Jim Bryson
Welcome to the most exciting and challenging era in the history of qualitative research!
Qualitative research has experienced more change in the past 10 years than in the previous 50. And there is no sign that the pace of change will let up any time soon. For qualitative research professionals, the ride is exciting, but it is fraught with challenges and pitfalls.
Twenty years ago, the qualitative world was dominated by the focus group methodology. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were less common but typically utilised the same processes and facilities that focus groups used. A few leading-edge researchers conducted ethnographic studies, but these studies were slow and time-consuming, thus, utilised by few.
Even so, focus groups were the standard methodology of choice. One of the biggest methodological decisions a researcher had to make was how many focus groups to conduct and in what market. I remember qualitative researchers engaging in vehement arguments over whether six respondents was too small for a focus group and whether 10 respondents was too large. These were some of the utmost concerns in those days that seem petty today.
In 2006, consumer access to the internet in the developed world reached a tipping point. Almost magically, researchers realised that qualitative research could be conducted using the internet as a communication and data collection tool. The use of digital research tools began to proliferate and researchers began to adopt them.
Today, the qualitative world is on the cusp of rapid diversification. According to the ESOMAR Global Market Research 2013 study, focus groups continue to comprise the vast majority of qualitative research spend (70% in 2012), but their share is falling. That same study estimates online qualitative to be 6% of total qualitative research spending. Its share is growing.
Though we yet have industry data to support the claim, anecdotal evidence indicates that online qualitative research may have hit its own tipping point in 2013. The tenor and tone of our conversations with clients have changed. We have passed from creating awareness of online qualitative to expanding the knowledge and applications for researchers already aware of — and interested in — the methods. Only 2-3 years ago, much of our user training centred on the introduction of digital qualitative methods to researchers with little awareness that these methods even existed. Today, virtually all researchers are aware of the basic digital methods and many are eager to learn how to use and apply the methods’ various strengths and weaknesses. It appears that online qualitative research as a research category became mainstream in 2013.
The adoption of online qualitative techniques gives researchers more tools to gather better consumer insights in more ways than ever before. These techniques allow the researchers to peek into the lives of respondents in a much more contextual capacity than is possible when asking respondents to come to a central location, such as a focus group facility. The internet and new mobile capabilities make respondents readily accessible at the point of interaction with a product or service that was never available before. The ability to connect with respondents in context adds richness and validity to qualitative research driving deeper and more accurate insights that, ultimately, raise the value of qualitative research to the marketer.
The diversity of tools gives the researcher the ability to fully customise a method to meet the research objectives better, faster and cheaper than in the past. The following table shows some of the more mainstream options and how diversified they have become since the recent days of focus groups/IDIs and ethnography.
The list above is incomplete and will always be outdated since new technology, methods and techniques are introduced almost daily. The variety and capability of the new qualitative research methods are mind-boggling.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…” — Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”
Many researchers can relate to Dickens. It is the best of times. It is the worst of times. The times are challenging. Researchers must learn and adapt like never before. The days when being an outstanding “focus group moderator” was sufficient are gone. Qualitative researchers are now challenged to understand the various technologies and how to apply them. They must be continuing learners to keep up with the options in online and mobile research that will keep their clients on the cutting edge of insights.
For researchers who are unwilling to change, the coming years will be the worst of times, the season of darkness, the winter of despair. For researchers who embrace the technology and relish its capability to bring them closer to their customer, the coming years will be the best of times, the season of light, the spring of hope.
This is a challenging time to be a qualitative researcher in transition. This is also an exciting time to be a qualitative researcher, with even greater opportunities to know and learn more about respondents by getting closer to them. The opportunity to engage respondents in the context of their daily lives, closer to their product decision points, has never been bigger or easier.
Many qualitative researchers look to the future and ask themselves, “Am I ready for the new world of qualitative research or is it time for me to retire?”
Though the pathway ahead seems daunting for a traditional qualitative researcher, it is not nearly as difficult as it may seem. Here are four steps a qualitative researcher can take to be up-to-speed in the new world of diversified, technology-enhanced qualitative research.
- Recognise that traditional methods are not dead; they are very much alive. Newer methods give the researcher more tools in the toolbox to address problems in fresh ways from different perspectives. If newer methods do not add value, they should not be used.
- Realise that the interviewing skills and analysis that distinguish excellent qualitative researchers are still valid. It is simply the methods that are changing. You are still the qualitative expert!
- Commit to learning about the emerging options and their application to research and marketing problems rather than execution specifics. Technology providers and other suppliers are available to help with execution 24/7. Lean on these experts. Use your expertise in design, moderating and analysis to take full advantage of the new options without having to learn how to personally manipulate every new tool.
- Propose new methods as an option or as an extension to more traditional methods and do so only when they add value to the research. The new methods seem much less risky when combined with a more traditional approach, but they can often add depth and context.
The diversity, quality and capability of today’s tools allow qualitative researchers to provide greater insight and, thus, greater value than ever before. Indeed, it is the best of times.
Jim Bryson, founder & CEO, 20|20 Research
