We will start with the premise that data collection methods should align with the research objectives. No single methodology is the best approach for all research designs. The criteria for deciding on a method should be directly related to the research requirements.
Consideration of secondary factors should influence the decision only after the primary objectives have been satisfied. Sometimes lower priority criteria, such as time in the field or concern for professional enumerators, are used to decide which data collection approach to use. These types of issues should be addressed, but they should not dominate the decision about the data collection method for a study.
Taking an eclectic approach to data collection ensures that the strengths and weaknesses of each approach are assessed in the context of the research objectives. For example, unaided awareness and preference studies are difficult to perform using a web-based approach, especially if the study explores multiple products or product types and needs to use probing questions.
Conversely, although not impossible, it would be highly undesirable to attempt a joint study using telephone interviews. Joint studies are much better suited to a web-based approach.
web-based method
The web has powerful capabilities that allow researchers to broaden the coverage of their research. Greater geographic coverage (greater number of countries), generally at a lower cost, is an attractive combination. The lower cost and/or higher coverage may help the research team to add country coverage in emerging markets or where it may be difficult and expensive to conduct phone interviews due to a lack of native interviewers (although this may work the other way around in some countries). ). countries).
The speed of data collection is often the reason a web-based approach is selected. However, the caveat is that best practices may still require several weeks (3-4) to allow time for email waves to complete a stratified random sample.
For some studios, the web is the most desirable approach. It is the best way to conduct a joint study. It is also the preferred method of collecting information when long lists of items or complex statements are part of the research instrument design (eg, multiple-choice questions with an “all that apply” ok of N question structure).
The k of N question structure is a proportion, where there are N items listed and k is the maximum number of items the respondent can select (eg, “select up to four”). The k of N question type requires respondents to hear more information than they are likely to remember. Human heuristics research shows that with lists larger than 5-7 items, only the first and last item heard tends to be remembered, which could skew the results (Note: list rotation helps, but cannot fix this problem).
Another benefit of a web-based survey is that it allows respondents to participate when they have time and to start, stop, and restart if necessary. It also allows for interesting incentive programs that can combine downloadable content with other forms of incentives. In fact, it may be highly desirable to use downloadable content as an incentive, rather than a cash-based approach to avoid attracting professional survey takers. Immediately available value-added content will appeal to business managers, IT professionals, and other professional groups, but will be of little value to cash-seeking respondents with little or no interest in the topic.
Telephone interview method
Among the most important advantages of the telephone interview is the ability of the researcher to control the sample. Interviewers can find the person in an organization more qualified to answer. They can evaluate respondents and use polls to find the “right” respondent. Quotas for demographic strata and unique qualifications can be controlled directly with the help of a computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system used by most lodges. Broad-based business lists can be used, instead of optional email lists, which helps with randomization.
The use of self-response questions is easier to implement with telephone interviews than with a web-based approach, which relies on the respondent taking the time to type responses. Interviewers can also probe and encourage respondents to consider more responses, using phrases like, “Are there other companies you can think of?”
A more active recruiting method than web-based research, telephone interviews help avoid professional interviewers, regardless of the incentives used. List quality is clearly just as important in telephone interviews as it is in web-based data collection. However, a poor phone list is easily detected and replaced if it doesn’t work right.
Therefore, the ability to create highly stratified samples with multiple selection criteria and multiple sample quotas is a significant strength of the telephone approach. Data collection can be improved for some types of questions and, as indicated, the type of question is an important criterion for selecting a data collection method. Not all questions are best suited to the telephone, but when the study requires open-ended and probing questions, the telephone may be the method of choice.
Summary
The issue is not whether a study using a specific data collection approach is superior or inferior to another approach, but whether the research objectives are better served by one approach than another. Some research designs clearly align with specific data collection methods, while in other cases the more general strengths and weaknesses of the two methods can be used to decide which approach to use. In some cases, the differences between data collection approaches are less dramatic, and issues such as availability of field resources, cost factors, and time in the field are the deciding factors.