Curio Research Quarterly Vol. 25
Happy Plastic Free July! While you’re considering stocking up on mason jars to celebrate, here is the latest update on happenings at Curio Research.
Business
Work
I recently started a multi-round research project with a new agency, Suzy. I’m going to be delivering insights for a specific client on where their customer experience is succeeding or falling short when it comes to event driven shopping (holidays, gifting, sale events, etc.). I already delivered my first report focused on Father’s Day gifting.
Just because it’s an ongoing project for the year, doesn’t mean I’m not available for other projects. If you have research needs, get in touch. I’d love to help.
Leadership
The website task force presented their proposed information architecture (IA) to the QRCA board with easy approval. No notes. I was so proud and grateful for all of their hard and excellent work to deliver a more intuitive information framework for the QRCA website. Now we have to test the proposed IA with a tree test and start writing SEO copy for the website.
I’ve also been working hard on creating an annual prospectus for QRCA sponsorship opportunities and we have A LOT of sponsorship opportunities. I’m hoping it will be done soon. I have to run it by the new management agency to make sure it meets their needs, but the bulk of the prospectus is complete.
I’ve been going deeper into the world of sustainability and I’ve noticed how much certifications matter to businesses looking beyond the immediate bottom line. In that spirit, Curio Research recently became a Certified Woman-Owned Business. I’m looking forward to capitalizing on the resources and wisdom of the community and possibly being able to mic drop that little tidbit in future RFP responses or capabilities presentations. B Corp certification is next on the list.
Conferences
No conferences for me lately, but I did give a talk to the research team at Suzy about the present and future of qualitative research. I focused on AI, because how can I not. It’s all anyone is talking about and it’s definitely going to change how we do our work. I came in with the thesis that AI is going to help us deliver on all three points of the Golden Triangle of Service - quality, speed, and cost. It used to be that we could only deliver two out of the three, but AI may break that rule, allowing us to deliver higher quality insights at a faster rate. I advised them to find a specialty to avoid a race to the bottom on price, because companies will always be willing to spend more on people with expertise in their specific needs.
Then I talked about the participant fraud arms race. With future fraudsters potentially having access to AI capable of producing fake video avatars in real time, I foresee a strong boost in the need for in-person research to ensure fraud-free insights.
Am I right? Who knows? Only time will tell.
Business and Sustainability
With a small break between projects, I took the time to think long and hard about how to differentiate myself from all of the other talented researchers I know and deliver on that specialization I encouraged the team at Suzy to think about. It’s something that has been rolling around in my head for a while now. I want to be able to market myself directly to end clients without being seen as competing with my core income stream of research and design agencies. So I revamped the messaging on my website to focus on research supporting green technology and consumer products.
Don’t worry, I’ll still be doing projects for the big technology companies as a subcontractor, but now I’ll be aiming to get myself in front of marketers and products managers with companies on the forefront of the sustainable business movement.
So far I’ve published six blog posts on the subject of UX and market research to support sustainable product differentiation and intuitive low carbon technologies with more on the way. I’m excited about this new direction and I hope it pays off for both myself and the planet.
Personal
Travel
No travel to speak of lately, but I did book our lodging in Berkeley, California for American Thanksgiving and reserved my hotel room in Philly for the QRCA annual conference. I plan to be very boring over the next six months by focusing on work and maybe making a pie or two.
Food
Contrary to popular belief, I am still a maker of pies. I may not make it into the kitchen all that often, but when I do, there’s usually baking involved. This year I made a massive cherry slab pie to share with friends on Canada Day. I used a folding technique for the crust to create flakey layers and this is now the only way I will pie crust from here on out. Why haven’t I been folding all along?
My husband contributed by recommending adding goat cheese, ground fennel, orange zest, and orange juice to the filling and when he makes over the top recommendations like that, I may roll my eyes, but I eventually obliged because they’re often good ideas. The additional flavors really gave the filling a sophistication I wasn’t seeking, but made a big difference.
Media
And of course I’ve been watching great television, some of which is worth sharing with all of you:
Shogun - This was an epic remake of the 80’s miniseries based on the James Clavell novel from 1975. A British government endorsed pirate/explorer lands in feudal Japan with the intent of undermining Portuguese imperial conquest and opening trade routes between the nations of Japan and Britain. Instead he is forced to put his Western aspirations on hold, becoming a pawn in the power struggles between a fraught coalition of lords ruling the nation. It’s a gorgeous show that creates stark contrast between the two cultures.
Feud: Capote and the Swans - The series of the Feud anthology focuses on Truman Capote and his great platonic loves, the women of New York mid-century society. The writing is superb. My favorite episode was #5, The Secret Inner Lives of Swans, where Truman has a fantastical romp across Manhattan with James Baldwin dishing all his best secrets in the most elevated dialogue imaginable.
True Detective: Night Country - I hadn’t looked at this series since season 1 with Woody Harleson trying to make sense of McConaughey’s erudite flat circle of time, but you throw Jodie Foster into the mix and I’m paying attention. It may stick its toe pretty far into the metaphysical, but I love how it brought in contemporary social justice issues of missing and murdered indigenous women, indigenous land rights, and pollution. The cast featured a lot of newcomers I’m sure we’ll see more of.
Drops of God - Dave got me into this one. A giant in the world of wine criticism dies and makes his two designated heirs vie for his inheritance by competing a series of wine related tests. Again we have the cultural conflict of Europe and Japan, but on a smaller familial scale that doesn’t touch geopolitics. A good watch for anyone who enjoyed Somm.
Giving Back
Last month I volunteered with the Stanley Park Ecology Society to remove a bunch of flowering balsam from an area in the park one weekend, and attended an anti-fracking conference on another weekend. I always enjoy getting my hands dirty with the SPEC and balsam is easy to pull. At the conference I sat in on a talk by re.climate discussing the results of their qual/quant study on how Canadians are thinking and talking about climate change. It was a really well done presentation that shows the precarious balance of issues within people's minds - what is the more immediate threat? Climate change or cost of living? And what are Canadians willing to do to address these concerns?
They recommended a structure for discussing the issues with people who differ on their priorities:
Challenge - What do they see as the problems?
Choice - What actions can be taken to address these problems, why should they be taken, and how should they be done?
Opportunity - What are the benefits of taking action? What consequence is being avoided?
And now, in closing, here is a link to five things you can do to celebrate Plastic Free July.
