A Quick Guide to Rapid Research

Authored by Novus Insights 09/11/2022

Quantitative and qualitative market research goes a long way to help brands understand their customers and identify certain business challenges. In simple terms, market research is a methodical study that offers context and insights into specific issues on hand, enabling organizations to make informed decisions. In order for brands to create better products for their customers, they must aim to uncover and comprehend their wants, goals, and pain points. The real problem with conventional approaches, however, sometimes arises when you need instant feedback. In such scenarios, one particular type of research method, rapid research, can prove to be particularly helpful.

What is rapid research?

The main goal of rapid research is to conduct meaningful user research quickly and efficiently. Creating well-structured frameworks to speed up the process is the cornerstone of rapid research. Although rapid qualitative research might seem like a 21st-century buzzword, it is not a new research methodology. In fact, rapid research has been used for a very long time, especially in industries where deadlines are strict.

How is rapid research is carried out?

As mentioned earlier, rapid research employs effective, well-defined frameworks to swiftly identify insights and answers to certain specific issues. Let’s assume there is a two-week timeframe during which research has to be conducted. Before getting started, it’s worth noting that gathering all relevant data on the product and the issue is a must. Doing so allows for the research to be more confidently guided. For instance, you will need the following information to make a rapid research program a success:

Product: Researching the product, market, and rivals.
Hypothesis: Creating hypotheses on how to make the product better or more valuable.
Goals: Identifying customer needs, determining whether they will pay for a service/upgrade/product, smoothing the transition/experience, and figuring out how to do it all with the company's current technology.
User persona: Determining your audience based on your product using user personas (e.g., age, behavior, profile, income, technological knowledge.)

Now that you have the required preliminary data, let us jump into how a rapid research agency approach your project when you seek rapid research services.

Day 1: The first day is totally devoted to online research. The team compiles insightful and pertinent data in accordance with predetermined objectives. Day 1's goals are to understand the issue and gather enough data to plan the primary research.
Day 2: The team concentrates on a comparative examination of goods and services in the same market niche as the product that is the subject of the research. The goal of this phase is to ascertain how rivals approach similar challenges. The team may need to determine issues such as whether a solution has already been adopted by other businesses, ways to improve, depending on what early adopters are providing, and how to differentiate by offering more creative and superior solutions.
Day 3: The team gathers at the start of Day 3 to come up with survey questions using all the information learned from the previous research. The best approach is to mix open-ended and closed-ended, as well as quantitative and qualitative questions in the questionnaire.
Day 4: The team gathers on Day 4 to review all the survey responses and begin the next phase, which is getting ready for interviews.
Day 5-8: It's time to choose applicants for the interviews that will take place between the sixth and eighth days of the next week. A minimum of five interviews with the target market should be the goal.
Remaining days of the framework: This is when the researchers analyze user responses and data to come up with meaningful insights.

Final Word

Rapid research, when done right, helps organizations to improve the quality of their decisions and strategies to cope with changing circumstances in situations characterized by time constraints. When you have the right rapid research company by your side, you can conduct relevant studies to make informed business decisions, that too, within short timeframes. When looking for seasoned rapid research support, look no further than Novus Insights. We are a leading global research company, offering full research support and customized reports within set timelines to help you stay on top of your decision-making processes. For more information about our rapid research services, call +91 124 414 2292 or email contactus@novusinsights.com. You may also fill out our contact form, and we will get back to you at the earliest.