Neurofactor
Research methods

Research methods selected around the behavioural question.

Neurofactor does not start with a method. It starts with the behaviour, decision or gut feeling that needs to be understood. In most collaborations, association research is the first step - because associations often reveal what people cannot fully explain, but still use to choose, trust, avoid or act.

Explore the methods Not sure which method fits? Start with your question →

You do not need to choose EEG, eye tracking, fNIRS or association research yourself. The method stack follows from the question.

Research methods selected around the behavioural question.
Most used starting point

Why association research is often the first step.

In around 90% of collaborations, Neurofactor starts with association research. Not because it is the only method, but because associations often reveal the layer that sits beneath rational explanation.

People do not always know why they trust a brand, avoid a role, hesitate in a buying process, feel attracted to an employer or respond to an environment. Associations help uncover that gut feeling.

  • which words, images, brands, roles, products or situations are automatically linked
  • which gut feelings drive behaviour
  • which associations create trust or resistance
  • why people say one thing but choose another
  • which mental thresholds play a role in marketing, sales or recruitment
  • which positioning truly resonates
  • which implicit friction an audience feels
Association research reveals the gut feeling behind behaviour and decisions.

Association research is often the start, not always the full answer.

Explore association research Want to see how it combines with other methods? Continue to the method stack →
01
What people say
↓
02
What people associate
↓
03
What people choose or do
Method stack

The behavioural question defines the method stack.

No single method explains human behaviour on its own. Association research can reveal implicit meaning and gut feeling. EEG can add insight into brain response. Eye tracking can show what people actually see. fNIRS can help understand cognitive load or brain activity. Profiling can connect patterns to target groups. Mobile measurement can bring research into the real world. Neurofactor selects and combines methods based on what needs to be understood.

01
Behavioural question

What needs to be understood?

02
Association layer

Implicit meaning, trust, resistance, gut feeling.

03
Measurement layer

EEG, eye tracking, fNIRS, mobile EEG, fMRI via partners.

04
Interpretation layer

Behavioural, business and market data combined.

05
Strategic output

Direction for marketing, sales, recruitment, experience.

The toolbox

The Neurofactor research toolbox.

Each method reveals a different layer of behaviour. Some methods uncover associations. Others measure attention, brain response, cognitive load, visual perception or real-world experience. The value comes from choosing the right method - or combination of methods - for the question.

Association research

Often the first step
What it reveals

The implicit associations, gut feelings and mental shortcuts that influence behaviour and decisions.

When it is useful
  • when stated answers do not explain behaviour
  • when a brand, employer, role, product or message creates unexpected response
  • when trust, resistance or attraction needs to be understood
  • when positioning needs to be sharpened
  • when marketing, sales or recruitment decisions depend on underlying associations
What it can inform
  • brand positioning
  • employer branding
  • campaign strategy
  • recruitment messaging
  • sales friction
  • product perception
  • customer journey choices
  • behavioural change strategy
Often combined with

profiling · EEG · eye tracking · business data · behavioural research · neurostrategy

Output

A clear view of the associations that drive or block behaviour, translated into strategic recommendations.

Profiling

What it reveals

Behavioural patterns, target group differences and decision drivers across people, segments or contexts.

When it is useful
  • when different groups respond differently
  • when marketing, sales or recruitment needs sharper targeting
  • when behaviour differs between segments
  • when associations need to be interpreted in relation to audience profiles
  • when strategy needs a behavioural segmentation layer
What it can inform
  • target group strategy
  • personas
  • candidate profiles
  • sales approach
  • communication strategy
  • behavioural change interventions
Often combined with

association research · business data · recruitment research · sales analysis · behavioural interviews

Output

Actionable behavioural profiles that help translate research into decisions.

EEG

Medical-grade equipment
What it reveals

Brain response over time, helping understand how people respond while experiencing a stimulus, message, environment or moment.

When it is useful
  • when moment-by-moment brain response matters
  • when attention, emotional engagement or response intensity needs deeper insight
  • when campaigns, content, experiences or environments need testing
  • when combined with eye tracking or association research
What it can inform
  • campaign testing
  • content optimisation
  • experience design
  • product response
  • real-time response patterns
Often combined with

eye tracking · association research · mobile EEG · fNIRS · behavioural interpretation

Output

Insight into how the brain responds during the experience, translated into practical interpretation.

Mobile EEG

Real-world brain response
What it reveals

Brain response in real-world situations, outside a traditional lab setting.

When it is useful
  • when behaviour must be measured in context
  • when a lab setting would change the experience
  • when testing environments, events, stores, museums, vehicles or real-world journeys
  • when experience is dynamic or physical
What it can inform
  • real-world experience design
  • journey optimisation
  • event experience
  • workplace experience
  • retail and environment testing
  • high-intensity experience research
Often combined with

eye tracking · behavioural observation · association research · real-world context analysis

Output

Insight into brain response where the behaviour actually happens.

