General Information

Susan Bell Research

Our research helps organisations develop and improve their business, marketing and communications. We were established in 1994 and since then have helped hundreds of clients understand their customers, users, members, stakeholders and supporters.

We conduct

• Qualitative research
• Survey research, and 
• Semiotics / Discourse analysis

We have developed specialist techniques for

• Consumer (document) testing
• Sensory qualitative research, and
• Sensemaking (see below)

We are original thinkers who bring extensive knowledge of contemporary social science to our work.

Sectors

We have extensive research experience in financial services, food and drink, personal care, government policy, customer and victim experiences, and with not for profits.

Capabilities

• Quantitative research: online, CATI, face to face.
• Qualitative research: one-on-one interviews (all methods), online qualitative research, ethnography, face-to-face focus groups, qualitative social media analysis, 
• Cultural insight: semiotics and discourse analysis

Sense-making

Sensemaking helps us understand why people do the things they do.

Sense-making (how people make sense of things) is an active, ongoing process in which the person tries to figure out what to do, to find meaning in the situation and basically do their best under the circumstances.

We use a sense-making framework in a wide variety of - usually qualitative - projects, including customer experience, and wherever we need to gain a deep understanding of a market or category. We have particular expertise in topics that require sensitivity and sensibility e.g. victims of crime, facial scarring, and aged care.

Consumer testing

In Financial Services, the term ‘consumer testing’ means testing a document with members of its intended audience to determine whether the document is easy for them to read, use, and understand. We are experts at this.

Research Society Members Susan Bell BA Hons, Grad Dip (Psych) Research Society Fellow QPR , Suzanne Burdon BA Hons, LTCL, Jane Gregory BA Hons, Research Society Fellow, QPR

Key Personnel

Jane Gregory, BA Hons (English) QPR. Research Society Fellow

Suzanne Burdon BA Hons (Sociology), LTCL,

Susan Bell BA Hons (English/Linguistics) Grad Dip (Psychology), Research Society Fellow and QPR. 

The Susan Bell Research team has presented papers at seminars, Research Society QRCA, and ANZMAC conferences, and conducted in-house training.