Step 7: Analyze and Report Data

Resources

Qualitative Data Analysis

The last step in the formative research process is to analyze and report data. Analyzing quantitative and qualitative data also requires specialized skills—this is another area in which you may want to hire a contractor or partner with a university. State health department epidemiologists can also be a helpful resource for analyzing quantitative data.

Whatever method you use to analyze the data you collect, it's important to keep the big picture in mind. Look through your data to find those key insights that you can use to more deeply understand your target audience. The purpose of this data is to help you make decisions and judgments, not just learn facts or information. Look for specific points that you can act on. Make sure that you have enough information to choose a final audience segment, a specific behavior change, and you have some ideas about intervention strategies. You should go back to your research questions to see if each has been answered in enough detail for you to move forward. If it is helpful, you can organize the data by research question.

Big Picture Alert

Depending on how your data collection has gone, reassess and see if you have enough data and the right kind of data to proceed. If not, you may want to loop back through this phase to fill in any missing pieces.