10-Apr-2023
Nine out of ten research assignments I reviewed over the last three years have had participants from the candidate’s immediate friends and family.
It’s convenient, it’s fast, but it’s also heavily inaccurate.
For example, an assignment was to understand pain points for the elderly taking Uber for their commute. The candidate interviewed his grandparents and parents, who were now senior citizen. However, during the interview, I learned that they were living in a joint family where they’d always have people to take them around or do their chores.
Similarly, another assignment aimed to understand the top problems women face when buying cars. The candidate spoke to a few friends who were approximately between the ages of 18-22. However, the output of the assignment was a generalized answer that stated that women do not have in-depth knowledge of cars. While knowledge about cars is readily available on the internet, the reason for the generalized outcome was that the participants had never genuinely considered buying a car for themselves. Had the participants been genuinely considering buying a car, they would have had different problems specific to their situation.
This kind of output reveals three things about the candidate: (1) they have not understood the assignment, (2) they could be uncomfortable talking to strangers, in which case they might struggle with future projects, or (3) they have not put enough thought into the assignment.
To avoid such errors, the candidate should follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify 3 to 4 characteristic qualities of your target assignment.
For example, for the Uber assignment, the candidate could identify these qualities:
Beyond 60 years of age
Living alone or with another elderly person
No personal means of transport
Has used Uber for their commute in the past
Step 2: Send a screener.
A screener is a survey that collects information that validates whether the candidate matches the above criteria. Send the screener to everyone you know or have come across, including unknown social groups, acquaintances, or even extended circles. However, only select individuals who meet all the above criteria.
Step 3: Learn to talk to anybody.
While it may not always come naturally, candidates can build a muscle to have conversations with anyone and everyone. They can start with saying hello to cab drivers and asking them about their day, then graduate to having random conversations about the weather with someone in a coffee shop.