Research plan document created for internal team-members with different research backgrounds and experience levels.

1. PACKET
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2. CONTENTS
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Introduction
Strategic Principles
Research Goals
Research Groups & Example Applications
Methodologies, Tools, & Best Practices
Moving Forward...
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3. INTRODUCTION
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4. STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES
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5. STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES
Business activities that create
perceived worth for participants in
a dependent but fair transaction
Image created through the
understanding of a message from
sensory stimuli
Infrastructures that connect
systems of participants through
transaction processes
Local relationships built through
activities and shared values which
cultivate trust and loyalty
Research should identify how
value is defined or where current
value stems from
Research will focus on an
misalignment of perception versus
reality, and identify contrasts
between internal and external
perspectives
Research ideally will define
existing systems and may
demonstrate gaps that influence
concept development of creating
enabling systems for more
productive transactions.
Research in this area is to
elaborate on the intangible
components which could be further
developed or refined in business
strategy development
Events which mark a significant
change within the business
Measurement of financial gain
from business activities in
monetary form, in respect of cost
and ROI
The effective use of time, effort, or
cost within the business processes
Scenarios based on triggers,
influencers and trends
Research should be structured to
identify current resource inputs
and some of the areas that would
be important in consideration of
concept opportunities
Research will feed future
development with identified gaps,
highlighted misconceptions, and
discrepancies in perspectives
Research should find triggers
that influenced current business
development
Research will primarily be
quantitative, but data should be
collected that can contribute to
understanding and developing
strategic plans
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6. RESEARCH GOALS
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Define existing and aspirational stakeholders,
relationships, revenues, and systems.
Determine the impact of technology on internal
functions and external communications.
Assess the relationship of trends or movements
of the agruicultural landscape.
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7. RESEARCH GROUPS & EXAMPLE APPILCATIONS
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8. TEAM TOPICS
This group will focus on the theme
that ‘Hunter Cattle is more than
just a farm.’ The initiative will be
to improve the current ecosystem
of elements existing on the farm
properties.
This group’s focus will be to
explore stakeholders, relationships,
revenues, and overarching external
systems related to Hunter Cattle’s
existing marketing strategy.
The aim is to build a knowledge
foundation of Hunter Cattle’s
business to increase awareness of
their unique proposition. This will
enable the effecrive communication
and education of target markets
within the local food culture.
This group will focus on
the promotion strategies:
the relationships between
communication channels and
customer segments. The outcome
will be a plan of promotion, which
support Hunter Cattle’s brand image
and customer relationship.
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9. RESEARCH FOCUS
Research will consist of
understanding the company:
capabilities, assetts, finances, and
processes.
Research will consist of
understanding the relationship
between Hunter Cattle, their
collaborators, and companies with
market share.
Research will consist of
understanding context: examining
political, economical, social,
technological, environmental, and
legal aspects of the agricultural
landscape.
Research will consist of
understanding Hunter Cattle’s
customers that will result in user
profiles and persona development.
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10. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Business activities that create percieved worth
for participants in a fair dependant transaction.
What value added services do you currently provide at the farm?
How do you leverage the benefits from different partnerships?
What purpose do your current communication channels serve?
Are your customer’s requirements compatible with your business philosophy?
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11. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
An image created through the
understanding of a message by sensory stimuli.
What methods have been established to collect feedback about your services?
What type of feedback do you recieve from your buyers and collaborators?
What methods of measurement are being used through your
communication channels to see how the public perceives Hunter Cattle?
How is Hunter Cattle’s brand, services, and products currently perceived?
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12. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Enabling infrastructures which connect
systems of participants for productive transactions.
What relationships and or partnerships have been beneficial
in building your brand?
What is your knowledge of how your partners work with unaffiliated partners?
How do you see yourself building on your social media platform?
How are you currently promoting Hunter Cattle’s services?
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13. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Local relationships built throuh activities
and shared values which cultivate trust and loyalty.
What activities do you currently participate in within the community?
What is missing from your current relationships within the community?
What techniques are you using to communicate your brand to the community?
How are you educating the community on your brand?
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14. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Events which mark a significant change
within the business.
What factors have played a significant role in how the farm is run?
What were significant partnerships that have affected your business?
What communication channels have been beneficial
in setting you apart from competitors.
What educational tools have been beneficial in your day-to-day operations?
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15. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Measurement of financial gain from
business activities in monetary form, in respect of
cost and return on investment (ROI).
Currently, what activities are generating the most profit? Which aren’t?
How is return on investment (ROI) measured for each partnership?
Are you seeing ROI from the communication channels that are being used?
How is your pricing supported in your marketing material?
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16. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
The effective use of time, effort, or cost
within the business processes.
