Sherlock Holmes Millennials Version

If there is something that we’ve discovered along the way, it is that sharing is twice as enjoyable. That’s why, instead of keeping it to ourselves, we want to share what we’ve learned. 

We’ve all heard phrases like “You need to learn to put yourself in someone’s shoes…” Actually, if we had known that was the key to success, we would have put it into practice much sooner!

“Understanding” is the first step we take when we execute the methodologies we apply on a daily basis. Thoroughly understanding the problem, the people who experience it, how they experience it, what that process is, learn how they solve other similar problems. In short, understanding everything.

But… How do we know if we’ve understood everything? How to tell where the investigation begins and where it ends. How do we know if we haven’t left any information out? These are very important questions, especially if we take into account that nowadays it’s very difficult to conduct anthropological or market studies with primary and secondary sources because the information is usually urgently needed. Time… it’s always a matter of time.

That’s why we decided to take on the challenge of conducting agile investigations without losing efficacy and, above all, without losing the accuracy of the data. With that goal in mind, we’ve created our own method of research inspired by the principles and tools of other methodologies.

But, before getting into the “how”, let’s stop for a moment on the “what”…

What do we mean by exploration? What does this very elementary process imply in the design of strategies? In our opinion, exploration -or research- means examining the field we’re working on: analyzing our client’s status, their buyer personas, the context and trends; so that we can generate inputs that allow us to design a solution that fits the needs detected. As we said before: understand and then design.

And now… the “how”! Have you ever wondered where to start? Well… We might have the answer to that: there’s a general agreement in the research community that defining objectives is always the first step. Knowing what we need to know and what information we need to collect, allows us to chart a way forward. 

Based on our experience, it’s useful to split the research into three parts: 

• The client: how they communicate, who their buyer persona is, which social networks they use, what their metrics are, what content hubs they promote.
• Competing or similar brands: what can be taken as a reference, which their tone is, metrics, media, strategies. And, after that, analyze our client’s position regarding the competition.
• Trends and inspiration: what’s the world going through? Does that affect our field? Are there any areas we can get inspiration from to help us get out of the box? 

Explore to understand, understand to design. And, of course, the fundamental ingredient of every research: curiosity! We just need to ask the right questions, answers are just around the corner. We only have to dare to find them! 😉 

Bonus track! These are some useful techniques you can apply in each of the stages: 

The client:

• Buyer persona.
•  Empathy map.

Competition:

• Mystery shopper.

Trends and inspiration:

• Focus group.
• Creativity sessions.