Data and Data Collection

Fundamentally--2 types of data

Quantitative – Numbers, tests, counting,

measuring

Qualitative – Words, images,

observations, conversations, photographs
Data Collection Techniques 

Observations,
Tests,
Surveys,
Document analysis
(the research literature) 
 Quantitative Methods 

Experiment: Research situation with at

least one independent variable, which is
manipulated by the researcher
Independent Variable: The variable in the
study under consideration. The cause for
the outcome for the study.

Dependent Variable: The variable being

affected by the independent variable.
The effect of the study

y = f(x)
Which is which here?
 5 Steps to Collect Data
1. Determine What Information You
Want to Collect
2. Set a Timeframe for Data
Collection
3. Determine Your Data Collection
Method
4. Collect the Data
5. Analyze the Data and Implement
Your Findings
 Determine What Information
You Want to Collect

The first thing you need to do is choose

what details you want to collect. You’ll
need to decide what topics the
information will cover, who you want to
collect it from and how much data you
need.
 Set a Timeframe for Data
Collection

In the early stages of your planning

process, you should establish a
timeframe for your data collection. You
may want to gather some types of data
continuously.
 Determine Your Data
Collection Method

At this step, you will choose the data

collection method that will make up the
core of your data-gathering strategy.
To select the right collection method,
you’ll need to consider the type of
information you want to collect, the
timeframe over which you’ll obtain it
and the other aspects you determined.
 Collect the Data

Once you have finalized your plan, you

can implement your data collection
strategy and start collecting data. Be
sure to stick to your plan and check on
its progress regularly.
 Analyze the Data and
Implement Your Findings

Once you’ve collected all of your data,

it’s time to analyze it and organize your
findings. The analysis phase is crucial
because it turns raw data into valuable
insights that you can use to enhance
your strategies and implement better
decisions.
 7 Ways to Collect Data
1. Survey
2. On-line Tracking
3. Transactional Data Tracking
4. Digital Marketing Analytics
5. Social Media Monitoring
6. Collecting Subscription and Registration
Data
7. In – store Traffic Monitoring
 Survey

Survey data is defined as the

resultant data that is collected from a
sample of respondents that took
a survey. This data is comprehensive
information gathered from a target
audience about a specific topic to
conduct research. There are many
methods used for survey data
collection and statistical analysis
 On-line Tracking
Online tracking is essentially collecting data about
users and their behaviour online. The purpose of it?
Gaining insight into users, their behaviour and
preferences. For organizations, companies, websites
and others, these insights serve as powerful tools for
optimising the user experience, for statistical
purposes, customization, commerce and for profiling
and targeted marketing. Mostly, it is not clear to
users when or by whom they are being tracked and
for what exact purpose their data is being used.
 Transactional Data Tracking
Transactional data relates to the transactions of the
organization and includes data that is captured, for
example, when a product is sold or purchased. Master
data is referred to in different transactions, and
examples are customer, product, or supplier data.
Generally, master data does not change and does not
need to be created with every transaction. For
example, if one customer purchases multiple products
at different times, a transaction record needs to be
created for each sale, but the data about the
customer stays the same. 
 Digital Marketing Analytics

Digital marketing analytics measures, tracks

and analyzes your campaign performance. It
improves the management of your digital
marketing.  Thus, learning from it, it will help
you reach your business goals and help you
improve.
 Social Media Monitoring
• Social media monitoring is the act of
monitoring social media for information
relevant to your business. For example,
you might want to know about:
– Brand mentions (with or without direct
tagging, aka @mention)
– Relevant hashtags
– Mentions of your competitors
– General trends that apply to your industry
 Social Media Monitoring

Social media monitoring helps you

track key social metrics like brand
awareness and social share of voice.
You can also use this information to 
test messaging and measure ROI.
 Collecting Subscription and
Registration Data
• Offering customers something in return for providing
information about themselves can help you gather valuable
customer data. You can do this by requiring some basic
information from customers or site visitors who want to
sign up for your email list, rewards program or another
similar program. One benefit of this method is that the
leads you get are likely to convert because they have
actively demonstrated an interest in your brand. When
creating the forms used to collect this information, it’s
essential to find the right balance in the amount of data
you ask for. Asking for too much can discourage people
from participating, while not asking for enough means
your data won’t be as useful as it could be.
 In – store Traffic Monitoring
If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can also
gather insights from monitoring the foot traffic
there. The most straightforward way to do this is with
a traffic counter on the door to help you keep track of
how many people come into your store throughout the
day. This data will reveal what your busiest days and
hours are. It may also help give you an idea about what
is drawing customers to your store at certain times.
You can also install security systems with motion
sensors that will help you track customers’ movement
patterns throughout your shop. The sensor can provide
you with data about which of your store’s departments
are most popular.
 Uses of Data Collection

