Should we have all the answers?

Getting back to blogging sure feels great!

I wonder to myself, if we as research consultants should have all the answers? For example, what if the client insists on using the data to answer questions that the research is incapable of answering? Do we keep looking (knowing that we are now moving into a zone where our approach is not scientific) or should we turn back and say that the design is incapable of answering the question?

I think this is a dilemma that everyone in this industry will have faced (or will face) some time in their career. I think it all begins with managing expectations. Client expectations.

We need to be able to articulate the outcomes of our work better - what decisions will the client truly be able to make? Clients have the tendancy to squeeze costs, and we as researchers have the tendancy to squeeze our design to meet those costs. Naturally, this comes with limitations in terms of what we can answer.

Imagine doctors. Do they claim to fix a broken leg by giving pain killers? No.  I think we need to approach our work the same way.