Define the decision
Agree the communication, audience, intended meaning and action.
Communication Experience
Understand what people take from your message, and whether they know what to do next.
Journeys, Decisions & Trust
Understand what people take from your message, and whether they know what to do next.
A message can be accurate and still be difficult to find, understand or use. Communication experience research explores how people interpret information in the context of a real task. It helps your team identify missing details, ambiguous wording and gaps between the meaning you intend and the meaning people take away.
What we look at
Comprehension of key messages- Tone fit for audience and channel
- Call-to-action clarity
- Confusion points that trigger support contact
How we study it
- Comprehension and paraphrase tests
- Content preference and ranking tasks
- Channel-specific message tests
- Rewrite guidance grounded in evidence
When to research
Where this research helps
Use communication research when people misunderstand an offer, struggle with instructions, repeat questions or do not know what happens next. It can support onboarding, forms, product guidance, service updates, error messages, support responses and other information people need to act.
A focused study may test one page or message. A broader project can explore communication across a journey, including printed material, email, mobile notifications, spoken explanations and digital interfaces. The focus is the user experience, not simply whether people like the wording.
From insight to action
Comprehension, confidence and action
We explore whether people notice relevant information, explain it in their own words and use it to complete a task. Someone may say a message is clear while interpreting it differently from the intended meaning. Asking for examples and observing decisions helps reveal that difference.
Research distinguishes comprehension from preference, recall and perceived credibility. A memorable message is not necessarily understood, and a preferred version may omit information people need. We agree which outcomes matter before selecting the tasks and questions.
What we investigate
Methods matched to the question
Interviews and comprehension tasks can explore interpretation. Usability testing examines how information supports action. Feedback analysis may identify recurring confusion, while journey research can reveal conflicting messages across touchpoints. Surveys can support defined measurement questions with suitable sampling.
Readability scores and expert reviews can provide useful preparation, but they are not substitutes for evidence from the intended audience. A study can identify practical access barriers; it does not automatically constitute a formal accessibility evaluation.
From context to opportunity
Our research process
Review materials
Identify versions, channels, required information and relevant constraints.
Plan and recruit
Choose methods, suitable participants and realistic research tasks.
Test interpretation and use
Explore what people understand, where they hesitate and what they do next.
Analyse the evidence
Separate misunderstanding, missing information, preferences and context effects.
Discuss improvements
Prioritise changes and agree what needs approval or further testing.
The output
What your team can receive
Depending on scope, outputs can include comprehension findings, annotated communication examples, audience differences and prioritised rewrite guidance. Evidence shows what participants understood, what they missed and how this affected their task. Approved examples help teams see why a change is recommended.
Reports document the materials, methods, audience and limitations. A findings discussion helps content, design and service teams agree next steps. Final copywriting, translation, implementation and retesting are separately scoped rather than assumed to be included.
Research in context
Testing information in context
Content is studied in the format and setting relevant to its use, where feasible. This can include layout, surrounding information, device size, timing and the stage of the journey. Testing isolated sentences may miss problems caused by hierarchy or conflicting instructions elsewhere.
Scenarios describe a realistic goal without giving away the expected answer. Follow-up questions are neutral, and assistance is documented. When comparing alternatives, we plan presentation and order so differences are not explained only by which version appeared first.
Research focus
Participants, language and inclusion
Recruitment reflects the intended audience, relevant knowledge, language and access needs. New users may need different explanations from experienced customers or specialist staff. We discuss literacy, digital confidence and suitable participation formats without assuming one group represents everyone.
For multilingual or cross-market research, we agree recruitment feasibility and local-language support. Translated wording may carry a different meaning or tone. Shared research questions support comparison, while local findings help identify where communication needs adaptation.
Research focus
Consistency across channels
People may receive different explanations on a website, in an email and from a support agent. We can examine whether important details remain consistent, whether updates arrive at useful moments and whether users know which message to follow.
Findings distinguish content problems from gaps in the service itself. Clear wording cannot resolve an unavailable support route or a promise operations cannot fulfil. Recommendations identify dependencies so your team can address the underlying experience.
Research ethics
Responsible research and clear boundaries
Agree consent, recording, observer access and handling of study material. Use test scenarios or de-identified documents where possible. Sensitive communications should be explored without pressuring participants to disclose unrelated personal information.
Testing perceived clarity does not verify factual claims or replace specialist approval of mandatory wording. Your team should review changes affecting official requirements, technical instructions or other consequential information with the relevant owners.
Before we begin
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Drafts can be tested if they contain enough context to answer the question. Findings are tied to the version shown; significant changes may need another review or research round.
It can compare suitable alternatives against agreed criteria. Preference alone does not establish better comprehension or task performance, and small qualitative studies do not support precise population rankings.
Research can identify confusion to address, but operational outcomes are not guaranteed. Retesting and appropriate service measures can help assess whether changes improve understanding and reduce avoidable questions in practice.
Brand & Trust Experience
Brand perception research, trust driver analysis, and message testing for experiences that must feel credible.
Explore
Accessibility & Inclusion
Investigate experience barriers affecting people with different access needs.
Explore
Cultural & Local Experience
Cultural research, localized interviews, and ethnographic research for experiences that must fit local meaning.
Explore
Cross-Market Experience
Multi-country studies, localized usability testing, and market comparison research for products that must trav.
Explore
Let us help shape the next step
Know what people understand.
Make the next step clearer.
Next research service Accessibility & Inclusion Know what people understand. Make the next step clearer. Contact Us Share your communication and research questions.