Forced Choice means that the respondent cannot proceed with the survey/exercise/interview until making a selection. These questions are not optional and there is not an “N/A” option.

Gamification, the process of adding game-like elements to a research activity, is increasingly being used as a way to engage participants and collect data in a more interactive way. For example, a survey is likely to be more engaging with respondents and the data will be gathered in a more natural and less intrusive way, if the survey is engaging, interactive and fun. This should lead to better quality data.

The use of data analysis tools and techniques to understand trends, behaviors, and outcomes within the healthcare industry, specifically to guide marketing strategies and decision-making. It bridges healthcare data (like patient behavior, physician behavior, patient journeys, demographics, etc.) with marketing goals (like targeting, segmentation, messaging, and outreach effectiveness).

An assumption or proposition that a researcher puts forward about some characteristic of the population being investigated.

IDI stands for “In Depth Interviews.” These are qualitative one-on-one interviews that can be conducted via any medium (in-person, on the telephone or computer, voice or text) in any way where follow-up questions can be asked and responses are free-form.

Incidence is a calculation that estimates how many people in a given group (panel source, customer database, general population, etc.) meet all of the particular parameters for a study. (For example, if a study is focused on females between the ages of 18 and 34 who work full-time, and the participant source is a panel, the incidence for this group would be the percentage of panel participants that fit the criteria for the study.)

The two main variables in an experiment are the independent and dependent variable. An independent variable is the variable that is changed or controlled in a study to test the effects on the dependent variable. As the independent variable changes, the effect on the dependent variable is observed and recorded.

Indirect Drivers are states, experiences, or circumstances that affect the measurement of interest, but may have a less straightforward relationship with the variable. For example, if NPS is the measurement of interest (or Dependent Variable), the perceived “niche” of the industry, the state of the economy, the demographic makeup of the respondent’s household, or the relevance of the product/service at this point in the respondent’s life could all be Indirect Drivers of their NPS rating.

Interval or Scaled data has a clear order (like Ordinal categories), but we know how much space is between each variable (like, on a 7-point scale, there is a consistent distance between any two points — the difference between a 5 and 7 is the same as the distance between a 2 and 4). Variable type: Named + Ordered + Proportionate Intervals

An iterative process refers to a cyclical approach where research tasks are repeated and refined over multiple rounds to improve accuracy, depth of insight, and decision-making. Instead of being a one-time, linear task, the iterative process allows researchers to adapt their methods and focus based on what they learn at each stage.