Qualitative Research

1. Qualitative Research

2. Qualitative Research • Researcher makes elaborate interpretations of market phenomena without depending on numerical measurements. • Researcher dependent • Highly subjective • Preliminary results • Innovative results

3. Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

4. Common Qualitative Techniques • Focus Group Interviews • Small group discussions • In-depth Interviews • 1-on-1 probing discussion • Word Association / Sentence Completion • Recording 1st thoughts after exposure to a stimulus • Collages • Respondent assembles pictures that represent his/her thoughts/feelings • Cartoon Tests • Respondent tells a story based on an ambiguous picture

5. Conducting Focus Group Interviews

6. Focus Group Interviews • Unstructured, free-flowing interviews with small groups of people. • Consists of • Moderator or interviewer • 6 to 10 participants • Note taker • Moderator introduces topic and encourages group members to discuss the subject amongst themselves. • Allow people to discuss their true feelings in their own words

7. Advantages of Focus Group Interviews • Relatively fast • Easy to execute • Inexpensive • Numerous topics can be discussed (unlike surveys) • Multiple insights can be gained

8. Drawbacks of Focus Group Interviews • Require sensitive and effective moderators • Without such, self-appointed participants may dominate a session • Halo effect on attitudes toward the concept or topic of discussion may occur, if group reacts negatively to a dominant member • Participants may not be representative of the population of interest.

9. Requirements for Effective Focus Groups • Six to ten participants • Carefully screen participants • Want people who have knowledge about the topic at hand • Homogeneous participants in terms of some characteristic under study • Relaxed atmosphere • If possible, room with one-way mirror and audio- and video-recording capabilities • Session duration around one hour • Trained moderator • Compensate for participation

10. 7 Habits of Effective Moderators • Establish personal contact with each respondent early • Help respondents feel relaxed early on • Win respondents to your side • Deal with loud respondents; but don’t intimidate other respondents • Don’t look at them when you ask questions • Don’t acknowledge their raised hands • Deal with inconsistent, unclear answers by mobilizing the group to help • Create an environment where anything a respondent wants to say is acceptable • Don’t assume you know what a respondent means by an ambiguous answer

11. When NOT to use Focus Groups • Emotionally charged environment • Researcher has lost control over critical aspects of the study • Statistical projections are needed • Other methodologies can produce better quality information • Other methodologies can produce more economical information of the same quality • Researcher cannot ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information

12. Types of Focus Group Questions • Opening Question • Round robin question • Designed to be answered rather quickly • Designed to identify characteristics participants have in common • Preferably factual (rather than attitude or opinions) • Introductory Question • Introduce general topic of discussion • Key Questions • 2 to 5 max • The questions you really want answers to • Ending Questions • Bring closure to the discussion. Most common is the summary question

13. Some Things to Consider • Avoid Dichotomous Questions • Questions answerable with a “yes” or “no” • Avoid asking “Why” • Has a sharpness or pointedness that reminds one of interrogations • Asked Uncued Questions first; Cued Questions second • Uncued: Open-ended; usually based on recent experiences or impressions • Cued: Questions that specify some topic or aspect of a topic