The FT Data Blog published a visualisation of EU unemployment that is a real pleasure. There are a number of things I really like about this blog: The amount of data is pretty impressive… – anyone vaguely interested in the…
Challenges faced by the independent researcher
I’ve recently joined the ICG (Independent Consultants Group), an association of around 400 freelance researchers. We had our summer party last night, and what a fun event it was. I found it refreshing to talk to people who were extremely…
Five things you need to know before purchasing an online reporting tool
A review of the tools available for building online reports (collectively known as dashboards) reveals that there are five very important questions which you need an answer to before being able to make a decision about purchasing a dashboard product.…
Instant market research insight – is it possible?
This week I was given a demo by Intellection of their Insight Out software, or not so much a demo but a detailed explanation of their approach to survey research and just how different it is. We are all aware…
The survey research process: Is the way we work completely outmoded?
When I first started in market research, the main client deliverable on the first tracking study I worked on was sets of tables. Presentations in PowerPoint were an additional extra, occurring at key stages in the reporting cycle. Things have changed.…
Up against the clock: data visualisation innovations in the real world
At Research Club on Wednesday, I was explaining to a senior agency researcher that I specialise in thinking up new ways of visualising survey data. That’s all very well, he said, but when I only have two days from the…
Using a “Big Data” approach for survey research
Last Thursday, 800 people spent a sunny evening in Brighton packed into the Dome Theatre to see David McCandless present on Information is Beautiful. That’s a fair sized audience for a subject I might have thought was a bit geeky.…
European Election Results 2014
Here are the final European Election results for all GB regions for 2014 compared with the 2009 results.
Public perceptions versus statistical reality
This is not a new finding but it’s worth remembering again on the brink of an election. The British public’s perceptions of statistics when it comes to sensitive topics like immigration, welfare claimants and teenage pregnancy are way out of…
Will low price reporting dashboards ever be flexible enough?
I’ve been looking at a number of online reporting tools this week offered by E-tabs, Kicktag (the Cosmos product) and Data Liberation. Two out of three of them essentially have a full serviced dashboard offer, as well as a self-service…