Developing innovative qualitative research techniques for effective digital marketing strategy

1. ConsumerVisions Digital Media Research+Strategy Developing innovative qualitative research techniques for effective digital marketing strategy By Stanislav & Preslav Bondjakov, Directors ConsumerVisions

2. 2 Who we are... ConsumerVisions – specialised digital media research agency, owned by Preslav & Stanislav Focusing on building digital strategies based on consumer insights & helping organisations offer successful digital media Prior to establishing ConsumerVisions, we have worked at leading global market/social research agencies Building on many years of research experience, including in digital media research Have consulted to a wide range of commercial and government organisations in Australia and New Zealand Regular speakers at conferences and forums Partner with specialised research recruitment agencies to recruit top quality participants

3. 3 The Internet Evolution...

4. 4 The internet evolution [INSERT 2 minute VIDEO HERE] ...[FILE TOO LARGE TO BE EMBEDDED – TO BE PLAYED SEPARATELY]

5. 5 Some promising stats... Some key statistics in Asia show that: Out of a total population of 3,834,792,852, there is 825,094,396 internet users (nearly 22%); 42% of world internet users are in China alone; Internet user growth in Asia between the year 2000 and 2010 was 622%; Half of all internet users in Asia are from China. While Oceania / Australia accounts only for 1% of world internet users, internet penetration is 61% In 2010, internet user growth in Oceania / Australia was 179% With the proposed new National Broadband Network, internet penetration is forecasted to increase to 98% of all Australian households

6. 6 But be wary of savvy consumers... Digital consumers are becoming very savvy in their website selection and the way they use websites - “Now, when people go online they know what they want and how to do it” says Dr. Jakob Nielsen, global usability guru Websites are selected on the basis of good design, intuitive navigation, high level of user empowerment, engagement, and relevance Websites are more likely to succeed if they are designed according to how humans think and behave Users read web pages in an "F" pattern. They're more inclined to read longer sentences at the top of a page and less and less as they scroll down. That makes the first two words of a sentence very important Users are extremely good at screening out things and focusing in on a small number of salient page elements

7. 7 But be wary of savvy consumers... Users connect well with images of people looking directly at them - professional images are not appealing, people relate easier to more realistic images According to Dr. Nielsen, only 25% of people travel via a homepage to reach to where they want to go on a website, the rest search and get straight to the destination page People are spending less time on websites – there is a greater need to present them with highly relevant, well organised information Hence, the need to develop highly usable, well organised websites and applications which are developed with users.

8. 8 From Web 1.0 to 3.0... 4 minute video - illustrating the social media revolution...[FILE TOO LARGE TO BE EMBEDDED – TO BE PLAYED SEPARATELY]

9. 9 From Web 1.0 to 3.0... Web 1.0 is the internet before 1999, experts call it the ‘Read-Only’ era Users were only able to read static information No active communication flow from consumer to producer of information, no real interaction, low levels of user engagement and empowerment Web 2.0: The year 1999 marked the beginning of a Read-Write-Publish era Higher levels of user empowerment & interactivity, incl. blogging, social media & live video streaming Publishing of user content is only a few clicks away Few remarkable developments of Web 2.0 are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and MySpace. Web 3.0: The era of personalisation, semantic web, intelligent search, and behavioural targeting and advertising Web 4.0: ...under development...leave it for next conference!!!

10. 10 Where to from now? Although the internet usage is booming and users are savvier than ever... ...digital media is still catching up Organisations need to understand their digital customers & respond to their needs Perceived value of digital media research is increasing Just as it took a while for advertising research to take off, following the TV boom (50’s-60’s), digital media is at its peak of development now and consumer research is starting to become an integral part of it... The sites of the (near) future will be developed with consumers, using innovative research solutions We are here to enlighten you on cutting edge qualitative research techniques for building effective digital marketing strategies...

11. 11 From research to application Through our innovative qualitative research methods we help clients: Develop a consumer-centric strategy which also recognises the business requirements and limitations Develop sustainable digital offering through in-depth understanding of digital consumer’s needs and expectations Ensure digital offer is relevant, up-to-date, and usable Improve e-commerce and m-commerce presence and sales, by developing highly impactful and relevant ‘shop fronts’ or homepages, as well as seamless shopping experiences

12. 12 Research methodologies...

