Doing do-it-yourself is hot. DIY projects have surged nearly 22% over the past five years. It makes sense – economic pressures, a hunger for individuality, the rise of social platforms, and sustainability trends all help explain the boom.
Instead of hiring professionals or buying off the shelf, people are cutting costs and customizing their lives. They’re not just consumers anymore – they’re creators. With YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram brimming with tutorials and hacks, it’s never been easier to build, fix, refinish, or repurpose. Add in the satisfaction of saying “I made this,” and the growing desire to reduce waste, and you’ve got an actual movement.
As of 2025, the top 10 DIY projects in the U.S. include:
- Home & office makeovers
- Painting & refinishing
- Kitchen remodels
- Bathroom remodels
- Bathroom repairs
- Creating outdoor spaces (decking & fire pits)
- Custom furniture
- Gardening
- Upcycling & thrift flips
- Roof repair
Notice what’s not on that list? Market research.
“DIY market research? You’re kidding, right?” I can hear you think. No, no. You did. I heard you! And why shouldn’t you? “Market research” is not thought of as a traditional, do-it-yourself project. Except these days, apparently, it is.
Over the past several years I’ve been receiving unsolicited, unscreened survey requests via email and texts, which made me realize this is now a thing. The problem? Well, according to industry codes of conduct, researchers shouldn’t be asked to participate in surveys they or their firms didn’t commission. It’s unethical and potentially a serious breach of standards. Yet these DIY surveys keep popping up in my inbox and in texts like requests for political contributions!
Apparently, in an age where data is seen as a gateway to insight and credibility, do-it-yourself research has become a tempting shortcut to that insight development: simple templates, instant analytics, no statisticians required. But while democratizing research may sound empowering, and doing it yourself enthralling, it carries major risks. When accuracy matters – as it does in business, public health, politics, and journalism – bad research does more harm than good. There are risks:
- Poor Survey Design
Most DIY users don’t know how to phrase questions, structure responses, or minimize bias. One leading question can taint an entire dataset. Her’s one I got; “How much do you agree that our product is amazing and would recommend it to friends and family?” That isn’t neutral – it’s survey gibberish, disguised as research.
- Flawed Sampling
Quality research depends on the right respondents. DIY surveys often rely on convenient, non-representative samples – friends, social media followers, mailing lists, random market researchers – which skew results. They didn’t even screen for employment. So, a startup might misinterpret feedback from early adopters as market validation, while missing bigger warning signs. Let alone giving up information or possible market strategies to a competitor!
- Data Misinterpretation
Even with polished graphs and AI-generated charts, untrained users often misread results. They confuse correlation with causation or treat statistically meaningless trends as gospel. “70% of respondents liked the ad!” Sure – but was the sample large enough? Representative? Were they actually in the market for whatever it was you were asking about? Did they care a wit? Or did they just do it for the coupon and/or points?
And the consequences? Crappy and likely off-strategy insights, absurd ads, bungled budgets, misguided marketing. Think Bud Light’s 2023 Dylan Mulvaney campaign, Bumble’s “Anti-Celibacy” ads, Kellogg’s “Cereal For Dinner,” or Jaguar’s failed rebrand, “Copy Nothing”. Those were ostensibly designed, backed, and approved by actual professionals (and, one sincerely hopes, even a little bit of legitimate market research) – and still went sideways. Imagine what can happen when amateurs fly blind with DIY data.
Worse still, do-it-to-myself mistakes aren’t limited to marketing. In politics and public health, DIY research and misused AI insights lead to misinformation and misplaced policies. Take the White House’s recent “Making Our Children Healthy Again” report, led by RFK Jr. – widely criticized for AI research that led to misreading science and promoting deceptive conclusions. Or when journalists “do research” on crime rate trends without adjusting for population changes. Everyone needs better research guardrails.
DIY research tools may feel empowering, but they often produce noise, not insight. When you’re making decisions that matter, you need reliable data – not a glorified DIY research project. The cost of bad research is high, whether it’s in business, communications, governance, or social change.
So, while there’s real joy in rolling up your sleeves to build a deck or paint a dresser, the same doesn’t hold for research. Marketing research isn’t something you do over a weekend.
Because when it’s not done right, everything built on it starts to wobble.
Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash
