Is Research Too "Focused" On The Excitement of Innovation?

-The Rush and Onslaught of New Media
Researchers are struggling to keep pace with all of the new developments emerging within media, as seems to constantly be the case with the mobile market. Data collection is always a priority within research, but the major downside is it becomes too easy to become entirely caught up in the process. From what I have read, the rush of mobile communications has certainly revealed numerous opportunities, but no true methods or strategies to capitalize on them past the short-term. This is most likely due to the fact that research is trying to accomplish too much by analyzing every new thing emerging. The big picture is clearly being overlooked, and thus there are few actionable recommendations being presented to clients.

Businesses want, and need, to know what works for them, and if the research uncovered will have any true application to their products/services. They have to see justification that a particular tool will work effectively, aside from the excuse of it being new and exciting (or that the client's competitors are using it-might not always be justified using that approach). It is up to the researcher to not become caught up in the short-term potential of research, or else risk serving information that presents no practical uses.

-Create a Research Communications Plan


Storytelling in research is also about the written side.

Based on what I have read from numerous blogs and articles, it seems that storytelling is a valid sentiment amongst researchers. There has been plenty of talk about improved presentation of results being communicated to clients, particularly on the verbal side. However, the written side of research being presented should be considered equally important as well, since high-level decision makers will need to refer to reports, in order to recollect the facts they heard from a meeting.
Therefore, an action plan should be drafted, with concerns to how research results can best be communicated for future use. In a sense, the research results should be "branded" so that the information remains intriguing to the reader. The major issue with research is that there is so much coming out at once, there is no way to remember one thing from the next. I is the researcher's responsibility to make it valuable, through creating engaging material that fits with their presentation.

-Make Sure There Is a Sense of Direction In The Plan

Research needs to provide direction for clients. Best done through a series of "steps".

Emphasis should be placed upon the value delivered to the business, and this value should be properly differentiated, to prevent the client from simply asking how it is different from anything else they have experienced in the past. In order to differentiate the value effectively, it is vital that the problem/opportunity present within the business's current situation be addressed. By referring to the client's problem specifically, the researcher is ensuring relevancy for their work, as well as proving they understand the scope of the situation, outside of the context of the project they were assigned from the client.

The researcher's relevancy is further maintained by outlining future directions for the company to pursue. This will create tremendous benefit to the client, and will show that you, as the researcher, thought about them and where they wish to lead their business. It goes a long way in providing transitions a company can pursue, based on data collected on their behalf.

-The Researcher Must Be Active, Not Passive
Taking the initiative to illustrate examples of how data could be used will enable the client to visualize their business changing, before it even actually happens. As it has been stated so many times, research cannot be effective just by relaying the facts. There needs to connections made, and the best way to make those connections is to illustrate a series of steps the client can take to progress forward into the future.

Being active with research results means to possess personal insights, and incorporate those into the information collected. It means taking the time to prove that the information has been assessed, and recommendations  have been thought through.

The researcher can improve on their research communications by asking themselves internally, "How does this relate to XY business, and what can they do to make it actionable for the short-term, sustainable for the long-term, and help them transition into other areas?"