13. 13 Consumer driven strategy Market-driven web offer User experience optimisation Insights & foresights Brand challenges Digital strategy Competitive environment Business requirements Multi-channel Interaction Needs & preferences Motivations Digital Consumers Platforms Qualitative research Digital lives Technology/ trends Brand attitudes

14. 14 Methodology model Overall goal: Assisting organisations in formulating market-driven digital strategies, leading to optimal digital offers, e.g. websites, apps, etc. Situation analysis Digital strategy development 2. User needs research Prototype development 3. User experience research User experience optimisation 4. Web development

15. Purpose:Understanding market environment, business context & goals, current digital offer, and existing research & data 15 Overview of methodologies Step 1: Situation analysis Methods: Expert site review & web assets audit Market/Competitor analysis Site analytics review Business requirements & KPIs – interviews with key internal stakeholders Workshops with web design & development team Key outcome: Input into digital strategy & user needs research design

16. Purpose:Deep understanding of digital consumers’ lives. Exploring user needs, preferences, motivations, brand attitudes & behaviours, with a view to developing a consumer-centric digital strategy. 16 Overview of methodologies Step 2: User needs research Methods: Exploratory focus groups – incl. persona development, card sorts In-depth interviews User workshops – incl. usability testing, task completion, observations Key outcomes: Digital strategy Prototypes Specs brief to designers

17. Purpose:Discovering issues with usability, designand branding, with a view to recommending optimised user experience. 17 Overview of methodologies Step 3: User experience research Methods: Expert review - to identify key problem areas prior to user testing User workshops/interviews – incl. usability testing, task completion, observations To identify usability problems with navigation, labelling, content, page layout. Involves task completion and provides suggestions to improve user experience Key outcomes: Recommendations for optimised user experience

18. 18 Focus on research methods Focus groups Exploratory discussions: Number of groups depends on audience groups/segment types 6-8 participants per group, recruited & screened professionally Exploratory funnel approach – group members participate in a spontaneous discussion. General topics are explored first, followed by more specific topics. Used for: Understanding digital consumers’ needs, attitudes, motivations & behaviours Brainstorming ideas; uncovering marketing insights; developing hypothesis Outcomes: Data is qualitative & directional, not conclusive. Views are analysed & then summarised. No attempt is made to quantify the findings. Findings feed directly into digital strategy development.

19. 19 Focus on research methods In-depth interviews Interviews follow the same general principles as focus group, in the context of informal and unstructured discussions. User workshops 3 phased session: Involves ‘real’ users or potential users of the website 4-5 participants per session, recruited & screened professionally Phase 1: Unpolluted initial group discussion of people’s needs and expectations of the site, marketing mix elements – begin to form an idea of consumer motivations and behaviours Phase 2: Each participant completes a set of tasks on the site on a PC – ‘think aloud’ method or recording in a workbook is used. Each participant is observed by a senior researcher. Key site usability issues are uncovered. Phase 3: Follow-up group discussion - focus website projected on data projector. Discussion of experiences with the site, stumbling blocks, opportunities for enhancements and optimisation of user experience. This discussion provides specific suggestions for improvement of site’s navigation, design, and content.

20. 20 Focus on research methods User workshops cont’d... Used for: Usability testing, marketing mix evaluation Understanding a site’s next level from users’ perspective Outcomes: Actionable recommendations for optimised user experience & web performance. Aided by visual outputs such as interactive prototypes, marked-up pages, and implementation workshops.

21. 21 Case study...

22. 22 Case study Redevelopment of a key Australian Government website Australian Department of Broadband, Communications & the Digital Economy is one of Australian Government’s key departments It has a public website with over 5,000 web pages and over 3,000 downloadable documents The website’s main audience is the general public, as well as businesses Website was designed around business areas, rather than being user-centric It was difficult for users to achieve their tasks on the site, and there were low levels of satisfaction

23. 23 Case study A continuous website improvement program implemented: Overall strategy for the Department’s digital offering; Two consecutive qualitative research studies on the Department’s site; Expert and usability reviews of a Web 2.0 mapping application; An annual web performance monitoring project, tracking website KPIs on a quarterly basis.

