qualitative research methods marketing

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Qualitative Market Research : The Complete Guide

Content Index

What is Qualitative Market Research?

Qualitative market research methods and techniques, 4 types of qualitative market research testing methods, examples of qualitative market research.

• Ethical Considerations for Qualitative Market Research?

What are the Applications of Qualitative Market Research?

Advantages of qualitative market research, disadvantages of qualitative market research, online qualitative market research software- questionpro communities.

Qualitative market research is an open ended questions (conversational) based research method that heavily relies on the following market research methods : focus groups, in-depth interviews, and other innovative research methods. It is based on a small but highly validated sample size, usually consisting of 6 to 10 respondents .

The small size enables cost saving, while the “importance” of the samples and the lack of a defined questionnaire allows free and in-depth discussion and analysis of topics. Usually, the discussion is directed by the discretion of the interviewer or market researcher. You can use single ease questions . A single-ease question is a straightforward query that elicits a concise and uncomplicated response.

It is always better to have more heads than one. By canvassing a group of respondents for ideas and competence the quality of the data that is obtained is far more superior. This concept is known as crowdsourcing, derived from the two words “crowd” and “outsourcing”.

LEARN ABOUT: Perceived Value

Qualitative market research is most frequently used in political campaigning to understand voter perception of political candidates and their policies, interviewing business leaders and diving deeper into topics of interest, psychological profile studies and so on.

Qualitative market research is a relatively less expensive method to understand 2 critical factors in details – “what” the respondents think and feel about a certain topic and “why” they think and feel that way.

LEARN ABOUT:  Market research industry

Why do we ask for an opinion? Any opinion for that matter? We ask because the person’s opinion matters to our decision making. None of the successful organizational decisions are made through mere guesses or speculations, but through real information gathered from real and valuable people.

Market research , in general, has played a critical role in inducing a thought process in present day’s organizational leaders where information and data dictate policies and decisions.

However, in market research design , not all information is just numbers and quantitative research . Some are just – conversational and qualitative!

LEARN ABOUT: Research Process Steps

Remember the super hit series Desperate Housewives? And do you remember the lovely housewives calling their friends over for a cup of tea or a couple of drinks to discuss the flashy new products they have bought?

It is not just a vague practice to flaunt these products but a thoughtful one because it matters what the friends think. Whether, they agree or disagree with the quality, brand and other features of those products. It matters what people think. Voila! Welcome to the world of qualitative market research.

Qualitative market research is all about understanding people’s beliefs and point of views and what they feel about the situation and what are the deciding factors that influence their behavior.

LEARN ABOUT: Marketing Insight

To conduct qualitative market research usually, one of these market research methods are used:

• Focus groups: As the name suggests, a group of people comprising usually of  6-10 members are brought together to discuss a particular product and its market strategies. Usually, experts in that particular field will comprise of the group. This group will have a moderator who will stimulate the discussion amongst the members to derive opinions. Since the focus groups are becoming a rare occurrence, platforms like Communities is on the rise.
• In-depth Interviews: It is usually a one-on-one interview method conducted with a group of people, either face to face or over the telephone. This method is more conversational and asking open-ended questions helps gather better data.
• Innovative research methods: In this method, the researcher can click photographs of the person who is answering the questions or can even record their videos. Observing these photographs or videos later would tell the researcher about their responses/reactions to various situations.
• Observations or “Shop-alongs”: Qualitative Observations or shop-alongs are now becoming an increasingly used research method in qualitative market research. This method allows the researcher to observe from afar and actually see how a consumer reacts to an actual product and purchase experience. This mitigates the scope to be dishonest with feedback or even forget about the shopping experience at a later stage.

LEARN ABOUT: Qualitative Interview

• Lifestyle Immersion: A newer method of conducting qualitative market research is attending a social or family event that user/s are at and collecting feedback. This helps with the getting feedback from users when they are in a comfortable environment. This is a great way to collect candid feedback in a comfortable environment.
• Online Focus Groups: With the ease of access to social media, online focus groups are becoming easier to manage. It is easy to recruit people to a focus group based study and even manage data collection and analytics.
• Ethnography: Ethnographic research is the process of being in an end user environment and seeing the user indulge with a product in a real-life example. This qualitative research method is best positioned to help create immediate and impactful product tweaks.  
• Projective Techniques: Projective techniques are conducted by trained moderators who uncover hidden thoughts of the respondents. The questions or questioning methods are of an indirect nature and the moderator then deduces and uncovers underlying feelings that aren’t explicitly mentioned.  
• Online Forums: Online forums is now becoming an increasingly preferred way of conducting qualitative market research. Members in a panel are brought onto a common platform to discuss a certain topic and the moderator ensures the discussion is driven in the direction of the outcome required. The moderator probes, asks the right questions and coerces to ensure a thorough discussion is conducted.
• Online Sentence Completion and Word Association: One of the easier but exhaustive nature of completing qualitative market research is to get respondents to match words that may be related to a product or even complete sentences online and this provides a deeper insight into the thoughts of the user.

