Fellow Researchers Tell Us How They Use Agile Research and What It Means to Them

Earlier this winter, we fielded a study about the state of agile market research. We spoke to a total of 269 researchers from a variety of countries, industries, and departments with varying levels of research experience. The results from the two research phases (quantitative and qualitative) helped us understand the attitudes and behaviors surrounding market research in general, and specifically agile market research. We were able to uncover more about overall awareness, current usage, and likelihood to adopt agile research practices in the future.

Some interesting areas we dove into were centered on the value agile research methodologies could add to different businesses and how researchers prefer or plan to use it. Our respondents were very open and articulate with their opinions on the subject.

Here are some (edited) verbatims from our State of Agile Market Research studies that helped us better understand how other researchers see and perceive agile research methodologies and the value they can add to businesses.

First, a Mix of Unaided Definitions of What Agile Research Is

[Agile research is] quick, effective and cost managing research that doesn’t sacrifice the depth, breadth and consumer-richness of the learnings.

I’m not sure what agile market research is, but I would think it is some form of adaptive research, where there are many ways to approach a market research project based on the objective.

Ability to answer business issues using the right methodology, even if hybrid and non-traditional. Laser focusing on the business issue to solve the problem/opportunity rather than focusing on the methodology—requires art and science.

It seems new when it is combined with sprints and other buzzwords. But it’s really not new—everyone always wants it cheaper, faster, and better!

I’m not familiar with agile research, but I think it is a business requirement to become more agile. The world does not stand still while you try to research every nook and cranny. The world is moving fast, consumers are changing rapidly, and doing things in a very slow and methodical way will leave the company in the dust as competitors move with the market.

The Value of Agile Market Research Is… Responsiveness, Freedom, and the Ability to Adapt

Through an image upload exercise, we asked respondents to choose a picture that best represented their personal feelings about the value agile market research could add for them personally as well as their company.

I chose an image of Usain Bolt because he’s fast and he knows how to respond to changing conditions around him to win.

The image of an Andalusian galloping through ocean waves reminds me of the freedom that comes from being creative, taking risks, and having fun.

 

I think this implies a distinction of how I do my work and what tools I plan to use.

What Types of Projects Fit Best with Agile Research?

Anything online: online quant surveys, online discussion boards, prediction markets, etc. In-person qual is more of a challenge, but there are definitely possibilities to make this less time consuming.

Early stage product development like understanding in-home product usage and behavior, understanding shopping habits, honing concept insights and benefits.

 [Agile research is for] those with teams that are lean enough/have enough autonomy to make decisions to move forward with something or not. Overly matrixed or collaborative teams with decentralized power tend to move extremely slowly, needing to gain buy in from so many parties, and thus are better served by slower moving traditional methods. On the other hand, R&D or other lean teams tend to be able to take quicker action and are better served by agile methods.

 Anything in need of quick insights!

The best projects would be ones in which you need a quick answer or gut check on a specific question. What do consumers think about X idea? What is the consumer behavior around Y? It could quickly get to some of the “whys” when you already have some data. I think it could also work well if a team needs to make a quick decision on something like a name. Maybe they’re leaning toward something but they want to do a quick poll to make sure that they’re going in the right direction.

I think agile works best for exploratory research (trying to understand general behaviors), concept tests, journaling/ethnography—all combining discussions, surveys, and quick polls. Sharing visuals (for concept tests) or asking participants to share visuals is also a great way to engage the group.

Below, you’ll see some of the specific types of projects our respondents felt fit well with agile research methodologies.

In our experience, agile research methods can be implemented at many different stages within an existing research process or in addition to it. It’s important to understand that agile research is not always the best solution for every research need. Every researcher or client has different needs, whether personal, organizational, or specific to one project; but because of its flexibility, agile research allows teams to get to the right insights based on their specific needs. Based on this, our respondents expect agile research adoption to increase in the next five years. Moreover, 62% of respondents believed they would use agile research practices more often in the next 12 months.

What do you think about the future of agile research adoption and implementation? Let us know in the comment section below.

In case you missed it, our latest eBook features additional information on the state of agile market research, including

• the history and future of agile research adoption,
• best practices for usage,
• how agile methodologies can fit into your research toolkit,
• how to measure success when using agile methodologies, and
• how to overcome common research barriers with agile research.

Download our complimentary eBook today to learn more.