24. 24 Case study Qualitative studies: First study comprised of 8 workshops with website users – total of 53 participants. Second study involved 9 workshops, with a total of 67 participants Studies focussed on exploring the needs and preferences of users for the site Iterative development of the site with prototypes tested at each stage Each workshop lasted 2 hours, and it was divided in 3 parts The first part explored users’ needs and expectations of the site, its navigation, design, and content. Also, key perceptions of the Department and its online communication tools. The second part consisted of an individual workbook completion, covering a set of tasks on the old and new sites, and a set of website ratings. This was followed by an in-depth discussion about users’ experience with both sites, encountered issues and suggested improvements to the current site. Suggestions included improvements to the site’s navigation, design and content.

25. 25 Case study Usability reviews & web performance monitoring: Expert and usability reviews of the Web 2.0 application were concurrently run with the second qualitative study. Web performance monitoring program focuses on tracking website KPIs to identify areas of poor performance and provide actionable recommendations for improvement in navigation, design and content. KPIs were developed in close consultation with the Department’s executives who own the content on the site. Included business requirements gathering and confirmation. As a result of the qualitative research and the web performance monitoring program, the Department has started to implement recommendations such as improving the page design, layout, and Web 2.0 technologies.

26. 26 Case study Original homepage

27. 27 Case study 2nd iteration of homepage - based on research

28. 28 Case study Prototype of new homepage - based on research

29. 29 Case study Latest homepage - based on recommended prototype

30. 30 Case study Examples of some Web 2.0 tools embedded in the Department’s sites

31. 31 Case study Web 2.0 application example – initiatives map

32. 32 Key outcomes for client Digital strategy with recommendations on key areas to focus, according to user and business requirements – transformation of business-centric to more user-centric In-depth understanding of key segment needs and behaviours, leading to development of a more usable and relevant website Actionable recommendations for key website improvements including navigation, design and content Implementation of Web 2.0 technologies Implications for the re-design of the Department’s Intranet to being more user-centric

33. 33 E-commerce example...

34. 34 E-commerce example... A multi-channel international retailer with offline retail stores as well as an online store Client identified declining online sales over a year, but did not know the reasons behind this decline Research program included: Site analytics review - identified where most drop-outs were coming from; Expert review - identified some major site flaws; User experience workshops – identified reasons behind poor sales, e.g. product selection & bundling, shopping process, poor synchronisation with offline product stock, registration, and payment page

35. 35 E-commerce example... Following all research, it was recommended that: Homepage design is improved to include a centre page moving-images panel which show cases the uniqueness of the brand and products, with ability to start shopping straight from this panel; The shopping experience is improved, including simpler site navigation, easier product selection, better integration with social media tools, and full offline and online product stock synchronisation Client has implemented key recommendations and has already started to see improvements in sales.

36. 36 More successful stories...

37. 37 Some of our key clients...

38. 38 More of our work... Background: Kraft Foods embarked on a major global website redevelopment project which involved redeveloping and redesigning their websites in all of their main markets Key objectives: To identify the optimal content, look and user flow for the Kraft Foods Australia website, and drive up volume via extended usage ideas Methodology:Qualitative research involving interactive workshops, in-depth interviews, observation, ratings Outcomes:Kraft Foods have seen marked improvement in visitation rates of the site since its redevelopment, and also indications of increased volume.

39. 39 More of our work... Background: Re-development of Sun Safety website for Queensland Health – market research to develop new IA for, and key design aspects & tools/features Key objectives: increase site uptake through effective marketing and positive user experience; motivate users to return to the site; and advocate the site to others Methodology: Conducted consumer workshops, worked with a web designer to develop the new IA, features, design elements Outcome: Client re-developed the website completely, implementing the new IA and design recommendations

40. 40 In conclusion... Through innovative qualitative research methods clients: Develop a consumer-centric strategy which also recognises the business requirements and limitations Develop sustainable digital offering through in-depth understanding of digital consumer’s needs and expectations Ensure digital offer is relevant, up-to-date, and usable Improve e-commerce and m-commerce presence and sales, by developing highly impactful and relevant ‘shop fronts’ or homepages, as well as seamless shopping experiences.

41. 41 Question time... Contact: Stanislav Bondjakov, Director Email: stanislav@consumervisions.com.au Web: www.consumervisions.com.au Phone: +61425 744 796

42. 42 Presented at the Asia-Pacific conference on Qualitative Research in Web 2.0 22 & 23 Feb 2011, Macau SAR For more information Please visit: http://www.merlien.org