Research is what happens when you know it’s not enough to rely on assumptions. There’s an issue you need to know more about, and you need a structured plan and an effective method to find or generate the right information. From scoping studies and white papers that analyse the state of play in whole industry sectors, to market research that seeks answers from the horse’s mouth about your current and prospective customers, to in-house trials and experiments, we know that information is understanding.

With over 20 years’ experience in research, we can develop, manage, implement, and analyse the results of research projects of any scope for you. We help you understand what it is you need to know, decide how to figure it out, implement that plan with you, and analyse and explain the results.

Do Your Own Research

Innokas believes thoroughly in equity of access to research and new knowledge. Although academic research carried out in universities is critical to social advancement, and university academics carry out projects that couldn’t be done anywhere else, many smaller research needs (your research needs!) often slip through the cracks. A business may need specific answers to a very specific question, like:

• Which plant variety performs better in our climate?
• Is one of my programs having better outcomes for clients than another?
• How often should I remind customers about a new offer, and does demographics matter?

While we can often piggyback on larger bodies of knowledge, sometimes we need more specific answers. And while we can guesstimate and eyeball it, knowing the right answer can save lost opportunities for doing things the right way. Small businesses can do their own research, given some help. And that’s what we do.

If you want to run a research project, here’s what you’ll need:

1. A properly composed research question (or hypothesis) that can be falsified by the collection of data
2. A review of the existing knowledge on the topic
3. A data collection method that will allow you to provide evidence for or against the research hypothesis and that has been cleared as ethical
4. A pre-planned method to analyse the data you collect
5. A concrete, written plan for collecting and analysing the data (a research protocol), that describes exactly who’ll be doing what, and when.
6. The capacity to actually collect the data
7. Analysis of the collected data (the dreaded statistics)
8. A report — easily understood presentation of the data, and some useful analysis of what the results mean, in a form that can be shared and recorded.

Most businesses, even small ones, are well placed to do the collection of the right data — after all, you’re the expert in your clients, environment, or processes. But you may need help with any or all of the other steps. Innokas can either manage the whole process (including liaising with your team for data collection, or organising separate data collection where that’s feasible), or just the pieces you need help with. We often do statistical analysis and reporting for projects where the data collection has already been completed.

Scoping studies

Innokas also provides literature- and resource-based studies where those are needed, such as:

• Market research
• Desktop studies
• White papers

And we’re also highly experienced in the creation of decision support tools (as software, written decision trees, diagrams/infographics, and in other formats) for industry use, based on the findings of research. See some of our case studies for examples.