A research project does not start with a survey or a sample, it begins with an honest discussion of the purpose of the research. What is trying to be accomplished and why? We work closely with clients to listen to their goals and what they hope to learn from the project. We then turn those goals into an actionable research methodology.

We begin all of our projects with an initial meeting to review:

• project goals
• work plan
• timeline
• survey topics
• sampling plan
• establish expectations for communication

The purpose of this collaborative meeting is to develop and finalize the methodology and protocols for the project to ensure the goals of the project and the client expectations are met.

No matter how well a project is implemented, it will not provide the sought out answers unless it was thoughtfully designed from the start with specific goals in mind.

We work with clients to develop survey questionnaires and focus group moderator’s guides that are tailored to the specific purpose and goals of the project. Our research team has experts in survey design who have received AAPOR-sponsored training on best practices for questionnaire wording, survey layout, and design. To help inform survey design, we often conduct a literature search to identify relevant surveys, questions, and publications on the topics of interest.