So, you’ve decided you want to do a visitor study. Maybe you want to gather more robust demographic data, better understand visitor motivations, or evaluate a new program. You’ve got the green light, but you’re not sure how much time you’ll need. I get asked this question a lot, so here’s what to expect.
In my experience, visitor studies can take as little as a couple of months to a year (or more!) to complete. The timeline depends on several factors unique to your context, but there are some universal themes. Here are the five key elements that affect how long almost all visitor studies will take.
1. Deadlines
If your visitor study must be completed by a certain date (and it’s feasible), that’s your timeline. You may have heard of Parkinson’s Law: work expands to fill the time available. A tight deadline can help you stay focused and avoid unnecessary complexity.
For example, if you need data for a grant application due in a couple of months, you’ll need to plan, collect, analyze, and report quickly. This often means keeping the study small and simple—effective when time is of the essence.
Without a strict deadline, you might spend more time meandering. You could spend more time piloting methods or gathering extra data, but you risk scope creep. To stay on track, consider setting your own internal deadlines.
2. Type of Data Collected
There are many ways to collect data: interviews, surveys, observation, meaning mapping, and embedded evaluation methods. All the data you collect will fall into one (or both) of these categories:
- Quantitative (numbers): Faster and easier to analyze, but developing good data collection tools takes time upfront.
For example, multiple choice questions on a survey, timing and tracking sheets.
- Qualitative (words): Provides rich insights and great quotes, but takes longer to process, even with software.
For example, interviews, open response questions on a survey.
Many studies collect both types of data, but if you’re short on time, lean more toward quantitative methods.
3. Amount of Data Collected
Deciding how much data to collect—your sample size—is one of the most flexible yet impactful choices in a visitor study. While you might be tempted to gather as much information as possible, remember that every additional response adds to the time you need to spend on the study.
Estimate how many responses you’ll need to complete the study and stick to it.
4. Number of People Who Need to Sign Off
The more people involved in approvals, the more time you’ll need for meetings and updates. This can sound tedious but it is usually a good thing as it indicates the organization is invested in–and has the resources to support–the study. Plus, the more perspectives there are in the room, the earlier you can catch any biases or issues with the study. Just remember to plan extra time to communicate with everyone.
If you don’t have a lot of time to complete a visitor study, streamline your communication methods and ask if you can reduce the number of people you report to. Time spent on administrative tasks for a visitor study counts as time spend on the study.
5. People Doing the Visitor Study
Consider the size of your visitor study team, their skills, and how much time they can dedicate. Most people can’t do hours of detailed work at once—plan for breaks and realistic workloads. This applies even if you are the only person doing the visitor study.
Get to know how much time you and your team can spend on a given task. For example, I know I can’t do more than 90 minutes in a row of inviting visitors to fill in surveys. Even less if it’s outside. It can be repetitive work, with a fair amount of talking, so frequent breaks allow me to rehydrate and remember I’m not a robot. That said, I can easily manage a full workday of data analysis and reporting.
Everyone is different, but we’re all human. Whether you’re a team of one or a team of many, consider how much work is realistic for you to complete on this study, in one day.
Conclusion
The amount of time you need to complete a visitor study depends on:
- The time you have
- The type and amount of data you’re collecting
- The number of people you’re reporting to
- The people you’re working with
If you’re tight on time:
- Keep the scope narrow
- Emphasize quantitative over qualitative data
- Collect only the data you need
- Keep approvals to a minimum
Now for the real question, does a fast study guarantee a good study?
Not necessarily. Sometimes it’s worth investing extra time in planning to ensure you get useful, actionable data. But in many cases the resources to complete a visitor study are limited, so it is important to know where you can save time, without compromising the quality of your study.
Want to learn more?
Check out the upcoming courses, free webinar or email me.
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