5 Things to Consider When Evaluating DIY Research Platforms

Featured image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

DIY research, of course, refers to do-it-yourself research. For our purposes here, it refers to conducting online marketing, product, or user research. Specifically, it means using AI-powered online research software, applications, or an online survey tool.

Have you ever done DIY research yourself? You may be familiar with Google Forms which has given everyone the power to adopt DIY research in the forms of polls, surveys, quizzes, and real-time data collection. DIY research relies on similar tools. Basically, DIY research platforms enable individuals and businesses to carry out market, brand, and consumer research themselves. This means they don’t need to outsource to a professional agency.

Why Should You Consider Using a DIY Research Tool?

Why should one adopt this method for consumer, market, or brand insight research? Simply put, these tools can provide faster and more useful results at a lower cost. However, many businesses and researchers are still unsure about their value and data quality. Is this reluctance because of the quality of these tools? Or are researchers resistant to change?

To help you make your decision, simply ensure that the platform you use for DIY research will benefit you. Ask yourself,” Will I save on saving marketing costs by using this tool?” And, “Will I be able to gather effective and customer-centric insights more quickly and efficiently?” If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, the tool will probably be useful to you.

What Makes a DIY Research Platform Good?

Technological advancements have made it easier than ever for businesses and market researchers to access DIY research tools. However, you must consider a few things before picking the right platform. For example:

1. Does the Platform Deliver Unbiased Results?

You may be aware that if you phrase or format a question as if you expect a specific answer you may receive a biased result. Questions in a survey format that are difficult to understand can also lead to biased results.

Therefore, ensure that the platform can return honest feedback by using only a few short questions, no more than four. Then you can examine any potential bias.

Additionally, avoid making assumptions about the respondents or confusing them with double-negative or vague questions.

2. Does It Allow You to Target the Right Audience?

This is crucial. The tool must enable you to collect a certain level of insight so that you can determine the changes or developments you need to make with your products or services.

In other words, a DIY platform must allow you to identify your perfect target respondents using filters based on demographics such as age, gender, location, and other relevant factors depending on your brand.

The tool must also facilitate you in asking the right questions in the right way. For example, “yes/no” questions or multiple choice lists of answers to pick from are not enough. The platform you choose must allow your respondents to answer “why” questions. In other words, they need to have the chance to assess your marketing creatives and materials.

Basically, a DIY research platform should be able to collect the in-depth insights you need. Then it must be able to analyze your data and collate it in a clear and easily readable format.

3. Does Your DIY Research Platform Ensure Data Security?

Naturally, you are concerned about the security of your personal information and privacy. These days, most people are.

A failure to consider data security in your market and consumer insights research can have serious legal and business ramifications. This is the main reason why the DIY research tool you choose has to be able to protect your respondents’ personal and private information. Moreover, it must also protect you, your employees, and your organization as a whole.

4. Do You Have Enough Control over the Tools You Need to Use?

You must have sufficient control over whatever DIY research tool you choose. Having the right level of control over the platform guarantees that you will be able to collect beneficial insights to help you with decision-making. Moreover, it should also be flexible enough to conduct the research you need. Beware of platforms that come with multiple restrictions installed by a tool’s developers.

5. Can You Use Your DIY Research Platform to Leverage the Latest Technologies?

You can overcome most of the limitations of a typical DIY tool. What’s more, you can enhance its performance substantially using the appropriate technologies.

For example, technology-enabled tools can identify and understand human emotions from people’s facial and eye expressions. Such tools can therefore overcome limitations such as biased results. They can also enable you to drill down to the right respondents or gain more control over your research program.

Look also for a DIY research platform’s capability to collate, analyze, and provide relevant insights for your business. In other words, be sure that the DIY research platform you choose gives you a greater ability to make good decisions. This is a must.

Here’s How to Ensure the Platform Meets Your Requirements

Ensure the platform meets your requirements by means of a variety of techniques:

Request free trials in order to try and assess the tools on your own.
Ask for a demonstration so you can inquire about your specific needs.
Seek feedback from existing users by taking a look at customer testimonials and case studies. Also, seek opinions from the people in your network.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW CONTENT MARKETING CAN HELP YOU

Finding the Perfect DIY Research Tool Is Worth the Effort

Businesses and market and user researchers are increasingly using DIY market research tools. While early DIY research tools could not work without human expertise, newer tools rely in AI.

Factoring in the above guidelines and adopting the technologies suggested here will empower you with a real self-serve platform from which to conduct top-quality market and user research. A DIY research platform will enrich your initial basic research through technologies that will analyze and consider human emotions expressed through the face, voice, and eyes of its respondents. Such platforms have the potential to be highly useful for businesses and marketers as well as user researchers.