My #1 response is to provide options to the organization requesting the services. That’s my advice when asked how to compile design and research proposals as an independent consultant.

Recently I was asked to submit a research proposal to a startup. The founder knows me well. She was in one of our first Ask Like A Pro cohorts and has conducted a lot of successful research on her own. That said, she is also time and budget-strapped, as most founders are nowadays. In our initial call, she talked about their budgetary constraints and her love of conducting research herself. We also parsed out her two target segments and the key questions for each of them.

My proposal included three approaches with varying levels of depth and scope, catering to different research preferences, timelines, and budget considerations. The client's involvement decreases from large to small, with Curiosity Tank’s research efforts becoming more comprehensive.

In our 12th year as an independent research consultancy, I’ve learned that clients appreciate proposal options that address their internal pain points. This recent proposal achieved those goals. It's also fun to see which option(s) fill the recipient's "buckets" and hear which "bucket" suits them best and why.

Do you include options in your design and research proposals? If not, I encourage you to consider this approach in the future. It demonstrates flexibility and communicates “I hear you”.

Please share your thoughts! I’d love to hear about your approach to proposal writing.