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Becker, R. (1999):
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CITATION: Becker, Robert Direct Observation: Some Practical Advice, Jump White Paper, Jump Associates, San Mateo, October 1999. A previous version of this article appeared as Take Direct Route When Data-Gathering, Marketing News, American Marketing Association, September 27, 1999. 1999 Jump Associates LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.jumpassociates.com.
their actions. When taking pictures, shut off the flash. Wear clothes and use language that matches whats typical in the environment. Look for non-verbal clues. Facial expressions and body language convey a great deal of information about peoples attitudes and feelings. This nonverbal data becomes especially crucial when people wont articulate their emotionseither because they dont feel comfortable discussing their feelings or because they have difficulty explaining their responses. Record even the obvious or the seemingly unimportant. Whats obvious to one researcher might offer insight to another. Seemingly unimportant details sometimes turn out to be the key to a persons needs. Dont just wait for the great observations. Beware of leading questions. Avoid multiple choice questions or statements phrased as questions. They presuppose the range of answers, which can prevent one from seeing entirely new answers. Instead, use open-ended questions to allow the customer to phrase issues in his/her own words.
Record information in the customers terms. When documenting a discussion with a customer, record the persons statements in his or her own words as much as possible. Their choice of words can carry meaning that would be lost if it were paraphrased. Look beyond the immediately solvable problem. Record even complex issues that are beyond the scope of the immediate project or the teams current abilities. Recognizing and dissecting these deeper problems allows the company to plan for the issues that should be fixed down the road, even when they are not currently solvable. Customer research has to be rooted both in these basic principles and in other rigorous data gathering and analysis methods. With such tools, marketing professionals can drive innovation in their organizations and steer product development teams toward better meeting the needs of everyday people.
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