Qualitative research is all about digging deep into the non-numbers data of people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Whether through interviews, focus groups, or observations, qualitative research provides rich, detailed data that numerical data alone can't offer.
In our work, we’ve found that qualitative research focuses on aspects like customer desires and pain points that quantitative (numbers) data can miss.
Take, for example, a recent project where we discovered hidden frustrations that led to a complete overhaul of a product, boosting customer satisfaction massively. This type of data can be used to gather deeper insights on a problem or even come up with new possible ideas and solutions for a company.
Professionals in marketing, product development, or customer experience roles will find this research method invaluable.
What Is Qualitative Research?
Qualitative research focuses on data collection from conversation and open communication. It also looks at non-numerical data which can be just as important if not more important in certain scenarios.
This type of research starts and ends with both the “what” and “why” when evaluating people’s thoughts, beliefs, and ideas.
For example, in a study about customer satisfaction, we might interview customers to hear their stories. We would rely on open-ended questions to get more in-depth answers, such as…
"Can you describe your experience with our product?"
"What did you like or dislike?"
By asking these questions, we can understand why things are happening in a specific way from a customer's perspective.
By understanding the deeper reasons behind people's actions, companies can make better business decisions. Take this example: we once did a project for a company to understand why some people prefer online shopping over in-store shopping.
The project results found that both convenience and time-saving were big factors for their customers. As a result, this data helped the business build a more meaningful shopping experience from an online perspective.
The Methods and Approaches to Qualitative Research
Qualitative research uses various methods to understand people's experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors for proper data collection. Each approach offers unique ways to collect non-numerical data.
These methods originate from social sciences in research, which market research borrows from. Utilizing these methods both in-person and online will help the researcher collect data more efficiently.
Below are some common ways we conduct qualitative research.
In-Depth Interviews
In-depth interviews, or IDIs, involve conversations where researchers can ask open-ended questions.
This allows participants to share their thoughts freely and can take place in person, over the phone, or via video calls.
Depending on the experience and expertise of the researcher, better questions can be written or created based on the research goals, as well as the specific participant.
Most commonly, we perform in-depth interviews over the phone, in-person, and online. They typically go anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. In-person is usually best since body language can be seen and studied along with responses.
It’s also possible to ask follow-up questions for each question. This move helps the researcher gather detailed data that might be missed in standard online surveys.
Focus Groups
Focus groups bring together a small number of people (usually up to a max of 10) to discuss a certain topic. In our experience, this method is excellent for generating natural conversations and expanded viewpoints.
These group discussions often reveal unique insights that wouldn't come up in one-on-one interviews. More specifically, focus groups are ideal for certain projects like pricing research, concept testing, and other ideas that need more explanation.
Now, focus groups can be done online which makes them much easier to conduct. It’s still possible to do them in person - but take it from us, it’s far more efficient online.
Keep in mind that focus groups can be costly when compared to surveys. However, they provide more context to an idea when asking participants questions.
At our third-party market research firm, we help companies by running and managing focus groups for them, but it’s possible to do it on your own if you have some experience.
Surveys
Surveys in qualitative research focus mostly on open-ended questions. Open-ended surveys let respondents write their answers in their own words, giving us textured and nuanced data to use for the analysis.
Check out this example: "What do you think about our new app?" Responses can reveal underlying issues or desires that companies hadn’t thought of or considered yet. This method works well for getting responses from a larger audience while still getting qualitative data.
Surveys are also some of the easiest and most efficient ways to run a market research project. As seasoned online survey experts, we know that they can be one of the best methods for collecting data quickly in order to get an urgent decision made with a fast project turnaround time.
Ethnographic
Ethnographic research involves immersing in specific environments in order to get a more accurate collection of data. It’s easily the most involved observational research method for collecting qualitative data.
For this methodology, researchers spend time in communities, workplaces, or social settings to observe and interact with people. The data helps understand more context behind participants and even their answers by understanding them in their natural environments.
Although this method takes a lot of investment (both time and money sometimes), it can be very rewarding. Depending on the experience level of the researcher this method can be somewhat easy to carry out or very challenging. You should work with an expert whenever possible.
Secondary Research
Conducting secondary research involves analyzing existing data collected by others.
It’s possible to use many different types of data like reports, studies, articles, and more to find relevant information without having to gather primary data yourself. This method is more useful for understanding broader trends or higher level (non-specific or custom) information.
For example, we analyzed past studies on consumer behavior to guide a new marketing strategy. This saved time and provided a solid foundation for our research. Secondary research is often the starting point before conducting more detailed primary research.
Observational Research
Qualitative observation research is the process of subjectively gathering data by observing specific people, patterns, or occurrences in real life situations.
The subjectivity is based on the researcher gathering data and their experience with collecting without bias.
