Consumer research is continuously evolving. But, for evolving in the right direction, collaborative research is a must. Like how a single superhero can’t save the world, a single person cannot run an entire brand. It takes a culmination of knowledge, perspective and experience to foster innovation and drive growth.

Collaborative Research helps-

‍1) gather valuable insights,

2) make informed decisions,

3) solve complex real-time problems,

4) gain a deeper understanding of changing market trends,

5) stay ahead of the curve,

6) build positive and stronger relationships etc. 

But as the old saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”, collaborative research needs to be agile and structured for it to be successful. Otherwise, it will be a cesspool of information with little to no actionable results. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to conduct collaborative research for optimum results.

How to Conduct Successful Collaborative Research?

1. Create a Common Workspace

Collaborative Research requires different teams to come together. But, there are many factors to consider here, for example- time zones, expertise, bandwidth, difference in language, existing infrastructure etc. This makes it essential to have a common workspace. 

A common workspace can be accessed by anyone involved, at any time. This offers flexibility, transparency and adds agility to the overall research process. 

These workspaces can be used to -

• Share research findings, feedback and suggestions
• Get a bird’s eye view of the progress of the study 
• Easily cross-collaborate with any stakeholders who are not directly involved in the study
• Keep track of all the raw data and insights gained

Also read: What is Agile Consumer Research and How to Get Started?

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2. Breakdown a Study into Smaller Segments

Snippets help breakdown long discussions or media into smaller, easily consumable segments. This fastens the process of identifying and communicating key insights.

Be it quantitative or qualitative research, to foster collaboration, it is essential to share key highlights and segments to avoid duplication of tasks. 

Segments can be used to- 

• Reduce overall turn-around-time
• Access key moments and insights
• Analyze and address any minute details
• Highlight only the specific part of a discussion or media to external stakeholders

Also Read: Creating a Research Repository with Quantitative and Qualitative Insights

3. Don’t Let Language Be a Barrier

When there are multiple people involved, language needs to be taken into consideration. By opting for platforms that offer translation as a part of the common workspace, you can make the study more inclusive and get better suggestions.

Translation can aid better collaborative research by- 

• Improving communication by helping researchers avoid misunderstandings and bridging the language gap
• Making information accessible 
• Promoting a healthy and respectful research environment by enhancing cultural understanding

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4. Use Emotion AI Technologies

While analyzing data, every stakeholder has a different perspective. This varies based on their domain of expertise and experience. This might cause unnecessary tension while trying to make informed decisions. 

With Emotion AI technologies like facial coding, eye tracking and voice AI, you have a second opinion to validate your opinions and take the right decision. 

You can also-

• Map the underlying emotions of your consumers
• Understand which claims are true
• Get actionable and proof-based insights

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5. Ditch the PPT

PPTs get lost in time and in a huge pile of emails. While it is instinctive to share a report with all the insights in ppt or similar formats, it is not sustainable. 

Research is continued process where trends from the past can come back anytime. Also, with increasing competition, the focus on innovation is increasing every passing day. This makes accessing old suggestions and research from various teams a massive and impossible task. 

By storing all your insights, feedbacks and suggestions online in the form of a webpage or community, you can improve collaboration without worrying about data loss. This is also immune to people leaving the organization and any changes to existing study. 

Bottom Line

Collaborative research is essential to foster innovation and drive growth. To conduct collaborative research effectively and efficiently, it is essential to address the minute bottlenecks and be open to advancing your research process. Technology has made collaboration simple, easy and seamless. With evolving market trends and cut-throat competition, it is important to collaborate instead of conducting siloed research.

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