There are many versatile jobs, but being a Research Consultant is a role that combines client facing project management skills with the in-depth methodology knowledge of empirical research and statistics. Ever wondered what the day in the life of a Research Consultant at Appinio looks like? Then we got you, because we asked our RCs to tell us about a typical work day and what makes their work at Appinio so special. Houssein and Maggie give us a glimpse of their exciting work.
Our beloved Houssein has been with Appinio since 2022 and is currently a Senior Research Consultant. With his strong academic background (Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and Government) he is one of our most prominent webinar speakers, making advanced methods fun and easy to understand. Outside Appinio he works as Doctoral Researcher for the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). But let’s see what a workday at Appinio looks like:
My day usually starts quite far away from surveys, client briefs, dashboards, or methodology discussions. Most mornings begin with the gym, as I’m currently training for a sub 3:30 Marathon! I think it is fair to say that we are quite a sporty bunch in the team. I have even heard there is currently a bet between two colleagues to run 1k every single day, so clearly the competitive spirit does not stop at client projects ;).
After the gym, I usually take some time to meditate before the workday properly starts. That has become a really important part of my routine. Working in Research Consulting can make the days quite loud, not necessarily in a bad way, but there are always a lot of moving parts: client calls, internal alignments, deadlines, fieldwork updates, research questions, last-minute changes, and decisions that need to be made quickly. Having a slower morning helps me start the day a bit more grounded and with a clearer head.
Once I am online or at the office, the first part of the day is usually about getting a sense of where everything stands. I often touch base with our Research Operations and Customer Success teams to go through ongoing projects, client briefs, timelines, and priorities for the day.
This can mean checking whether a survey is ready to be tested, discussing how fieldwork is progressing, clarifying open questions from a client, or making sure that everyone involved in a project has the same understanding of what needs to happen next. A big part of the job is keeping the many different pieces of a project connected, so these morning alignments are super helpful.
Sometimes this part of the day is very operational: Are quotas filling as expected? Is the questionnaire logic working? Did the client come back with feedback? Do we need to adjust anything before launch? Other times, it is more strategic: What is the actual business question behind the brief? Are we recommending the right methodology? What do we need to challenge or clarify before moving forward?
Later in the morning, I usually get into the more focused research work. This is often where we translate a client’s business question into something that can actually be measured.
For example, a client might come to us with a question like: “Which product concept has the highest potential?” or “What is driving brand consideration?” or “How much are people willing to pay for this feature?” Our role is to turn that into the right research setup. That can mean designing a questionnaire, reviewing answer options, thinking through target groups, choosing between different methods, or making sure the survey will produce results that are actually meaningful and actionable.
This is also where a lot of the small details matter. A single wording choice can change how respondents understand a question. A filter logic mistake can affect who sees which part of the survey. A badly structured scale can make the results harder to interpret later. So a lot of the work is about thinking ahead and asking: Will this give the client a clear answer once the data comes back?
Lunch at the office is always a nice moment to step away from the screen and connect with people from different departments. I really enjoy that part, because I hear about completely different sides of the business I’m generally not exposed to.
One day I might sit with someone from Sales and hear what clients are currently asking for. Another day it is someone from Product talking about platform improvements, or someone from Customer Success sharing what happens after a project goes live. I like seeing how different teams work and how my day-to-day connects to theirs. Also, sometimes lunch is just lunch, and that is also very necessary.
The second half of my day is usually more client-facing. This can include strategy calls, research design discussions, project updates, data analysis sessions, or advanced methodology workshops.
Some calls are very practical and focused on next steps: where the project stands, what feedback still needs to be implemented, when fieldwork will finish, or how we handle a specific request. Other calls are more conceptual and involve helping the client think through their research challenge. Sometimes clients know exactly what they want to ask. Other times, they know what decision they need to make, but not yet how research can help them get there. That is where the consulting part of the role becomes really important.
A lot of the work is about asking the right questions back: What decision will this research support? What would the client do differently depending on the results? Which target group actually matters? Which methodology gives us the strongest answer? It is not just about delivering data, but about making sure the data will be useful.
When results are available, the afternoon can also be about digging into the data and turning it into a story. This is one of my favourite parts of the job.
