It’s not much of a party without the client.
Remember the parlor game where you could whisper a message in the ear of the person on your right, and once it had gone full circle the person on your left would deliver to you a completely different message? The sad truth is that humans are poor communication links.
That unfortunate trait can be particularly troublesome when conducting qualitative research with consumers, particularly on something as complex as a website.
Because of this, we require our clients physically attend our sessions with users, observing from behind the one-way mirror and communicating with the moderator through Instant Messaging during the groups. The more clients and stakeholders (agencies, management, etc.) that attend, the better the result.
Why is that? We believe there are four key reasons.
First, so much of communication is not simply the words that come out of consumers’ mouths. Human communication includes so much more. Some cognitive psychologists believe that over 90% of human communication is non-verbal. That this means that vocal inflection, body language, facial expression and even the use of silence has important human-to-human communication value. But, it takes two to tango. Without the client there to experience real user reaction viscerally, it’s the tree falling in the forest without a sound -- because no one was there to hear it.
Yes, there are transcripts or presentations, but these documents always mean more to the people who attended than to those who did not. Why is that? Because the written reports reprise the experience in the mind of the attendee while it presents an entirely new paradigm for the client that did not attend. This is something akin to forcing your next door neighbor through your vacation slides. They are exciting to you because they conjure up the fun and adventure of your trip. But, they’re boring to your neighbor because they weren’t with you at the Grand Canyon.
It is striking how many in this industry use a written report as the final word. Clients should never allow qualitative research on their websites to be conducted without their presence. We often advise clients to be sure that “decision makers” observe the sessions. This guarantees fast-track treatment of recommendations that follow.
The second reason that clients must be present is that they actually help guide the research. At its best, diagnostic qualitative research is fluid and flexible. It is a progressive journey: the first group’s results help shape the second group, the second’s group’s results impact the third group, and so on.
The client (and the client’s stakeholders) bring a wealth of background and information that can help in the interpretation of results on the spot, adding a depth and understanding which helps to shape subsequent groups. Clients hear nuance in consumers’ discussion that they can relate back to earlier research. The result of this “connect the dots” experience can be powerful and present new opportunity.
The third reason that clients must be present at Blue Bear groups is for alignment. Because the communication that takes place is so direct -- to the point that the client truly sees the website through the eyes of the user -- clients can create very solid new models of user behavior, needs and expectations. When the observation room is filled with different stakeholders, the alignment “snaps into place” with remarkable speed and certainty. By contrast, simply reading a third party report typically creates more questions, increases doubt and adds even more variables to what may be an already puzzling situation.
Blue Bear focuses on the consumer-user as the “star of the show” because they ultimately will determine the success or failure of the website and, in a larger sense, of the business itself. Because of this, the client needs to experience the consumer in person as they engage the website. All the friction, navigational hurdles, confusing copy, nonsensical labels, broken links and ugly product presentations create a lasting impression on everyone in the observation room.
Finally, clients need to be present at Blue Bear groups because they legitimize breakthroughs. Yes, breakthroughs -- the kind of learnings that “change everything” -- do happen in Blue Bear sessions. But, if the client were not present for the “epiphanies”, they would be understandably skeptical simply reading it in a research summary. “Why hadn’t this surfaced before?” “You must have misheard them.” Or simply: “I don’t believe you.”
What typically happens is the happy conspiracy of a smart, probing moderator and technology that forces the client to live the website with the user. The result is new, fertile ground for a deeper level of understanding -- a deeper level of “knowing” that leads to very logical action.
Perhaps you are wondering, what role does the moderator play, if the client must be so involved? At Blue Bear, our moderators play several roles. First and foremost, they facilitate the sessions. They create an environment in which each respondent feels comfortable being honest and vocal. Secondly, though, they are tour guides. They drive the bus so the client can look out the window. If the client is unable to hear and understand what the users mean, then the moderator’s efforts are wasted.
To ensure success, the moderator uses a combination of experience, excellent listening skills and applied creativity to devise tasks and questions that draw out respondents’ all-important points-of-view. We are relentlessly seeking out new insights.
Finally, the moderator is the analyst -- digging through all the data that are collected during sessions to provide clear, empirical, comprehensive, and actionable reports. The analysis provides fact-based support for the insights the client experienced in the sessions. Our reports often strengthen client convictions by clearly articulating what the clients heard during the sessions.
Because Blue Bear sessions are fast-paced and highly immersive, clients are totally engaged and energized by their experiences. True, deep understanding usually simplifies problem solving and opens the way to new opportunities.
The client should never be the missing link in website evaluation sessions. They are the “alpha audience” -- constituents with the most to gain, or the most to lose.
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