tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5708944154753335402.post8084206978916727617..comments2024-01-31T22:27:05.596-08:00Comments on Space Agency Notes: Garbage in Garbage Out. Why Research Sucks!Ex-Chief Alienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12849416626091793730noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5708944154753335402.post-50098648046559936992010-11-10T11:58:03.958-08:002010-11-10T11:58:03.958-08:00I spent several years on the research side of thin...I spent several years on the research side of things before making the transition to jaded and cynical creative director, and from direct experience, everything you've written is spot on. Research is a tool. Properly conducted and compiled, it gives you the lay of the land, and with the analysis of someone who knows how to navigate the data, it can yield all kinds of juicy insights. But all to often, it's a gigantic sloppy mess, with questions written and data compiled by people who know the answers they want beforehand. <br /><br />It's not any better on the receiving end, either. I can't tell you the number of times I got requests for research showing X, even when every possible data point indicated that X was completely dead wrong.<br /><br />Research, and the analysis of research, requires objectivity, intellectual honesty, and a willingness to be confronted with findings that contradict your assumptions and make you look like an idiot (those contradictions are usually where the best insights come from). Sadly, these qualities are rare, at best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com