Research that doesn't stop
at the data.
XandY is an independent research and strategy firm that helps organizations understand how people think and act, why they do, and what will actually move them. Here's how we do that.
It's best to do research backwards
Most research runs forward: you collect some data, look for something interesting, and then figure out what to do about it. That order can feel natural, but it quietly wastes resources and time. This might even sound familiar to you: A study ends, the findings are presented, but then nobody can quite turn them to a decision that has any impact.
We run the process in reverse, an approach inspired by a brilliant Harvard Business Review piece written back in 1995 arguing for "backward" market research. This means we start by figuring out what decisions you need to be able to make and what exactly you want the data to be able to tell you about. From there, we have a clear view of what insights you need. And that, in turn, tells us which methods and types of data we need to design our study around. This ensures that every study has an intentional desing that will lead to tangible, practical findings that you can confidently act on.
Speak softly and carry a big toolbox
Most research providers push whichever method they sell. Polling shops run polls. Focus group firms run focus groups. It's kind of like the old quip "To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.".
XandY is more like the craftsman behind the tool. We start with a holistic view of the project and select the method that is best for this situation. We're able to do this because our team has exceptional fluency across advanced quantitative and deep qualitative approaches. This wide range of expertise also enables us to have a clear-eyed view of each method's strengths and limits. We'll tell you exactly what the data can support, what it cannot, and how to calibrate around nuance and uncertainty.
How we gather
- National surveys & opinion polling census-matched samples, industry-standard methods
- Tracking studies & longitudinal panels how the world moves, not just a snapshot
- Randomized experiments message testing, A/B designs, full RCTs
- Field experiments & program evaluation causal evidence from the real world
- In-depth interviews & focus groups the "why" underneath the numbers
- Content & social media analysis what's being said, by whom, at scale
- Secondary data & evidence synthesis standing on what's already known
How we analyze
- Advanced statistical modeling multilevel models, causal inference, conjoint, SEM
- Audience segmentation & personas who to talk to, in what order, with which message
- Text analytics & machine learning structure and signal from open-ended data
- Measurement design & psychometrics instruments that measure what they claim to
- Qualitative & content coding systematic, reliable, transparent
- Data visualization from infographics to interactive online data explorers
With you the whole way
Too often, research providers take your order, disappear for awhile, and drop off a dataset and some summary tables like it's fast food in a paper bag. We think your research is more valuable than that. We provide a white-glove, curated service across everything that happens before and after main course. Think of it more like a 5-course dinner with a Michelin-star chef:
Advise
To begin, we collaboratively develop a watertight research plan. We work with you through the study design, sampling strategy, question wording, and more to sharpen the focus of the work and ensure clarity in the answers.
Collect
We conduct rigorous fieldwork matched to the study design, with multi-modal quality controls and transparent documentation. So whether we're running a 50-state poll, a randomized experiment, or forty hours of interviews, you can be sure that the data is solid. That's the foundation that supports the entire project.
Analyze
Using a variety of methods, we create an analytic approach that lets the data speak for itself. Our team excels in the analysis, but also in translating the complexities so anyone can understand what's going on under the hood and why.
Deliver
We believe data is beautiful. So we take pride in making products that people actually use and share. These include infographics, interactive online tools and data explorers, and primetime-ready reports built for boards, funders, journalists, and policymakers. Across all, our team of information design specialists ensure that your deliverables are compelling, easy to understand, and enjoyable to use.
Implement
One of our differentiators is that we stay at the table for the post-research strategy and implementation. Whether it's message testing, intervention design, audience targeting, communications guidance, or even just the next round of research questions, we're here to make sure that you can truly apply the research findings rather than just receive them.
We help in many ways. These are the most common.
Every engagement is custom-built, but the needs that bring nonprofits and businesses to us tend to rhyme. Here are a few themes we often hear, and how we approach them:
→"We need to be the credible voice on our issue."
By building a sustained research engine with a pipeline of polling, citable public reports, white papers, and market research, we can transform an organization into a world-class research authority. There's no substitute for the effect of publishing a steady stream of original data that the media, policymakers, industry leaders, and your audiences reference by name. In some select partnerships, we can even co-apply for external funding so this research engine gets built at low or no cost to you.
→"We're trying to build public support" or "We're defending something contested."
Our comprehensive toolbox of polling, segmentation, IDIs, focus groups, and other social psychological research methods helps you get inside the mind of the diverse audience groups that impact your domain. Before you commit to a strategy, you need to know who supports you, who is movable, what the sticking points are, which misconceptions or norms need to be addressed, and what catalyzes lasting change.
→"We need to know which message will actually work."
Our controlled message experiments replace vague intuitions with tangible evidence. Using real audiences, we test competing framings and alternative messengers to identify the optimal recipe for positive effects. Paired with segmentation analyses, they tell you not just which message wins overall, but who to target, so that your budgets go where it has greatest impact.
→"We need to show our program works."
Randomized and quasi-experimental evaluation designs produce the causal evidence that funders, boards, journalists, and industry leaders take seriously. We build these with measurement that captures the outcomes that truly matter rather than the ones that are simply easiest to measure.
→"We have data. What we need is analysis, interpretation, and strategy."
Sometimes the data already exists but your team doesn't have the capacity or bandwidth to get all the juice out of it. We can take the baton and run it the rest of the way so that your archives become live assets.
Want to work together?
We're in the business of finding answers. Let's talk about your questions.
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