Lesson 7	Analyzing your audience
Objective	Describe techniques to gather information about your potential audience.

Analyzing your Audience in the Discovery and Definition Phase

In addition to specific documents such as the RFP and Site Planner, there are a number of methods you can use to gather data regarding sign and metaphor needs.

Audience Analysis
Before designing signs and metaphors, you must know who your audiences are because different kinds of audiences may respond in various ways to the same signs and metaphors. Remember that your audience is the client as well as the many end users: investors, customers, suppliers, and so on. Either your team or your client should conduct some form of audience analysis in the Discovery and Definition phases. You may continue with further audience analysis as part of the Design phase to aid in the creation of appropriate signs and metaphors. There are many methods for gathering data about an audience, including:
1. Interviews
2. Focus groups
3. Surveys
4. Third party market research
The following series of imagesbelow will explain the features of these four methods of investigating your audience.

1) Interviews: The creative team can participate in interviews of client representatives, key customers, target audience members, and subject matter experts. — 1. **Interviews:** The creative team can participate in interviews of client representatives, key customers, target audience members, and subject matter experts. During an interview, it is helpful to be able to show samples of images or text in order to find out how interviewees react to certain sign and metaphors, This is also a good way to validate proposed signs and metaphors, Face to face interviews with end users, client representatives and others can be repeated throughout the process as needed to perfect the signs and metaphors.

2) Focus groups are discussion groups that focus on a specific topic. Focus groups are valuable supplements to interviews because in a group, people build on each other's ideas. — 2. **Focus groups** are discussion groups that focus on a specific topic. Focus groups are valuable supplements to interviews because in a group, people build on each other's ideas. A key success factor in focus groups is creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas with each other. As in interviews, it is valuable to provide participants with a chance to respond to specific samples of signs and metaphors.

3) Surveys are paper-based or online information-gathering tools. They can incorporate a wide range of question types. — 3. **Surveys** are paper-based or online information-gathering tools. They can incorporate a wide range of question types. Surveys are particularly useful for obtaining information from users or client representatives who are not immediately available for interviews or focus groups. E-mail surveys or surveys done with online tools can reach a large number of people with minimal interruption to their schedule.

4) Market Research: There are many consulting firms that perform market analysis focused on audience — 4. **Market Research:** There are many consulting firms that perform market analysis focused on audience. They may use techniques described above, but the will also have access to results of prior studies that have synthesized data on consumer patterns on a wider scale. As with any profession, their experience should lead them to be more effective. They will be skillful in tailoring a study to a particular project, and more adept at interpreting the results.

Surveys and Audience Analysis Tools

A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, advertisement, or idea. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. Paper-based information is used as a gathering tool using a wide range of questions.

Interviews: One-on-one questioning session; can show and ask about samples; can extract more information; more time consuming
Focus groups: Interview situation with multiple people; respondents build on each other's ideas
Market research: Analysis of broad groups or categories of consumers; track behavior patterns, choices, and preferences

Analyzing the Audience
Before writing anything, describe an audience by:

Identifying audience characteristics,
Assessing their objectives and needs,
Planning for subgroups within the audience.

Conducting the Audience Analysis Conduct either a formal (based on surveys and questionnaires) or an informal (based on discussions) analysis to create an audience profile.

Formal Audience Analysis:
During formal analysis:
1. Conduct surveys,
2. Use structured interviews,
3. Gather questionnaires.
Some organizations often do formal analyses as part of marketing planning.
Informal Audience Analysis: Gather information about the audience by talking with people who will read the final document. For example, when writing
1. Product documentation, talk to people who use the product (or a similar product).
2. An article for a periodical or journal, talk to people who read that publication. Especially talk to those who have published in that or similar periodicals.
In the next lesson, questions for analyzing audiences that have been developed by the market research industry will be discussed.