Formative research is the foundation of any evidence-based sanitation marketing initiative. It is used to collect evidence on current practices, the factors that influence them, and the types of sanitation products and services needed.
Formative research also informs the intervention continuously, from design to implementation and monitoring. Broadly speaking, formative research can help answer questions such as:
- What is the current situation? Who (and how many) do what, where, how, and why?
- What are the consequences of the current situation? What will the consequences be if nothing changes, or if changes are made?
- What is the goal for change?
- How can the goal be reached?
- How well is the intervention being implemented or delivered?
- What needs to be done differently?
