Inside the Role: Research Consulting at Appinio

Houssein’s day as a Research Consultant

Houssein has been part of Appinio since 2022 and is currently a Senior Research Consultant. With a PhD in Political Science and Government, he brings deep methodological expertise to the team. As one of our go-to webinar speakers, he has a talent for making advanced research methods engaging, accessible, and easy to understand.

Outside of Appinio, Houssein is also a Doctoral Researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), where he continues to pursue his passion for research.

But what does a typical workday at Appinio actually look like? Let's find out.

6:00 AM – Slow Mornings Before Busy Days

My day usually starts quite far away from surveys, client briefs, dashboards, or methodology discussions. Most mornings begin at 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. Life in Research Consulting can be busy 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.
Starting the day at a slower pace helps me feel more grounded and focused, so I’m ready for whatever the day brings.

9:30 AM – Getting Aligned with the Team

Once I'm online or in the office, the first part of my day is all about getting a clear picture of where our projects stand. I usually catch up with our Research Operations andCustomer Success teams to review ongoing projects, client briefs, timelines, and priorities for the day.

This might mean checking whether a survey is ready for testing, 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.

Some mornings are highly 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?

11:00 AM – Turning Business Questions into Research

Later in the morning, I usually switch into more focused research work. This is where we transform a client's business challenge into aresearch design that can generate meaningful answers.

A client might ask, "Which product concept has the highest potential?", "What's driving brand consideration?", or "How much are consumers willing to pay for this feature?" Our job is to design the right research approach to answer those questions. That can involve writing questionnaires, reviewing answer options, defining target audiences, selecting the most suitable methodology, or ensuring the survey will produce reliable, actionable insights.

This is also where attention to detail matters. A single word can influence how respondents interpret a question. Anincorrect filter can affect who sees which questions. A poorly designed rating scale can make the results difficult to interpret later. We're constantly thinking ahead, asking ourselves: Will this survey give the client the answers they actually need?

12:30 PM – Lunch and Unexpected Conversations

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. And sometimes lunch is just lunch, and that’s important too.

1:30 PM – Client Calls, Workshops, and Problem-Solving

The second half of my day is usually more client-facing. Depending on the day, that could mean strategy sessions, research design workshops, project updates, methodology discussions, or data review meetings.

Some conversations are very practical, focusing on project timelines, client feedback, fieldwork progress, or next steps. Others are much more consultative. Often, clients know the business decision they need to make, but not yet how research can help them get there. That's where the consulting aspect of the role really comes into play.

A big part of my job is asking the right follow-up questions. What decision will this research support? How would different outcomes change the client's strategy? Which target audience matters most? Which methodology will provide the clearest answer? It's not just about delivering data - it's about helping clients make better decisions.

3:30 PM – Making Sense of the Data

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 glance, 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 differencesbetween markets, target groups, age groups, or user segments? And most importantly: what should the client actually take away from this?

This is where research becomes storytelling - not by making the data sound more exciting than it is, but by creating clarity. Great insights help clients understand what's happening and, more importantly, what they should do next.

5:30 PM – Wrapping Up the Day

Towards the end of the day, I 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.

If everything goes to plan, I log off feeling that the day was busy - but productive.

Being an RC (our internal shorthand for Research Consultant) means balancing teamwork, client conversations, research design, problem-solving, data interpretation, and plenty of context switching. It can be fast-paced, but it's also incredibly rewarding because no two days - or research questions - are ever quite the same.

This is what stood out for Houssein when he was looking back to the time he started working at Appinio in 2022:

Maggie’s day as a Research Consultant

Based in Los Angeles, Maggie supports Appinio's US clients across a wide range of industries. Before joining Appinio, she completed her Master's degree in Market Research and Consumer Behavior in Madrid and built her career as a Research Associate and Analyst.

Today, she partners with some of the world's leading brands, helping them make smarter decisions around product innovation, brand positioning, and communication strategies. Here's what a typical day looks like for her.

8:00 AM – The Morning Radar

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.

9:00 AM – Driving Alignment

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!

10:00 AM – The Virtual Coffee Break

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.

10:30 AM – The Soft Launch Screen

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.

11:30 AM – Concept Conception

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.

12:30 PM – Reset & Recharge

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.

1:30 PM – AI-Powered Storytelling

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.’

3:00 PM – Hunting for the 'Aha!'

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.

4:00 PM – The Final Sign-Off

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! 

To the question, why she loves working at Appinio, Maggie responded: 

To recap

If this hasn't sparked your curiosity about a career in research, we don't know what will.

Research Consulting is where analytical thinking meets real business impact. It's the place where academic knowledge, research methodology, and statistical expertise come together to help some of the world's biggest brands make smarter decisions.

Every day brings new industries, new business questions, and new challenges to solve. And while the work is fast-paced, seeing your insights influence real-world decisions makes it incredibly rewarding.

If you can picture yourself having a workday like Maggie's or Houssein's, we'd love to hear from you. Take a look at our open positions and join the Appinio team.