This year, for the first time in my career, I’ve been thanked a lot by respondents.

After taking part, respondents have emailed or texted me a thank you to say they really enjoyed the research. It’s really pleased me, because it’s great to know they’ve enjoyed the process. But, I think (hope) it’s a sign too that I’m doing something right in the way that I’m running projects.

Here’s what I think has happened in the last year because of some changes I’ve made in the way that I do research…

I’ve connected directly with more respondents. I’ve phoned them up before the research session to check them out, warm them up, and to prime them. I’ve given them my number so they can contact me at any point during the research project too.

These pre-research conversations have meant I’ve been able to pre-check a good many and weed out most of the wrong ‘uns.

I haven’t just pre-checked respondents, though. I’ve been priming them for the research ahead. Michael Herbert has written about ‘deliberate practice’, and the value of introducing people to the exercises and conversations they are about to experience in research before they get going. I’ve been doing my own version of that by objective sharing, explaining what is expected in sessions, and also, sometimes, by giving respondents involving pre-tasks that really get them thinking/ feeling before they come along to the session.

And I have give respondents prizes for their pre-tasks too. It motivates them to give more of themselves. It seems competition increases respondents’ enjoyment and sense of participation.

Participants more than respondents. I think this is why I’ve had happier respondents. They’ve been participants more than respondents. More than ever this year I’ve got respondents to record their behaviour. I’ve used mobile and on-line qualitative software to record snacking, eating breakfast, travelling to work, being at work, having a cold… you name it, I’ve had people recording what they’ve been experiencing in the moment, or near that moment.

People are interested in themselves. Their own behaviour surprises them, and once they start to see how ‘they are’, they become intrigued – participants in a study, rather than respondents in a survey.

Once they participate they start to create. So this year, people have (unasked) drawn me packaging ideas, they’ve recorded videos and put them to music, they’ve created new thinking. I believe that by having a conversation with respondents along the way, helping them feel noticed and listened to… that’s made a difference.

The research has been more interesting and easier for respondents. Over the years I have learnt that when you ask a bad question, people answer you at an angle. They give you a half answer, one that’s in the region of what you are talking about, but not where you want to be.

This year I’ve concentrated on easy questions only. Questions I know people will be able to answer.

I think that’s why I’ve got a good response rate. I’ve focused on getting people to describe themselves and their experiences rather than explain themselves. I’ve been listening and looking and I’ve given them a chance to hear and see themselves too. I have done more depths than groups, and more repeat interviews, and I’ve spent more time on stimulus that will help them explore decision making in realistic ways.

In one of my studies the fieldwork has lasted from September to December…so respondents have really worked hard for me and got lots of attention and learning themselves too. (For example, in the longer project I shared key project insights with respondents and asked them to feed back their thoughts.)

There are Downsides!
Of course, I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way this year too.

Having more involvement with respondents, means that boundaries can be blurred. I have accepted and invited people to call me at all hours – and that’s not for everyone!

I’ve also had some real ‘coasters’ in research too. I’ve given some really generous incentives this year and some respondents have been really happy to snap my hand off for the money (my clients’ money) and not give much back in return. In 2015 I’m going to give every respondent a written description of what’s expected so I can terminate their participation if they are not keeping their side of the bargain.

I’ve spent more man hours on the front end of projects that ever before – all that attention is time consuming, and I haven’t always been able to reflect that in my costs (because I’ve got my time estimates wrong).

I’ve realised that to give respondents your time and attention you need to share the load, and my best run project this year was when I had two researchers on a project doing the fieldwork and one researcher dedicated to managing respondents and their on-line posts prior to interviews.

So in 2015 there’s plenty of room for improvement. However, I’m utterly convinced that if we put the respondent at the heart of the research process good things happen. Good things like great insight, real and true.