HI: Spotlight

Have you ever been asked to compare multiple competitors, across multiple criteria? Perhaps you have needed to compare multiple products across varying functionalities. Radar charts, otherwise known as spider charts, can be useful tools for visualizing this type of...

When asked to list examples of traditional charts and graphs, most people will name bar, line or pie charts. Rarely do people list radar charts, histograms, or bubble charts, but these types of charts can be exceptionally useful when needing to visualize data with...

Introduced in 1801 by Scottish engineer, William Playfair, pie charts are a very common, but controversial way to visualize data. While pie charts are often depicted as simple and easy to create statistical tools the pie chart has become a divisive tool that many...

In a competitive marketplace, knowing your competition’s next move can give your organization an advantage. War gaming is an effective means to establish how your competitors will react to changes in the market. When conducted properly war gaming can deliver insights...

Have you ever wished that you could walk a mile in your customer’s shoes? Imagine how much insight you could gain if you had a step-by-step overview of a customer’s use of your product. While you might not literally be able to walk a mile in their shoes, you can do...

Many professionals, including engineers, doctors, marketers, and researchers, utilize heat maps to visualize data sets and turn them into comprehensive, actionable takeaways. As part of our series on qualitative data visualization, dive in with us as we explore this...

At some point in our professional or academic lives we have all sat through a presentation where the speaker shows a PowerPoint deck with nothing but block text on every slide. By the time the speaker reaches the third slide, most of the audiences’ attention spans...

Presenting data in a comprehensive and compelling way to your audience is a key skill for intelligence professionals. While many clear rules exist for quantitative data analysis, data visualization for qualitative data sets takes more effort and thought to execute...

When researching your competition, the number of competitor data points available is almost never-ending. Website updates, job postings, new marketing material – the list goes on and can be updated daily. While a single data point, such as a change to your...

In the Information Age, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the vast quantity of data at your fingertips. The proliferation of open-source information has further contributed to this issue. For anyone conducting research for competitive intelligence this can cause both...

Structured Analytical Techniques (SATs) are necessary methods for analysts to create better insights that combat inherent biases. The RAND Corporation describes SATs as “methods of organizing and stimulating thinking about intelligence. ” The added rigor and structure...

“How can I stand out from competitors with a similar product?” is a recurring question for businesses of all sizes as they look to compete more effectively. A new company will want to have a strong impression on its potential buyers, and not blend in with existing...

Competitive intelligence research can be an overwhelming endeavor in today’s Information Age, with many possible research avenues to explore, and countless sources to potentially use. When undertaking a competitive intelligence research project, a great place to start...