The goal of observational research is to capture the embodied knowledge - tacit, nonscientific knowledge - the type of findings that cannot be uncovered in surveys and focus groups. To that end, researchers can pay attention to minute details that can often be overlooked.
The great advantage of observational techniques is that we can observe directly the behavior of customers, rather than self reported behavior. This removes one of the major causes of error in market research - memory loss, poor recall, and perceptions affected by experiences after the original experience. It also reduces error due to translation, and provides a richer dataset that includes non-verbal and physical behavior. Just like in other regions, what is said is very often different from what is actually done - for a variety of reasons (Graham, 2003).
Pros of observational research
- The data gathered is not mediated by the subject.
- Results are not defined by the design of the method.
- The results are supported by verifiable evidence.
- Research is done in context.
- Uncovers embodied knowledge.
- Uncovers problems for which the subjects have developed workarounds.
- Uncovers problems and behaviors that people didn't know they had.
Cons of observational research
- More costly.
- Difficult to do and administer.
- Time-consuming.
- Uses very small study groups.
- Results are more subjective.
Focus groups, interviews, intercepts, and questionnaire surveys generally elicit secondary accounts of product use. Such "self report" data is subject to many sources of error, including memory effects, and the unconscious motivations of respondents to tell the interviewer what they think the interviewer wants to hear (Graham, 2003). Direct observation can reduce or negate much of this error, by relying on pure observed consumer behavior rather than secondary accounts of that behavior......
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