The main reason why observation research is used even though it can be challenging to carry out correctly, is that it’s used to showcase the differences within the same environment.
Collecting Qualitative Data
When collecting non-numerical data, typically the process ends up with a large amount of data to sort through. This is pretty normal and not something that should cause concern.
Since it’s possible to collect the data with different methods, you’ll need to know which way you prefer to approach in order to get the proper data on the backend.
There’s also some other areas to consider, such as transcribing data if recordings were taken, notes were written down, or other things were written during the collection process.
Regardless, you’ll want to organize the data in order to analyze it properly.
Analyzing Qualitative Research Data
There’s different ways to both organize and also analyze the end data from a qualitative project. Here are the main ways to organize and analyze your qualitative data.
Content
Content analysis is the process of organizing information into categories. Common types of sorting are by common words, phrases, and ideas. By doing this, patterns and trends become clearer.
For example, when gathering customer feedback, we might categorize comments into positives, negatives, and suggestions. This makes it easy to see what customers like and dislike.
Additionally, we sometimes use software to help organize large amounts of data. This speeds up the process and reduces human error. By looking at the frequency of words or phrases, we can identify important themes.
Thematic
Thematic analysis digs deeper into the data to find underlying themes. We look for recurring ideas that appear across different responses.
For instance, if many customers mention "value for money," we treat it as a theme.
This tells us that budget-friendly options are important to our audience. It’s possible to still reach these conclusions even if all the responses are not word for word but as long as they cover the same theme it’s possible to draw conclusions from them.
We start by reading through the data and making notes. Next, we group similar ideas together. After that, we review and refine these groups to form clear themes.
Doing thematic analysis helps us understand the bigger picture. It reveals what truly matters to people, beyond just surface-level comments.
Textual
Textual analysis focuses on the language and structure of the data. We look at how people express their thoughts and feelings.
For instance, if we're analyzing interviews, we pay attention to tone and choice of words. This can reveal hidden emotions or attitudes. In online reviews, we might notice that customers use harsher language when they are angry or dissatisfied. This helps us understand their emotional triggers.
Textual analysis requires careful reading and interpretation. We often look at metaphors or analogies used in responses. These can add depth to our understanding of the data.
When Should You Use Qualitative Research
We use qualitative research when we need to understand why people think or behave in certain ways. It’s best to rely on qualitative data when a project requires more in-depth insights that are reliable.
Qualitative methods are also vital when studying complex situations. We find them especially useful in multi-component interventions.
Qualitative research also shines in small sample sizes. Our team often mixes qualitative methods with quantitative research to get a full picture. By combining both, we can see not just how many people do something, but also why they do it.
However, when it’s needed to get qualitative research data, these are good times of when it can be used to the best of its ability:
- Studying your brand
- Looking to improve your offerings
- Developing a new concept or idea
- Understanding the buyer's journey
- Get perception of your company
- Exploring audience groups
Pros & Cons of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research offers both valuable insights and certain limitations. It's useful for understanding human behavior and emotions, but it can be prone to bias and requires skilled researchers.
Qualitative Research Pros
In our experience, qualitative research excels in understanding the why and how behind behaviors.
It's flexible, letting us adapt research questions and methods during studies. This adaptability allows us to explore topics more and uncover unexpected findings.
With certain methodologies it’s possible to capture emotions, opinions, and complex behaviors that numbers alone can't show. It's somewhat affordable, too. We can quickly get insights for companies without needing expensive tools.
Researchers can focus on smaller samples but get in-depth information. This depth helps in developing theories or generating new hypotheses. The rich narratives collected help businesses understand customer motivations and improve products or services.
Qualitative Cons
Despite its strengths, qualitative research has some drawbacks. Data collection and analysis are both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Also, using smaller samples can't always represent larger populations, limiting generalizability.
Bias is a risk. Researcher skills and biases can influence findings. Inexperienced researchers might miss connections or misinterpret data. Ensuring objectivity is crucial but challenging.
Qualitative research can lack repeatability - AKA, different researchers might get different results. This variability makes it hard to replicate studies exactly. Furthermore, unseen data can disappear if not correctly recorded. Trust in researchers is essential, but it's a significant responsibility.
Despite these concerns, the benefits often outweigh the limitations, making qualitative research unique and worth doing many times for different companies.
Contact Our Qualitative Research Company
At Drive Research, we help companies get all of the qualitative data the right way and act as consultants for the entirety of the project. We’ll also manage your project from start to finish so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the results once it’s finished.
Our team can handle the complexities of qualitative research and our expert (and experienced) team can work around any challenges that your project might have.
Interested in learning more about our market research services? Get in touch with us today!
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Austin Parker
Austin has an extensive background in SEO as he's been blogging since 16 years old back when the internet was in its infancy. As fitting, he holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in creative writing.
Learn more about Austin, here.
