Designing a Research Instrument to Assess Needs and Desires (Grade 10 NSC Matric Business Studies): Revision Notes
Designing a Research Instrument to Assess Needs and Desires
What is a research instrument?
A research instrument is a tool that businesses use to collect information about what their potential customers need and want. Think of it as a way to ask questions and gather data that helps businesses understand their target market better.
When businesses design good research instruments, they can:
- Learn about customer needs and desires
- Reduce business risks by making informed decisions
- Understand what products or services people actually want
Research instruments are essential tools that bridge the gap between businesses and their potential customers. By gathering reliable data, companies can make evidence-based decisions rather than relying on guesswork.
Key terms to remember
Essential Vocabulary:
- Respondent: The people who take part in your research by answering questions or providing information
- Research instruments: Different methods used to collect data from customers, such as questionnaires, interviews, surveys, observations and experiments
Types of research instruments
There are several ways businesses can collect information from customers:
- Surveys - collecting information from groups of people
- Interviews - having conversations with individuals to get detailed information
- Questionnaires - written lists of questions for people to answer
- Observations - watching how people behave
- Experimenting - testing different approaches to see what works best
Let's look at the three most common methods in detail:
Surveys
Surveys help you collect information from many people at once. You can choose different survey methods:
- Telephonic surveys - calling people to ask questions
- Face-to-face surveys - meeting people in person
- One-on-one surveys - individual conversations with respondents
Interviews
Interviews involve having conversations between the researcher and the respondent. This method allows you to observe how people react to your questions, which gives you extra valuable information.
Types of interviews:
- Structured interviews - formal interviews with a fixed set of questions asked in a specific order
- Unstructured interviews - more relaxed conversations where the interviewer can change the order and wording of questions
Interview formats include:
- Personal interviews (face-to-face)
- Telephonic interviews
- Email interviews
- Virtual or video interviews
Choosing Your Interview Method:
The choice of interview method depends on factors like your budget, how quickly you need answers, the literacy levels of your target audience, and how sensitive your questions are.
Questionnaires
A questionnaire consists of a series of questions designed to get specific information from respondents.
Requirements for a good questionnaire:
- States the goal of the research clearly
- Is short and doesn't take too much time to complete (simple and concise)
- Asks one question at a time
- Uses questions that are not misleading or biassed
- Provides meaningful answer options
- Uses both closed questions and open-ended questions appropriately
How to design a good research instrument
Follow these essential steps when creating your research instrument:
- Decide what information you need - be clear about your research goals
- Be clear about what you want to know about potential customers
- Use a table to analyse data from the research and ask simple, clear questions
- Have a variety of questions - mix different types of questions
- Include multiple choice questions - tick box questions and ranking scales make it easier for respondents
- Test the questions - try them out before using them in your actual research
Criteria for a good research instrument
Every effective research instrument must meet three important criteria:
1. Valid
Your research instrument is valid when it collects exactly the data you planned to collect. This means your questions actually measure what you intended to measure.
2. Reliable
Your research instrument is reliable when the same person would give similar answers if they participated in your research again at a different time. Consistency is key.
3. Avoid bias
Bias means your research instrument unfairly favours one side over another, making it less objective. You must design questions that don't push respondents towards particular answers.
Question types
Closed-ended questions
These questions provide specific answer options for respondents to choose from (like tick boxes). They are:
- Easy for respondents to complete
- Simple to analyse statistically
- Quick to answer
- Good for getting higher response rates
Open-ended questions
These questions allow respondents to answer in their own words without being limited to set options. They:
- Provide richer, more detailed information
- Allow respondents to express their true feelings
- Help capture information you might not have thought of
- Should be placed at the end of surveys to capture anything the closed-ended questions missed
Example: Good questionnaire design
Worked Example: Effective Fast Food Business Questionnaire
Here's what makes a questionnaire effective, using a fast food business example:
Good practices demonstrated:
- Clear introduction explaining the purpose (researching fast food business opportunity)
- Realistic time estimate (3 minutes to complete)
- Mix of closed-ended questions with tick boxes for easy completion
- Questions about spending use South African Rand amounts (R200, R300, R400+)
- Logical flow from general to specific questions
- Open-ended question at the end to capture additional insights
Common questionnaire mistakes to avoid
Critical Mistakes to Avoid:
Based on poorly designed questionnaire examples, avoid these problems:
- Leading questions that push respondents towards certain answers
- Technical jargon that respondents might not understand
- Vague terms that could mean different things to different people
- Irrelevant questions that don't relate to your research topic
- Intimidating opening that might discourage participation
- Too long and complex questions that confuse respondents
- Personal or embarrassing questions that make people uncomfortable
- Questions that are too general and difficult to analyse statistically
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Research instruments help businesses understand customer needs and reduce risks when making business decisions
- The three key criteria for good research instruments are: valid, reliable, and avoid bias
- Mix closed-ended questions (easy to answer and analyse) with open-ended questions (provide detailed insights)
- Always test your questions before using them in actual research
- Keep questionnaires short, clear, and relevant to encourage people to participate and give honest answers