Research Improves the Odds

If you're the type that can put your work out there without research and instantly people will jaw drop at your uncanny ability to send the message across, set trends and along the way you'd even win a few international awards along the way. Need not read further. Otherwise, good research improves your odds immensely. Here are 7 good practice when doing research:

1. Set the objective. What do you want to find out from your research? It is not about compiling a bunch of nothings or even showing off your knowledge on things that are not result specific. Reseach like design is problem solving.

2. Test the right sample. Test the design on the intended target audience. How they react to your design simulates how it will turn out in the market. The bigger the number the higher the probability.

3. Location, location, location. Test your design in the media where it runs whether its tv, in store or even in-flight on an airplane.

4. Use te appropriate technique. Different technique yield different results. Focus group and one on one in depth interviews are great for qualitative validation. Go beyond numbers.

5. Remember that people buy your client's product or message, not your design. When doing research focus on the message more than your design. Test "Is the message getting across?" and not "Is the design nice?".

6. Test alternatives. It's better to find your sure winner losses to another approach in testing than in the market. Make sure there's alternatives.

7. Track the results of your design. Research shouldn't stop when the creative process begins ends. Tracking lets you measure and find out whether what you're doing is working or otherwise.