23 March 2008

Market Research Tutorial

Using market research methods to determine audience need for your web site; what problems will it solve. Collecting information via questionnaires.
Read up on these subjects and try to narrow down some ideas. Try to come up with 3 so there are alternatives you can use. Your tutor will ask you to pitch your ideas for discussion in the first few weeks of the study session, giving you feedback on each.

Search on Google for:
How to do market research
design a questionnaire.

Market Research Methods:
No matter which technique you are using for market research, your goal is to ask a set of questions and get back: A) a set of answers to your questions, and B) new ideas. (Marshall Brain, Howstuffworks, n.d.)
  • Direct market research - talk to people. eg. focus groups, phone, email, face-to-face and online surveys
  • Indirect market research - look at what's already out there

Very informative guide on direct market research in the craft industry, contains principles easily transferred to producing a web site, such as what to include in a market research plan - www.craftsreport.com.

An article with tips and resources for indirect market research www.abc.net.au

My Ideas:
Although I wont be developing the actual web site in this unit, I need to consider ideas that I can take up in future units.
  • A customer support web site for the internet service provider firm I work for - would include things like FAQ, configuration instructions, troubleshooting, account management.
  • An artist's web site - a friend wants my help with her web site, she wants to display and sell her art work online.
  • A free recipe and menu planner web site

I personally enjoy cooking, already have a cooking blog so the third option has a strong appeal for me. I would like to incorporate extra features that would extend the functionality of a simple recipe collection - with search and a menu planner, shopping list. I would probably like to allow user submission of recipes, and in this case some sort of rating system would be desirable.

My audience - Australian (no fahrenheit or US measures please!), aiming at the domestic cook rather than professional chef.

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