The field of technology market research and technology surveys is a unique sub-set of general market research. It requires extensive knowledge of technology products and services, a keen understanding of the functions served by different types of IT professionals, and the ability to target technology-related job titles or job functions relevant to the survey topic.
In recent years, online technology surveys have become the methodology of choice for conducting technology market research. Typically, the survey is conducted through the use of web panelists, who have pre-identified themselves with regard to job function, job title, size of employer, IT decision-making, special technology expertise, and other important survey qualifiers. While the incentive offered to web panelists is often a key consideration in their participation, interesting survey topics can also enhance survey participation.
An experienced technology market research firm should be able to provide helpful assistance in identifying the qualifying panelists for a given technology survey. The manner in which survey qualification is defined can have a significant impact on project cost and obtaining actionable survey data. For example, many clients initially suggest they want to survey CTOs or other high-level technology professionals, although the job title with true hands-on experience with a particular product or service is a network administrator, database administrator, software developer, or other non-manager position. This kind of targeting can often reduce by 50% or more the cost of a technology survey while providing a client with more useful information. In many cases, the two groups can be combined at a reduced cost to provide valuable feedback from the key decision-makers as well as the hands-on users.
A skilled technology market research firm can also provide critical assistance on how best to word a technology survey. Different respondents may have different understandings of key technology terms or the recognition of how IT descriptions are used. It is not enough to simply ask IT professionals what they think of cloud computing without providing a definition of terms for purposes of the survey.
In summary, clients interested in conducting technology surveys should discuss with the research specialist the nature of their company’s products and services and the specific goals of the technology market research. Let an experienced survey professional provide input on how best to target the IT respondents, and which specific groups should qualify. Also, let the specialist in technology market research provide input on the survey instrument. The common use of a particular concept or term at your own company does not mean that all technology professionals will apply the same interpretation when taking the technology survey.