In order to find ways of improving experiences, how are services reviewed?
What are some intangible resources needed to maintain flourishing partnerships?
How efficient have you been in communicating your message to the public?
How are your educational tours structured?
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17. EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Stories and data based on triggers,
influencers, and trends around Hunter Cattle Company.
This strategic principle will be relevant to scenarios that we will craft
towards the end of the synthesis period. For now, we can continue
writing research questions that pertain to Hunter Cattle Company’s views
and aspirations of the future as well as agricultural and other relevant
industries’ trends and opportunity areas.
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18. METHODS & TOOLS
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19. METHODS
Shadowing is when we follow
participants: observing their
minute-by-minute actions/
interactions.
Interviews are useful for getting
the story behind a participant’s
experiences. As the interviewer,
you can pursue in-depth
information around your topic.
This is also similar to observing:
being aware of activities, artifacts,
people and/or factors related to
our five senses. We should refrain
from interacting or interfering as a
researcher.
Interviews may be also useful as
a follow-up to certain respondents
to questionnaires, to further
investigate responses.
Source: Paraphrased from IDUS 711
Source: Paraphrased from IDUS 711
Participatory methods center
around enabling participants
to acquire agency in the design
process, de-mystifying and
creating a partnership between
the designer and the client.
Collaborative mapping is an
initiative to collectively produce
models of different types of
systems that researchers can
then access and use to synthesize
furthur.
Click these to see examples:
IDEO’s Human-Centered Design
frog’s Collective Action
Artefact’s Design for Empathy
Click these to see map examples:
stakeholder map, customer journey
map, blueprint, floor-plans, and
ecology maps.
Source: Click links for sources
Source: Click links for sources
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20. TOOLS
An easy way to capture specific
details of what was said during
an interview is to use an audio
recording device (most modern
smart-phones are just fine).
This allows us to sort through
pertinent quotes/information after
the interivews are finished.
Don’t forget a writing utensil, a
general notebook, and/or stickies.
Whichever method helps you best
capture your research in noteform depends on what you’re most
comfortable with.
Recording audio is a great
backup to catpure information,
but additionally writing notes
may help you pull out the most
important insights you hear.
It will be important for a research
member to bring a camera with
high-resolution capabilities as
these images will be used for
printing purposes.
Capture things you find interesting
about the participant’s behavior,
artifacts around them, and the
environment.
It will be most helpful if your
research team can generate a
few maps that you have begun
to populate. Throughout your
interviews, you may be able to
validate and finish these maps
with participants.
Refer to the previous slide for
some map examples.
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21. DATA COLLECTION &
SHARING BEST PRACTICES
It is important to have an
intentional strategy rather than
‘winging’ your research. This will
allow you to have consistency
throughout data collection. You
should select your tools and
methods that will be used, and
appropriate people to contact
ahead of time.
Links
Generic DMGT720 Field Guide *TBD
Original Interview Question Matrix
Sample Resarch Execution Plan
Double check that you have all
of your research supplies, having
all of your participants contacted
prior to each visit, and the
appropriate paperwork.
Another thing to remember is to
keep the research perspective/
scope at all times, no matter
what direction your activity/
conversation may go.
*Review recommended methods
and tools.
Keep in mind that your data must
be sharable and allows classmates
to reference at a later time, and
should be easy to read and understand. This may ultimately go into
the final presentation, so please
format your content accordingly.
After your interviews you should have
audio files, pictures taken, and possibly
written notes, etc.
We will use Google Drive to compile
working documents, and we will use
Dropbox to keep all original files.
Please upload in an organized fashion,
your material into folders pertaining to
your group, interview date, and person
interviewed. More detialed instructions
are currently being determined...
In order to properly understand
what each group is doing and how
to tie all research together into
a holistic vision, there are a few
guidelines to the way we will share:
All research will be compiled onto our
classroom walls.
All conversations within interviews must
be transcribed by group members and
printed out to place onto the wall.
Print important research images to an
appropriate size.
All other images must be placed onto a
contact sheet in photoshop.
All groups are assigned colors and
information must be color-coded when
placed on classroom walls. This ensures
that if an item is moved to another wall, it
can be returned to its home later.
Please keep all information strategically
organized on your wall so everyone can
understand the story you are trying to tell.
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22. MOVING FORWARD...
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Develop more in-depth questions for each
strategic principle in relation to your group’s
focus. Refer to the examples provided below
each strategic principle.
Prepare a research matrix of all questions and
methods of data collection. (Click here for matrix template)
Design and prepare necessary maps to use
while conducting contextual research.
Contact appropriate research participants and
schedule agenda for research days and times.
Assign group members for different tasks including:
asking questions, taking notes, and photography.
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