Eye tracking

What it reveals

What people see, miss, scan, ignore or return to visually.

When it is useful
  • when visual attention matters
  • when testing websites, interfaces, stores, packaging, signage, campaigns, layouts or journeys
  • when design hierarchy needs validation
  • when attention and conversion are linked
What it can inform
  • UX and interface decisions
  • website optimisation
  • packaging and product design
  • signage and routing
  • campaign visuals
  • customer journey friction
Often combined with

EEG · association research · design testing · behavioural observation · conversion data

Output

A visual attention map translated into design, communication or journey recommendations.

fNIRS

What it reveals

Brain activity and cognitive load in relation to tasks, environments, stimuli or experiences.

When it is useful
  • when cognitive load matters
  • when overload, effort, complexity or mental demand may affect behaviour
  • when workplace, learning, design or experience questions involve mental effort
  • when combined with behavioural or physiological interpretation
What it can inform
  • workplace design
  • stress and workload insight
  • learning environments
  • interface complexity
  • experience design
  • cognitive demand analysis
Often combined with

EEG · eye tracking · behavioural observation · profiling · stress measurement

Output

Insight into cognitive demand or brain activity translated into practical recommendations.

fMRI

Via partner universities
What it reveals

Deeper brain activity patterns in controlled research settings through university partners.

When it is useful
  • when a research question requires fMRI-level brain imaging
  • when academic or high-depth validation is needed
  • when the project scope and research question justify partner-based fMRI research
What it can inform
  • advanced neuroscience research
  • validation of deeper brain response questions
  • high-profile research projects
  • academic collaborations
Often combined with

association research · EEG · profiling · academic research design

Output

Deep brain imaging insight through partner-based research, interpreted in relation to the behavioural question.

Behavioural and business data interpretation

Part of Profiling and data strategy
What it reveals

How research findings connect to business context, market data, behavioural patterns and strategic decisions.

When it is useful
  • always - data needs interpretation
  • when research must become a strategy
  • when business outcomes depend on behavioural insight
  • when multiple methods need to be translated into one direction
What it can inform
  • marketing strategy
  • sales strategy
  • recruitment strategy
  • experience design
  • workplace decisions
  • behavioural change plans
  • board-level decisions
Often combined with

all methods

Output

A clear strategic translation from research data to practical decisions.

Compare the methods Not sure where to begin? Most collaborations start with association research →
Compare

What each method helps reveal.

A compact comparison of what each method uncovers and where it fits in the stack.

Method combinations

Most questions need a method stack, not a single measurement.

Human behaviour is layered. What people say, what they associate, what they see, how their brain responds and what they eventually do are not the same thing. That is why Neurofactor often combines methods.

Marketing and campaign question
Association research + eye tracking + EEG + business data interpretation
Recruitment question
Association research + profiling + employer brand analysis + business data
Sales friction question
Association research + profiling + sales journey analysis
Experience question
Mobile EEG + eye tracking + behavioural observation + association research
Workplace or stress question
fNIRS + EEG + stress measurement + profiling + NeuralApex
Strategic behavioural change question
Association research + profiling + behavioural science + neurostrategy
See how methods combine Have a specific question? Contact us →
From data to strategy

From measurement to usable strategy.

Research data only becomes valuable when it is interpreted in context. Neurofactor translates brain data, association data, behavioural signals, market data and business data into strategies that can be used.

association profile
behavioural drivers
friction map
attention map
method report
strategic recommendations
application roadmap
board-level explanation
campaign, recruitment, sales, workplace or experience recommendations
The output is not just data. The output is direction.
Lab and real world

In the lab, in the real world and with academic partners.

Some questions are best researched in a controlled lab setting. Others only make sense in the real environment where behaviour happens. Neurofactor can work in both contexts.

Own Neuro-lab

Controlled measurement with medical-grade EEG, eye tracking and fNIRS.

Mobile and real-world measurement

Mobile EEG, eye tracking and behavioural observation in events, retail, workplace and journeys.

Partner universities

fMRI and deeper brain imaging through academic partners when the question requires it.

Routes to applications

Methods become valuable when applied to the right question.

Explore how these methods translate into specific business applications.

MarketingSalesRecruitmentExperienceBehavioural changeDesignWorkplaceStress / NeuralApex
Explore applications Already know your research question? Contact us →

Which method fits your behavioural question?

You do not need to know the method before you start. Tell us what behaviour, decision or gut feeling you need to understand. Neurofactor will help determine whether the right starting point is association research, a measurement stack, profiling, real-world research or a strategic intake.

Find the right research approach Already know your question? Contact us →

Most collaborations start with association research. The full method stack follows from the question.

Frequently asked questions