At first, data can look like a lot of tables, percentages, charts, and cuts. The interesting part is figuring out what it all means. What is the main pattern? What is surprising? Which results support the client’s assumptions, and which ones challenge them? Are there differences between markets, target groups, age groups, or user segments? And most importantly: what should the client actually take away from this?
That is where research becomes storytelling. Not storytelling in the sense of making things sound nicer than they are, but in the sense of creating clarity. Good insights should help people understand what is happening and what they can do next.
Towards the end of the day, I usually try to close as many loops as possible. That can mean sending client updates, summarising next steps after a call, checking in with internal teams, reviewing a proposal, or making sure that anything urgent has been picked up before the next day.
Since projects move quickly, this part of the day is quite important. A small unanswered question can easily become tomorrow’s blocker, so I try to make sure people know where things stand and what is expected next.
And then, ideally, I log off with the feeling that the day was loud, but productive.
So overall, a day as an RC (= our internal name for Research Consultant) is a mix of teamwork, client conversations, research design, problem-solving, data interpretation, and a fair amount of context switching. It can be intense, but it is also really rewarding, because I get to work on very different topics and help clients turn messy questions into clearer decisions. :-)
Our dear Maggie is a US team member based in Los Angeles, taking care of our US clients. Prior to Appinio, she completed her Master’s degree in Market Research and Consumer Behavior in Madrid before advancing her career as a Research Associate and Analyst. As an Appinioneer, she makes a big impact on her projects with major brands, helping them with product launches, brand positioning, and communication strategies. But see for yourself:
I start the day by checking Slack for important team updates and company announcements. Next, I’ll dive into client emails to handle urgent inquiries and check for project updates. Right now, I'm waiting on survey feedback from a beverage client before we move into the programming phase on our Appinio platform.
I lead a weekly check-in call with our long-term client in the pet care category. For large-scale projects and clients, these weekly syncs are crucial for answering questions and keeping to-dos aligned across the various projects that are ongoing. On today's call, we locked in the Category Entry Points (CEP) input list for our upcoming Mental Availability prioritization study. With everyone aligned, we are officially ready to get into field!
Time for a quick coffee chat with a coworker to catch up on the workweek, life, and weekend plans. At a fully remote company, prioritizing these brief, intentional moments helps us all stay deeply connected and synchronized as a team.
I log into the Appinio platform to review soft launch data for a Skincare brand. They are getting ready to launch a new mineral sunscreen and are testing different product claims with 1,000 consumers. The initial data look clean and the routing is working perfectly, so I give the final approval to push the survey to full launch.
Then, I pivot to my beverage project. After reviewing the client's notes, I start updating a survey draft for an upcoming concept test. They’re looking to test three different formulations for a new functional, low-sugar soda line to see which one generates the highest purchase intent and overall appeal before launching into production.
Lunch break! I step away from the screens to grab a bite to eat and take a quick walk around my neighborhood to clear my head and reset for the afternoon.
In the afternoon, my focus turns to wrapping up final insights for a fast-food client's Mental Availability study. I lean on Claude AI to brainstorm slide layouts and data visualizations so I can spend my time crafting actionable key findings and recommendations. For example: ‘We need to push our customizable menu options much harder in upcoming campaigns. Right now, the data shows we’re not getting brand credit for our dietary flexibility.’
Next up: back to my pet care client. The results are in from our survey of 2,000 dog owners, and I’m jumping into the platform to pull findings for the topline report. One trend immediately jumps out: 72% of millennial dog owners audit ingredient labels on pet products as strictly as their own groceries. Even bigger news? 'Zero artificial preservatives' has overtaken retail price as the number-one driver behind their buying decisions.
I hand off the finalized Fast Food Mental Availability presentation to my sales counterpart for a final review. With the insights locked down, we are ready to present to the client later this week. Time to close out my remaining tabs, log off, and enjoy the rest of my evening!
If this did not convince you to seriously consider working in research, then nothing will. For everyone who has always wondered how academic theory and knowledge can seamlessly be connected with practical and commercial oriented business life, the answer lies in market research. Our Research Consultants are bringing the magic of statistics into the life of departments that often rely on gut feeling and superficial trend analysis. But to really have an impact, the importance of in-depth analysis is undeniable.
If you could imagine having a similar workday as Maggie and Houssein, then just have a look at our open positions and become part of the team!