EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Customer research extends well beyond personas. Ten established methods cover most of what a company needs to learn. Conjoint analysis, MaxDiff, Likert scales, and the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter surface preferences and pricing thresholds. Usability testing, A/B testing, Customer Effort Score, and Customer Satisfaction Score measure the experience itself, while Net Promoter Score and brand tracking studies monitor loyalty and brand health over time. Most companies don’t need all ten at once, but knowing what each one does determines which to reach for when a specific question arrives.
Most companies have one research move, and it’s a survey. That works for some things, like gathering the input behind the segments and personas we covered in last week’s article. But different questions need different tools, and these ten research methods are worth having in your arsenal. The goal is not to make you an expert in every method, but to show you what exists so you know which tool to reach for when the moment comes.
Ten Valuable Research Tools
Personas are one of the most powerful outputs of customer research, and they will remain a foundation of your strategy. Yet personas are only part of the picture. Customer research can also provide practical tools for shaping products, refining pricing, guiding marketing, and measuring brand health.
The following ten methods are some of the most valuable ways to uncover what your customers think, feel, and truly want. Each serves a different purpose, and the strongest brands combine them at different stages of their customer research journey…
