Research is an important part of many fields. Not only is it the backbone of the various scientific disciplines, but it’s also useful in marketing and the arts. Students and professionals alike often have to conduct research in order to know the direction to go with a new project.
In retail, market research can help determine what customers want. With all of this in mind, it’s easy to see how research software can take a variety of forms, depending on the industry and the needs of the individual project.
Specialized Solution or Generalized Application?
When choosing research software, the first question to ask is whether you need a specialized solution, or if a readily-available application might serve your needs. Scientific research labs often need specialized software that is designed to record chemical formulas, track lab reagents, and otherwise handle discipline-specific information.
In retail market research, businesses may rely on various customer relationship management and behavior analyzing software applications, which can help them determine things such as what their customers buy, how often they make purchases, how happy they are with the purchases, and how loyal they are to the brand.
However, some research can be done using a spreadsheet to record findings, or by collecting responses via a survey program. These solutions may be especially appealing for students who are doing a one-off research project as part of a school project. In this situation, something ready-made, easy to use, and preferably free, will be ideal.
Data Integrity and Security
Research software decisions often come down to the importance of the data being collected, stored, and managed. If a student is merely collecting anonymous information about peoples’ soda-drinking habits to write a single paper for a single class, they may not be particularly concerned about the accuracy of the data, and they may not need long-term, secure storage.
However, in a professional research lab, data integrity becomes very important. When developing cancer drugs, or tests for detecting viruses, inaccurate data can have disastrous, expensive consequences.
In the retail sector, security can be a big concern. If any of the data being collected is sensitive, such as customers’ personal information, it is subject to specific security requirements, especially in the EU. Even when security isn’t mandated by law, it can be very important. Customers can lose their trust in a business if that business exposes their private information to hackers and the darknet.
The Importance of Choosing Wisely
The decision of what research software to use should not be made lightly. Even for casual research for a school project, the choice of the wrong software can lead to wasted time trying to configure the application to do what is needed. In the professional field, the wrong software can lead to wasted time and money, failed projects, and PR disasters.
Luckily, there are a number of good options on the market, tailored for different research needs. One needs only to spend some time doing some research, keeping in mind their exact data needs, security concerns, and of course, budget.
