Market research (MR) is all about exploring the rich diorama of human experience. A human-centric mindset has always been at the heart of research, but despite this the phrase ‘human-centered design’ doesn’t crop up much in the MR space. With AI tech enhancing many areas of research, the developments could be seen as a detachment from the human perspective. But in reality, AI can unlock the opportunity for deeper, richer, more colorful images and ultimately, more impactful actions.  

Let’s explore how empathy and AI can work hand in hand to produce incredible insights.  

What is human-centered design? 

It’s the secret to superb insights. It’s the power behind faster, better, more holistic data. And it starts with the right mindset. You see, human-centered design (HCD) is more than a methodology, more than a tool set, it’s an empathetic focus and a problem-solving technique that prioritizes your participants. And it’s something you already do. 

A human-centered design approach means you frame your problem or question from the perspective of your users, not technology. Traditionally, this would be thinking about user experience; “how can we help our customers or users achieve their goal”, rather than “what updates can we make to our app”.  

How does that work with market research?  

In market research, HCD means taking a step back to understand your audience. HCD goes behind numbers, it’s about telling the story of the people behind the data and developing a deep empathy with your participants. This thought process is your lifeblood, what you excel at, so what might it look like in a HCD framework?  

And at the end of the day, we’re all about action. Data itself is only as good as the resulting actions and changes that drive efficiency and improvements. HCD is a way of thinking about and handling data. The end goal is to see the human behind the data and prove the importance of your insights.  

MR human-centered design principles  

The human-centric approach enables organizations to pinpoint the right problems, understand interconnected behaviors, and implement impactful ideas. 

Let’s look at the principles of human-centered design for market research: 

• People-centric approach

Users’ needs, paint points and preferences are held in focus throughout the research process. Using a human-centered approach paves the way to more intuitive, accessible, and more impactful results. 

•  Solving the right problem

Stopping at the surface can leave you short changed. Digging down to the roots of your participants’ problems can bring to light solutions that truly resonate with your clients and their audience.  

• Understanding everything as a system 

Each experience, design choice, and question is part of a holistic human experience ecosystem. Zooming out to consider the broader context allows for more creative, and effective strategies.  

• Small, simple interventions 

The unsung hero of HCD, an iterative process. A trickle of tiny, speedy changes carves the long-term route to a waterfall of meaningful changes that improve results and experience.  

What’s AI got to do with it?  

When data points and technology reign supreme it’s easy to forget that there’s a flesh and blood being behind the results. And that you can reap rich rewards by peeling back the layers. AI tools can further this detachment, or work with you to give you time and capacity to get to the bones of your participants’ perspectives. These efficiency gains can be used to iterate and spend longer getting to know your audience. In turn, the more you can feed the AI about the personas you’re learning about, the better the analysis will be.  

Market research design teams are under pressure to churn out results. Taking advantage of AI tools is a natural, and highly beneficial development. Picking a tech platform that allows you to grow, to work with them, unlocks the potential to pull the picture together so you can make sense of the human behind the data.  

Data collection and analysis 

The teeter towards trouble can start with AI tools that only work with single sources of data or single analytic capabilities. Comprehensive understanding comes from collecting across qual, quant and third-party data sources. This holistic collection and analysis helps you identify patterns and trends that would slip the net if you rely on only one type of data. Things like combining sentiment analysis at scale, querying your own data and digesting qualitative data are all techniques AI can use to get you closer to your audience.  

Using a tool with narrow requirements negates any work done to understand the audience at a holistic level. The choice of champions is instead a flexible tool that can ingest data from multiple sources and apply a multitude of analytic packages. This allows human experience to seep through, driving holistic and unique insights.  

Intelligent iteration 

AI speeding up the analysis process means you have time to iterate. Get closer, and closer each time to the ultimate goal, and to understand the why behind participant behavior and thoughts. Involving stakeholders or even participants themselves in the research design process can inspire iteration while keeping the research grounded in the human experience.  

Storytelling 

Your clients are human too and the final part of the process is driving action. The way to truly engage your audience is through stellar storytelling. The first chapter is always understanding your audience, and pictures speak much louder than words. 

Persona development is a central part of this. Deeply understanding your audience from their pain points to desires, across a swath of sources proves you have seen beyond the tech and met them eye to eye.  

If collating all these data sources to present highly customized deep dives gives you palpitations, have no fear. Automating these outputs saves you hours of manual work. Again, the right tech amalgamates your myriad of sources to produce slides, images, or other desired deliverables. The beauty of a product like Forsta Visualizations is role-based dashboards. See global results or click into the micro-details that make up the bigger picture.  

Final thoughts  

HCD is an essential mindset. It’s the benchmark between data and impactful insights. As the collaboration between humans and technology becomes more tightly woven, keeping a beating heart as the center focus of your method and tech choices will open the doors to increased efficiency and dazzlingly rich pictures of your audience.  

Feeling inspired? 

• eBook: Human-centered design for market researchers: what you need to know. 

Sink your teeth into HCD with our deep dive into the detail. 

• eBook: The research agency’s AI efficiency playbook 

Humans aren’t binary and AI doesn’t have to be. Check out how you can employ new tools for efficiency.  

• Webinar: Boost your agency’s performance: 5 AI strategies for success 

The future is here, and your agency’s performance can evolve to stand the test of time.