My time as Director of Digital Products at a market research agency was a very exciting time for both myself and for the agency. We embarked on a journey together that had no precedent, no clear path, but one shared goal to build a coherent digital offer that could be adopted by the qualitative research team.
From the start, I wasn’t sure what this new world would look like and an initial conversation with one of the Board Directors went something like this:
Me: ‘Where do you see this going in the next year or two?’
Board Director: ‘It’s completely up to your own ambition’
A scary blank canvas was now directly in front of me.
I quickly saw the potential. I was given a chance to create something really dynamic. I get a lot out of seeing progress in people, and to know that I would have the opportunity to do just that at my agency really fired me up.
However, it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. I had a lot to prove and I represented change and something new. People love change, right?
So I needed a strategy. I started by getting know people’s loves and hates about technology and the barriers facing them. From there, I would slowly demonstrate the opportunities people were missing out on by doing research online, whether this be through 1-1 chats, proposal writing, client meetings or getting stuck into some projects. I found that a more personal approach helped me build relationships and open a dialogue that was relevant to each person, no matter the level. After a while, I realised I was applying the principles of behavioural economics and this gave me a clear path to how I could show my stakeholders to see the potential in an incredibly exciting world of digital products, with transformative new methods.
From there, I delivered a formalised digital strategy that was aligned with commercial goals. I went on to coach team members at all levels, pitch for business, create new revenue opportunities and help the agency adapt to growing demands for ‘fast, cheap but still top quality’ research.
As time went on, I became more and more grateful for the blank canvas placed in front of me, clutching a paintbrush in one hand and boundless opportunity in the other.
As a wise man called Pablo Picasso once said: “Everything you can imagine is real.”
– Heather
Here is a more detailed summary of my experience and responsibilities as Director of Digital Products:
- The expert driving force in digital transformation for online and mobile qualitative research, inclusive of strategy, productization, research design, best practice and staff mentoring and training
- Part of core steering committee with senior management (CEO and Group Head) for the development and innovation of new products and methodologies
- Developed and built our agile research offer
- Head curator of new and emerging relevant technologies for ad hoc projects; responsible for advising and selecting the most appropriate technology and method for projects
- Consultant on research design and best practice across the agency group
- Responsible for costing of projects with complex methodologies with either online & mobile as the sole or core part of the design, both domestic and international
- Created client-facing materials related to digital methodologies (e.g. proposal content, creds, online task guides)
- Negotiator of supplier contracts to benefit, leading to cost savings
- Hired and recruited the newest addition to the digital team with the aim to bolster the championing of online and mobile qualitative research within the UK team
- Strong awareness of data privacy laws and regulations
- Strong business acumen and commercial awareness
- Ran 10 Lunch & learns and workshops over the course of role, across teams, to grow awareness of technology, best practice and industry thinking
- Regarded as a time-conscious individual, adept at balancing tight timelines while maintaining a high standard of quality and a high level of detail orientation in all deliverables
Hey Heather! 