation

The sub-dividing of people with distinctive shared needs and characteristics into homogeneous, reachable groups based on three dimensions who they are, what they do and how they think and feel.

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Socio-demographics
Classifying people based on a range of objective characteristics typically encompassing age, gender, working status and occupation type.

Sponsor

The person or group funding a research study.

Stakeholder

A person or group who can affect or can be affected by the segmentation whether favourably or adversely.

Stimulus or Stimuli

An umbrella term used to describe any materials used to prompt respondents or help them articulate responses. Includes materials such as pictures, words, concepts, products or examples of communication.

Telephone Interviewing

Interviewing a respondent by telephone rather than in person, online or by mail. Often used for quantitative research and for qualitative research among professional or business samples.

Triads

A qualitative approach where respondents are interviewed as a trio, rather than individually. Useful where some dynamic is helpful, but where respondents may be harder to recruit, making it difficult to run full focus groups.

Tracking

Monitoring particular measures/objectives in the same way over time so you can identify changes or progress.

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A last word
Many thanks to the project team for their valuable help and support in pulling this guide together: Mel Beard Franco Degan Stephen Hooker Sara Jones Andrew Parker Her Majestys Revenue and Customs Department for Transport Central Office of Information Department for Children, Schools and Families Department for Work and Pensions