by david allan van nostrand | Apr 26, 2021 | Focus Groups, How to tell good research from bad
The grey-haired, steely-eyed Admiral on the bridge of the flagship, leading a fleet of heavily-armed warships into battle, pointed toward the rising sun and said “Set course at 107.25 degrees.” NO, HE DIDN’T! He said “Take us out, Skipper,” because Admirals...
by david allan van nostrand | Mar 15, 2021 | Focus Groups, Misinformation traps, Research
Apple has been doing lots of consumer research for a long time. Wait a minute, you say, that’s not true! You read the Fortune magazine interview where he was supposed to have said Apple never used consumer research. You might even remember his quip, “It isn’t the...
by david allan van nostrand | Jun 8, 2020 | Focus Groups, How to tell good research from bad
The father of the focus group despised how his methodology had been hijacked and bastardized. Robert Merton said “Focus groups are supposed to be merely the source of ideas that need to be researched.” They were meant to be no more than a jumping off point and a...
by david allan van nostrand | May 20, 2019 | Focus Groups, Gatekeepers, How to tell good research from bad, Misinformation traps
Two slick-talking tailors promised to make a suit of clothes that was so special it would be completely invisible to stupid and incompetent people. The emperor ordered a special suit and later dispatched his most trusted ministers to see how it was coming along. The...
