3 Guidelines for Delivering an Insightful Research Report

It makes sense to most folks that the research you conduct will only be as good as the data you collect. But we believe that there’s an extra component to research that holds just as much sway over whether or not your objectives are met, and that’s the research report. Your research report should tell the story of your study, contextualizing all findings and providing implications for business strategy. Some of the biggest sins report writers can commit include

• Providing tons of verbatims from qualitative research, or graphs and tables of data from quantitative research, but no analysis of what they mean for business
• Positioning results in a way that is inconsistent with company culture or feasibility
• Answering all questions but failing to tie them together by theme or implication
• Excluding any interpretation of the findings or specific action steps moving forward

All of these errors make interpretation and decision-making that much harder for the company commissioning the research, as they now have to do all the analysis on their own. So we wanted to address a few best practices when it comes to market research report writing and presentation.

1.   Consistency and Aesthetics Matter

Reports should have a modern and consistent look, reflecting the researcher’s dedication to staying up to date on best practices and to providing accessible, understandable results to their client. We achieve an appealing, rational flow of data by focusing on one main point per page and reinforcing with visuals, be it quantitative data, stimuli replications, or video uploads. Sticking to a formula, like leading with a high-level finding and fleshing it out with supporting detail, and separating reports into sections by purpose are great ways to keep each page of a report manageable and pleasant to read.

2.   Language Should Be Active, Direct, and Comprehensible

When the data allows, making direct, proactive statements proves that a researcher stands behind their recommendations and is confident in their methodologies. Robust data should drive consumer insights that deliver on function and feasibility, so making implications explicit will help you and the client identify next steps. When choosing your language, keep in mind that the report should be a shareable document that can be translated into presentations, instructions, and standalone narratives. Relating results in straightforward, active language will provide clarity in your writing and avoid ambiguity in client interpretation.

3.   Tell the Story That Is Clear and Concise

When compiling the report, researchers should be guided by a key idea that unifies and organizes the findings as a whole. When united under a theme or purpose, the data will lead you to business implications that are actionable and easily digestible, like the next scene in a story. Our reports also give a voice to our characters—er, respondents—by providing verbatims to support key findings. As valuable as these snapshots into consumer perspectives are, be sure to choose responses that are genuinely helpful and relevant to your story, as opposed to just well written or highly emotional. Keeping a story concise means knowing what data to include as well as exclude, so take advantage of appendices to corral supplemental findings and validate raw data.

Keeping a research report engaging and relevant through consistent visual style, active, candid language, and the context of a larger brand story will help to ensure that findings are understood and acted upon. Have confidence in your data and give a voice to the consumer, and the actionable, insightful report will follow. For examples of quantitative and qualitative research reports, check out our research reports, or read the report below to see an example of what you can learn about your consumers through an attitudes and usage study.