What produces false confidence.
ASKING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WOULD DO
They cannot predict it, and they are polite.
ASKING LEADING QUESTIONS
You receive your own opinion back.
TALKING ONLY TO PEOPLE WHO LIKE YOU
Friends and existing customers give favourable answers.
TALKING ONLY TO PEOPLE WHO AGREE
Confirmation gathered, nothing learned.
TOO FEW CONVERSATIONS
Conclusions from one person's situation.
TOO MANY QUESTIONS, TOO SHALLOW
Coverage without understanding.
DESCRIBING YOUR IDEA FIRST
They respond to it rather than describing their situation.
TREATING ENTHUSIASM AS DEMAND
Interest is free, and it costs nothing to express.
IGNORING PEOPLE WHO SAID NO
They explain what is wrong, which the enthusiasts cannot.
RESEARCHING UNTIL YOU FIND SUPPORT
Stopping when the answer is convenient.
NOT DECIDING IN ADVANCE WHAT WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND
Every result becomes encouraging.
RELYING ON PUBLISHED FIGURES WITH NO SOURCE
Statistics that circulate and are never checked.
GENERALISING FROM RESPONDENTS TO EVERYONE
People who respond differ from those who do not.
MEASURING WHAT IS EASY RATHER THAN WHAT MATTERS
Data with no decision attached.
DOING RESEARCH AND THEN IGNORING IT
The commonest waste of all.
WHAT MOST OF THESE SHARE
A desire for the answer to be yes.
