From Quirk’s New York: Building confidence when research has to move faster

Rep Data Team · August 12, 2026 · 4 min read

Research teams are being asked to deliver answers faster, often while the decisions those answers support are getting more complex. During our “Building Confidence in Modern Research” panel at Quirk’s New York, leaders from the brand, agency and public-sector sides of the industry shared how they decide when speed is appropriate, when more rigor is needed and where new technology fits into the process.

Our EVP and Head of Research, Steven Snell, PhD, moderated the discussion with Renata Policicio, Global Senior Vice President of Streaming Research at Warner Bros. Discovery; Alex Chew, Director of Client Services and Business Development at NORC; and James Endersby, Chief Executive at Opinium. They talked about when directional research is enough, when the stakes require more rigor and where technology can help teams move faster without sacrificing quality.

When is directionally accurate good enough?

One of the questions Steve put to the panel was whether research always needs to be precise or whether “directionally accurate” can sometimes be enough. The panelists agreed that the answer depends on the decision the research is being used to make.

James gave the example of choosing between two similar campaigns when a team needs a quick steer. Directional research may provide enough confidence to make that choice. If the research is informing a $20 million advertising investment, a pricing structure or another major business decision, the team needs a much higher level of confidence before acting.

Renata sees that decision play out regularly as stakeholders push for faster answers. She described times when her team has chosen not to share findings because the available sample wasn't strong enough to support the decision. Alex raised a similar issue around representation, sharing an example in which research among Hispanic and AANHPI populations produced substantially different results when an English-only online approach was replaced with in-language research conducted across telephone and online methods.

The discussion kept coming back to what the research will be used for and how much confidence the team needs before making a decision. A quick directional answer may be enough in some cases, while the methodology, sample and stakes of other decisions require more time.

Where technology can add confidence

The panel also discussed where AI, automation and other research technologies are helping teams move faster. Data quality was one area where the panelists saw a clear role for technology, including identifying and addressing quality issues during fieldwork rather than waiting until data collection is complete. That approach is also central to how we think about quality at Rep Data, with technology working before, during and after the survey to identify potential problems earlier and give researchers more information about the data coming in.

Renata also talked about automation that gives stakeholders faster access to information through dashboards, while Alex discussed using AI as another layer in the quality review process alongside human checks. The same combination of technology and researcher oversight came up in questionnaire development and analysis, where AI can speed up parts of the work but the panelists still emphasized reviewing what it produces.

Alex raised another consideration around AI and synthetic data, particularly for populations where there may not be enough underlying data to represent those groups accurately. Moving faster with new technology still requires researchers to understand what is behind the data and whether it is appropriate for the decision being made.

Where researchers need to protect their time

James talked about protecting time for human thinking when framing the research at the beginning, analyzing the data and helping the findings land within the organization. Technology can make other parts of a project faster and give researchers more time to focus on those areas.

Renata also talked about the importance of understanding the business behind the research, including the stakeholders involved and the decisions the work needs to support. Those are areas where researcher experience and judgment continue to matter, even as AI and automation take on more of the research process.

It’s also how we think about the role Rep Data can play for research teams. Our technology and research experts work across study design and programming, sample, data quality and analysis, helping teams move efficiently through the research process while keeping their time focused on the decisions the work needs to inform. Reach out to learn more.