Write a research report that supports a decision

Download the editable outline

Download the consumer research report template (Markdown). It opens in a text editor and can be adapted in a document. This is a writing aid, separate from the Excel workbook and CSV outputs described on the product page. It is not an example of an automatically generated application report.

Use six sections

1. Decision and scope: State what the research was meant to inform and what it cannot establish.
2. Method and source: Identify where the answers came from, audience, dates, questions, exclusions and analyzed bases.
3. Findings: Show the count or distribution before interpreting it. Keep a reference to the underlying output.
4. Recommendation: Explain the proposed action and the evidence against it as well as for it.
5. Next evidence: Name the remaining uncertainty, next test, owner and timing.
6. Review: Check labels, calculations, limitations and sharing permissions.

Keep the core report short enough to read, but retain the exact questionnaire and permitted supporting data. A chart pasted into a presentation still needs its source and base.

A report based on actual simConsumer output

Decision: Explore initial appeal of a reusable water-bottle concept.

Method: One single-choice question in the Simsurveys simConsumer model, October 15, 2026. No demographic filters or conditioning. No price or brand specified. Exact question, context and probabilities.

Finding: Very appealing receives 35.3% predicted probability and somewhat appealing 36.4%, giving 71.7% combined appeal.

Interpretation: The output favors the positive appeal categories for this concept description. It does not establish willingness to pay or actual demand.

Recommended next step: Evaluate the complete offer, including price, and validate important decisions with relevant consumer evidence. This recommendation is editorial interpretation of the output.

Separate observation, interpretation and action

“Combined appeal is 71.7%” is a calculation from the output. “The concept may deserve follow-up” is an interpretation. Launching a product is a commitment that needs additional evidence. Keep these statements separate.

Describe the evidence source clearly. Do not turn a probability distribution into a claim about actual customers or a confident sales forecast.

Review before sharing

Recompute the headline numbers, inspect exclusions and keep full category labels. A percentage without a valid base can mislead when people compare groups or questions. See the crosstab guide for a worked comparison from the full oat-latte study and the naming-study article for a separate example with conflicting measures.

Check that the recommended commitment matches the strength and source of the evidence. Keep confidential briefs and identifiable response data out of public examples unless you have the appropriate permission. Assign responsibility for the next test rather than ending with an unsupported statement that more research is needed.