Learn more about qualitative research methods 

Here are the steps involved in conducting qualitative market research:

• Planning & Determining research objectives: Each research study needs to have a desired outcome at the outset so that the resources behind planning and executing are not wasted and it helps towards business agility.
• Deciding the method to conduct the research: Qualitative market research can be conducted in many ways. Depending on the nature of the study, target audience demographics , geographical location, a product that is being surveyed etc., would the survey method be utilized.
• Getting the right personnel for the job: Conducting a qualitative market research study requires moderators that know how to elicit and track responses from potential respondents.
• Purposive Sampling : In this method, the sample is created with a purpose in mind. The contours of the demographics are planned well in advance and users that fit this criterion are onboard for the market research survey.
• Quota Sampling: Quota sampling is the process of selecting samples from a given quota and the selected users are said to be a representative of the larger population. This can be a random sampling or put some qualifying criteria in.
• Snowball Sampling:   Snowball  sampling model is based on a reference model. Users that match criteria are asked to refer users that they are personally aware of that match the criteria.
• Survey design: The survey has to be designed in a way to elicit maximum value so that the responses received build towards robust and actionable feedback.
• Data collection: The data collection can be done via online or offline methods. It is imperative to collect the data in such a way that sense could be made of it and it could be used to analyze and report.
• Data Analysis: Data means nothing if it is not analyzed. Data that has been analyzed can give actionable insights for a product or brand to build on and this is imperative for a qualitative marketing research survey.
• Reporting: Once data has been collected and analyzed, it has to be reported in an easy to consume format to the relevant stakeholders as a milestone in the market research process.

LEARN ABOUT: Steps in Qualitative Research

There are 4 distinct types of qualitative market research testing methods that can be conducted. They are:

• Direct Exploration: This qualitative market research method is a no holds barred feedback method for a potential idea or product. This method is conducted where the users are told about the idea where no physical product is provided and all possible feedback is collected. This feedback is then collected and explored to form the basis of the new product.
• Monadic Testing: This method evaluates feedback by providing users with one single idea, concept, feature or product and asks for feedback. In this method, despite there being multiple concepts available, other designs are not shown. This method is important to elicit individual piece of feedback about a desired feature or concept.
• Sequential Monadic Testing: This testing method is similar to monadic testing because each concept, product or feature is shown one time. The only difference is that an alternate design to each concept is shown at the same time and feedback is collected on both from a user. This testing method is also called paired testing or paired nomadic testing.
• Discrete Choice Testing: Discrete choice testing is like paired nomadic testing but the only difference is that all choices are provided at once, not sequentially and the users are asked to pick one feature over another and then explain their choice.

LEARN ABOUT: User Experience Research

Successful businesses tend to use qualitative market research to keep pace with the ongoing market trend analysis , to make better-informed decisions and to achieve business excellence.

Whether your business is a start-up or a well-established entity, qualitative market research is a powerful method to identify your target audience and understand how they will respond to your product.

Before we dig deeper here are some of the real-time examples of qualitative market research case studies:

• AP, Norc and QuestionPro partner on geolocation exit polling app
• Washington State Ferry

Some examples of business expansion where qualitative market research plays a critical role by crowdsourcing concrete ideas for optimized decision-making :

• Branding : Many companies fail to understand how consumers perceive their brand or what is the brand positioning in comparison to their competitors.  The research is typically done by conducting interviews with customers or organizing focus groups to collect feedback on marketing content and collaterals. In this way, the surveyor can explore different topics in-depth and get feedback from the respondents. Using this market research method, brands can gather information that can help them upscale and reposition their brand better in the market. LEARN ABOUT: Brand health
• Understanding the Consumer Behaviour: Sometimes, organizations/ companies/ entrepreneurs need more information about their consumer in order to place their product in a better manner.  To do so they might need information about their gender, age, marital status etc. Qualitative market research helps them gather such information. For understanding the consumer behavior conducting in-depth interviews is the best option, as these interviews are conducted on one to one basis a decent amount of information can be collected.
• Measuring the reach of marketing activities: Many businesses go an extra mile to do a better job in promoting their brands. Here is where their marketing activities come into play.  Market research can provide organizations with information about their marketing effectiveness by gathering first-hand information on how consumers look at their marketing message. This helps organizations maximize their marketing budget.
• Identifying new business opportunities: Market research helps organizations explore new opportunities leading to business expansion.  By gathering data through market research through focus groups, organizations can pin a location, understand business dynamics, know their key competitors etc., to grow their business in the right direction.
• Getting insights on products: If a company comes up with a new product or looking to improve a current one, it is always better to take a market research in order to understand how acceptable is the product amongst the consumers.  When a product comes to the market people have an opinion about its shape, size, utility, color, features etc. Qualitative market research through in-depth interviews will help gather systematic data that can be later used to modify or make the existing product better.

