Get to know Ted professionally in a recent podcast interview
Some Numbers
847+
Research Projects Completed
Including quantitative, qualitative, hybrid, communities, ethnography done hands-on or managing a partner.
777+
Live Interviews
Between focus groups and depth interviews, have moderated conversations live–in-person or over video–with over 777 consumers and customers.
1
New Method Developed
Arguably the first person to conduct research using a bulletin board, inspired by the failure of trying to conduct a focus group by email and tight budgets.
Work History
Insights
First Security Financial: Market Research Analyst
Hewlett Packard: Manager, Market Research | New Business Manager (Finance & Remarketing)
Compaq Computer Corporation: Marketing Research Analyst
Manny Vicks Associates: Team Leader
US West – US West Media Group – MediaOne: Market Research Manager
Glow Teknologies: Director, MI3 Market Intelligence
Cricut: Senior Manager, Consumer Insights
Entrepreneurial
QualTalk – 20/20 Research: Co-founder and director creating and operationalizing Qualboards, an asynchronous qualitative research platform
TripleScoop Premium Market Research: Founder and Left-handed Thinker & Doer owning and leading a boutique market research and insights agency
Other Roles
Mickwee Group Inc. : Director of Forum, an IT Association
HatchTank: User experience advisor
Bello: Independent advisor
Springhill Suites: Night auditor
Hampton Inn: Night auditor
Documents & Sites
QRCA Presentations
I have been a member of QRCA since 2007. Over the years, I have presented at the annual conference.
2007 About monitoring social media and the Internet as if it was a huge focus group
2015 It Takes A Village – About proprietary panels and communities
2019 Catch & Release – About Recruit 2.0–using new methods for recruiting qualitative
The Survey
This is a video the TripleScoop team created. It reflected a real experience I had. I was visiting my brother when he received a phone call–a survey on dog food. The “5 minute” survey turned into 15 or more long minutes and I watched as he got more and more frustrated. This kind of experience is exactly what led to start Qualboards and later TripleScoop.
My research and insights journey
The highlights that led me to become the insights professional I am today.
Crunchy Origin Story:
Go to college to pursue a career in Film & Broadcast, but soon realize it is not for me. Take Advertising 101 to try out other options and discover my passion for research with a taste test for a potato chip brand.
Foundational Principles of Research
Working with great market research minds at Hewlett Packard, I develop foundational skills and experience in the principles and practices of great market research. This includes experimental design, choice modelling, advertising, and price testing supporting B2B marketing and product development in test and measurement, medical, and analytical devices.
Pioneering the Great Transition
Supporting US West’s online and interactive strategy stakeholders, I am in the right place and time to experiment and develop new methods using, hold your breath, The Internet. Tight budgets, desperation, and creative connections lead me to try a primitive bulletin board format for “focus groups.” These are a surprising success and lead to Greenfield Online’s MindStorm and later to the creation of Qualboards.
Watch and Learn
I am seconded to US West Media Labs where I learn ethnographic research by doing, working side-by-side with trained anthropologists. I become enthralled with the idea of compensating behaviors and how watching and asking can lead to amazing breakthrough insights.
Moderating Chops via the Backdoor
I team up with 20/20 Research’s Jim Bryson to create Qualboards, a “virtual facility” for independent moderators. Since several old school moderators are tech-challenged, I learn to moderate from the best by ghost moderating.
Management and Mentoring to Innovate and Serve
I build TripleScoop, a boutique research agency, around innovative research methods, and more importantly, a strong team of researchers who serve up game-changing insights to SC Johnson, Playtex, Kraft Foods, American Express, Schick, Covidien, Superfeet, McCann Canada, Paradigm PR, and many others.
Beyond Insights into Strategy
I move further beyond recommendations to collaborating and providing data-driven thought leadership to clients of TripleScoop and stakeholders inside Cricut, helping shape strategy and successfully acquire new customers. It all starts with Eric at Superfeet, after a pricing study presentation, saying, “I love this research. But tell me what I should do.”
Unique Skills
The unique skills I bring to bear for your organization.
Creative
Formally trained in creative problem solving skills early in my career. This builds on my natural tendency to view the world in unique ways. I blame it being a left-hander, but credit has to go to a mother who nurtured creativity in our home. Regardless, that means I bring a uniquely creative approach to problem-solving to you.
Adaptable and Agile
Comfortable moderating interviews in the morning, providing a perspective to senior management on an opportunity over lunch, and creating a compelling PowerPoint deck in the afternoon.
Empathic Listener
I have developed my natural empathy and practiced listening skills that lead to better insights from interviews, as well as better collaboration, communications, and leadership.
Scrappy Tenacity
I don’t give up or see any problem or opportunity as impossible. Rather, sometimes it just takes creative approaches, iterative effort, or reframing as well as the simple act of showing up each day to chip away at the seemingly impossible.
“I deeply enjoyed working with Ted on our customer acquisition efforts. He contributed a deeper understanding of our consumer and their journey in such a way that we could more effectively refine our acquisition strategies. Most notably, his interviews with consumers and collaborative efforts with our team provided invaluable iterative insights that led to stronger digital advertising that connected emotionally with consumers.”
Avani Patel
Director of Marketing @ Cricut