1. Improving Your Understanding of

Your Audience
2. Identifying Areas for Improvement
or Expansion
3. Predicting Future Patterns
4. Better Personalizing Your Content
and Messaging
Improving Your Understanding
of Your Audience

The better you understand your

customers, though, the easier it will be
for you to meet their expectations.
Data collection enables you to improve
your understanding of who your
audience is and disseminate that
information throughout your
organization.
 Identifying Areas for
Improvement or Expansion

Collecting and analyzing data helps you

see where your company is doing well
and where there is room for
improvement. It can also reveal
opportunities for expanding your
business.
 Predicting Future Patterns

Analyzing the data you collect can help

you predict future trends, enabling you
to prepare for them. 
 Better Personalizing Your
Content and Messaging
When you know more about your
customers or site visitors, you can 
tailor the messaging you send them to
their interests and preferences. This
personalization applies to marketers
designing ads, publishers choosing
which ads to run and content creators
deciding what format to use for their
content.
Key Factors for High Quality
Experimental Design
Data should not be contaminated by poor
measurement or errors in procedure.

Eliminate confounding variables from study or

minimize effects on variables.

Representativeness: Does your sample

represent the population you are studying?
Must use random sample techniques.
 What Makes a Good
Quantitative Research Design? 
4 Key Elements

1. Freedom from Bias

2. Freedom from Confounding
3. Control of Extraneous Variables
4. Statistical Precision to Test Hypothesis
 Bias: When observations favor some
individuals in the population over others. 

Confounding: When the effects of two

or more variables cannot be separated.

Extraneous Variables: Any variable that

has an effect on the dependent variable.

Need to identify and minimize these variables.

e.g., Erosion potential as a function of clay content.
rainfall intensity, vegetation & duration would be
considered extraneous variables.
 Precision versus accuracy

"Precise" means sharply defined or

measured.

"Accurate" means truthful or correct.

Both Accurate Accurate
and Precise Not precise

Not accurate
But precise Neither accurate
nor precise
 Interpreting Results of
Experiments 

Goal of research is to draw conclusions.

What did the study mean?

What, if any, is the cause and effect of

the outcome?  
 Introduction to Sampling

Sampling is the problem of accurately

acquiring the necessary data in order to
form a representative view of the
problem.

This is much more difficult to do than is

generally realized.
 Overall Methodology:
* State the objectives of the survey
* Define the target population
* Define the data to be collected
* Define the variables to be determined
* Define the required precision & accuracy
* Define the measurement `instrument'
* Define the sample size & sampling method,
then select the sample
 Sampling
Distributions:
When you form a sample you often show
it by a plotted distribution known as a
histogram .

A histogram is the distribution of

frequency of occurrence of a certain
variable within a specified range.

NOT A BAR GRAPH WHICH LOOKS VERY SIMILAR

 Interpreting quantitative
findings 

Descriptive Statistics : Mean, median,

mode, frequencies

Error analyses
 Mean
• In science the term mean is really the
arithmetic mean
• Given by the equation

n
• X = 1/
n 
i=1
xi

Or more simply put, the sum of values divided by the

number of values summed
 • Consider the set
Median
• 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 11, 13, 14, 16, 19
– In this case there are 13 values so the median
is the middle value, or (n+1) / 2
– (13+1) /2 = 7
• Consider the set
• 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 11, 13, 14, 16
– In the second case, the mean of the two middle
values is the median or (n+1) /2
(12 + 1) / 2 = 6.5 ~ (6+7) / 2 = 6.5

Or more simply put the mid value separating all

values in the upper 1/2 of the values from those
in the lower half of the values
 Mode
The most frequent value in a data set
• Consider the set
• 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6, 11, 11, 11, 13, 14, 16, 19
– In this case the mode is 1 because it is the most
common value

• There may be cases where there are more than

one mode as in this case

• Consider the set

• 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6, 11, 11, 11, 11, 13, 14, 16, 19
– In this case there are two modes (bimodal) : 1 and 11
because both occur 4 times in the data set.