LEARN ABOUT:  Market Evaluation

Employee Experience: Definition

Research ethics are as important as important as the ethics in any other research field. It is important to safeguard the participants’ interest. Like there is training and formal processes for researchers in other fields like in healthcare and medical research, market research is also governed by similar policies.

Due to the nature of qualitative market research, it is very important to have informed consent from a participant to be a part of the research study. This means that they are aware  of basic information like:

• Nature of the research
• Expected time of completion
• If there are any sociological or physical risks or benefits
• Will a monetary or remuneration in other form be present
• Confidentiality protection
• How will the name and other personal details be used
• Any legal repercussions

Since this is a relatively less expensive and a more flexible method of market research there are a few applications of this market research methodology:

• It helps to understand the needs of the customers and their behavioral research pattern.
• What consumers think and perceive your product as.
• To understand the efficiency of your business planning and also to know if the strategies and planning that you put in place are working or not.
• What sort of marketing messages has a strong impact on the consumers and what just fall on deaf ears?
• Whether or not there is a demand for your product or services in the market?

LEARN ABOUT:  Test Market Demand

Ultimately, qualitative market research is all about asking people to elaborate on their opinion to get a better insight into their behavioral pattern. It’s about understanding  “Why” even before “What”.

LEARN ABOUT: Behavioral Targeting

• It helps you gather detailed information: One of the major advantages of this market research method is that it helps you collect details information instead of just focusing on the metrics of data. It helps you understand the subtleties of the information obtained thus enabling in-depth analysis .
• It’s adaptive in nature: This market research can adapt to the quality of information that is collected. If the available data seems not to be providing any results, the researcher can immediately seek to collect data in a new direction. This offers more flexibility to collect data.
• It operates within structures that are fluid: The data collected through this research method is based on observation and experiences, therefore, an experienced researcher can follow up with additional open ended questions if needed to extract more information from the respondents.  
• Helps communicate brand proposition accurately: Through this market research method, the consumers can communicate with the brand effectively and vice versa. Any product terminology, product jargons etc are effectively communicated as this research method gives a chance to the brand and the consumer to express their needs and values freely, thus minimizing any miscommunication.
• It helps reduce customer churn : Consumer behaviors can change overnight, leaving a brand to wonder what went wrong. By conducting qualitative market research, brands have a chance to understand what consumers want and if they are fulfilling their needs or not, thereby reducing customer churn . Thus the brand-consumer relationship is maintained.

LEARN ABOUT: Market research vs marketing research

• It is time-consuming: Qualitative market research can take days, weeks, months and in some cases even years to complete. This isn’t good to get quick actionable insights. In some cases, the premise with which the survey began may be non-existent due to market evolution.
• It is expensive: Due to the time taken to complete, qualitative market research is extremely expensive. They are also expensive to conduct and create actionable insights because the data is humungous and people with certain research skill sets are required to manage the research process.
• It is subjective: What one user may think could be very different from another. Due to this, there is no standardization of responses. This also means that the lines between true and false blur out to the point that each response is to be considered at face value.
• No result verification: Data collected cannot be verified because in most cases in a qualitative market research, the data is based on personal perceptions. Hence for analysis, each opinion is considered as it is valid.
• Halo effect: Due to the highly subjective nature of the research, the preconceived notion of the moderator or the person conducting the analysis skews the reporting of the research. It is human tendency to gravitate towards what’s known and it is very tough to get rid of this research bias .

LEARN ABOUT: Self-Selection Bias

With the increasing competition in the business world, the extensive need for business research has also increased. QuestionPro Communities is a qualitative research platform that is interactive, where existing customers can submit their feedback and also stay well informed about the market research activities, helps researchers undertake studies to maximize sales and profits. Through the communities platform, researchers can carry out research to effectively target and understand their customers, understand what is the market trend, prevent future research problems and thereby reduce customer churn .

This qualitative research platform helps in developing businesses to know their competitors and help identify the latest trends in the market. To carry out a well-directed research, businesses need a software platform that can help researchers understand the mindset of the consumers, interpret their thoughts and collect meaningful qualitative data .

QuestionPro Communities is the World’s leading platform for conducting analytics powered qualitative method . This online qualitative market research software helps researchers save their time, using niche technology like text analysis , where computers are used to extract worthwhile information from human language in an efficient manner, increase flexibility and improve the validity of qualitative research questions . This online platform help researchers reduce manual and clerical work.

