This course introduces MaxDiff (Maximum Difference Scaling) — a survey research technique used to measure relative preferences across a set of alternatives. You will learn why MaxDiff produces more reliable and discriminating results than traditional rating or ranking approaches, when it is the right methodology for a research objective, and how it is applied across product, communications, customer experience, and policy research.

The course covers the full MaxDiff workflow — from defining the list of alternatives and creating the experimental design, through to data collection and analysis — giving you a clear picture of how a MaxDiff study comes together from start to finish.

By the end of this course you will be able to explain what MaxDiff is, identify when it is and isn't the right approach, describe its key strengths and limitations, and understand the steps involved in running a study.

This course is the first in the MaxDiff learning track and is a prerequisite for the Experimental Design, Data Formats, and MaxDiff in Displayr courses that follow.