Experience Matters: The Danger of "DIY" Research

COSTLY ASSUMPTIONS & WASTED TIME

DIY home improvement dangers are clear: Wear goggles and gloves, and be very careful you don’t cut your hand off. DIY research dangers might not be as apparent, but they can be just as dire. Simply collecting numbers is not enough.

If your results are that:
                          • X% hates ice cream
                          • Y% might buy your product

What do these numbers mean?
What is the basis of these figures?
Can they be relied on? 
Most importantly, can these numbers lead to any useful conclusions and action plans? 

And even with properly collected data, without in-depth reporting and visualizations, it is difficult to utilize and understand. Going the DIY route means at best being outside your element and spending precious time to achieve limited results.

Far more costly, DIY research can lead to severe misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions, not knowledge and useful conclusions. DIY research may initially be enticing from a price-perspective, but the limited results and potential pitfalls far outweigh the cost of our services.