Which? research People trust what we say because they know our point of view is rooted in robust analysis.

We want to help customers by doing the hard work for them: testing products and services, and finding out what others think of them. And in our campaigning work, our dialogue with government, regulators, industry and so on is always backed up with hard evidence.

In fact, our research covers a huge range of methods and subject areas.

Product testing

We are of course well known for our traditional product testing. And when we test something like the proverbial washing machine, we will ask the laboratory not only to measure how clean the clothes get, but how much water and energy is used? How easy is it to work out the programmes? What is the machine like on specialist cycles? How long does it take? All these things feed into our best buy criteria. We will devise the testing schedule by looking at things from the ordinary user's point of view: and if standard industry methods are not good enough we will devise our own methods.

Mystery shopping

But we don't just do product testing. One of the most difficult techniques we use is 'situation testing' (sometimes known as mystery shopping). This is where we really find out what is happening on the ground.

For example, in our Move it campaign on estate agents, we tested out estate agents by getting some researchers to put their house up for sale, and sending round other researchers to pose as buyers.

We don't do this kind of research lightly, because clearly it involves a degree of deception. The fact that it was entirely justified in this case is demonstrated by the fact that we found one estate agent in clear breach of the law - and he has since been banned for life by the Office of Fair Trading from practising as an estate agent. Furthermore, our research persuaded government to toughen up its line on redress: all agents must now sign up to a special scheme.

On top of this, our research also includes plant and seed trials, surveys of our members and the public, desk research, and academic reviews of drug trials.

Research skills

This combination of diversity and scale calls for a wide range of staff. We have respected subject experts on areas ranging from gardening to computing. We have technical research experts, for example scientists, statisticians and market researchers. We also work closely with external experts. And increasingly, we commission syndicated research with our colleagues in European sister consumer organisations. (The cost can be more than halved by working in this way.)

Whatever the method, whatever the topic, all our research is underpinned by some key principles, in particular: quality, integrity, relevance and impact.