QuestionPro Communities Qualitative Market Research Tools Includes:

Discussions

The online qualitative research software and tool, Discussions, allows a researcher to invite respondents to a community discussion session and moderate the focus group online. This can also be done live at a specific time that is convenient to the researcher and offer the users the flexibility to post responses when they login to their community. Invitations can be sent out well in advance to a specific target group the researcher would like to gather feedback from.

In case you are looking for respondents to share their ideas and allow others to analyze and offer a feedback and vote on the existing submissions, then this is a great tool to manage and present your results to the key stakeholders.

In this online community, you can submit topics, cast your vote in the existing posts and add comments or feedback instantly.

QuestionPro Communities is the only panel management and discussion platform that offers a seamless mobile communities experience. When it comes to engagement, how you reach respondents matter! Go mobile and take Discussions, Topics, and Idea Board anywhere your respondents go.

Feel free to explore our latest blog discussing practical examples of qualitative data in education – a valuable resource to deepen your insights into student experiences and learning dynamics. Why not give it a read and discover fresh perspectives for enhancing educational practices?

Learn about the other market research method: Quantitative Market Research

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Qualitative Market Research Methods + Examples

Qualitative market research is one of the most effective ways to understand consumer sentiment . If you really want to know how people feel about a product or business; and the ‘why’ behind it, qualitative research will tell you what you need to know.

This guide covers qualitative market research methods, including the different tools and techniques, their benefits, and examples of qualitative research in action.

What is qualitative market research?

Qualitative market research uncovers key insights into how people feel about a product or brand. It’s more of a touchy-feely type of market research than quantitative research , often performed with a small, handpicked group of respondents.

There are many different ways to conduct qualitative research. These include focus groups, interviews, ethnographic, observational research, and even biometrics. Although it takes time to conduct and analyze results, it’s one of the most popular types of market research .

Qualitative market research methods

Market research surveys are the most widely used qualitative market research method. Perhaps that’s down to their ease of use, availability, or the low cost of getting them out, in, and analyzed. But let’s be honest; all types of market research have pros and cons, which is exactly why picking the right technique is key.

Focus groups

What it is: Focus groups can be done in person or online. Participants are selected from within a target market or audience. Typically, people answer questions about the how, what, and why of a specific topic. While focus group formats vary, participant numbers should always be limited to ensure each person has the chance to contribute.

Best for: This type of qualitative market research is beneficial for testing new concepts or products in a market. It’s also good for getting feedback on existing products and things like usability, functionality, and ease of use.

Good to know: Online focus groups are becoming increasingly popular. As no interaction is required between participants, running them online allows responses to be collected in minutes without impacting data quality . It also reduces costs and means more people can attend due to fewer travel or time constraints.

What it is: Interviews are a tried-and-trusted qualitative research method that can be done in person or over the phone. It’s a highly personal approach that takes a conversational format between just two or three people. Researchers ask pre-set questions designed to collect intel and insights for further analysis. Interview formats vary depending on the research questions .

Best for Granular feedback from people within a target market or a target persona. Researchers obtain details about a person’s intentions, beliefs, motivations, and preferences.

Helpful Scroll to the qualitative market research examples section and view a copy of our template for customer interviews at Similarweb.

Read more: 83 Qualitative Research Questions & Examples

What it is: Most people have used or consumed case study content in the past without necessarily realizing it’s a type of qualitative research. It analyzes contextual factors relevant to a specific problem or outcome in detail. Case study research can be carried out by marketing professionals or researchers and typically follows a structured approach, exploring a problem, the solution, and its impact.

Case studies can take anything from one month upwards to a year to develop and often involve using other types of qualitative market research, such as focus groups or interviews, to inform key content.

Best for: They’re more commonly used as a marketing tool to showcase a solution or service’s impact within a target market or use case. But, new product or service developments are two other popular applications.

What it is: One of the lesser-known methods of qualitative market research is biometrics. There’s an article about this on Bloomberg , showcasing how Expedia uses biometrics in its market research stack. The format for their project takes the trusty focus group scenario, adding a modern twist.

In this example, research participants were asked to attach a set of skin response sensors to their hands. But there could also be eye-tracking, emotional analysis, heat mapping, or facial sensors being used to track responses in tandem. Individuals were tasked with surfing the web; a researcher requested they do specific tasks or carry out a search in a self-directing manner. Responses are recorded, analyzed, and translated into meaningful insights.

Depending on the tech being used, the direction, and the goal of the research, this type of qualitative market research can show:

• How people surf the web or use a site
• The way people react in a specific situation
• How they respond to content, CTAs, layouts, promotions, tasks, or experiences
• Insights into what drives people to take action on a site

Best for: Larger digital-first companies with a budget to suit; those who want to perform UX testing to improve the content, customer journey, experience, or layout of a website.

Insightful The adoption of biometric technology in market research was at an all-time high in 2020. With the technology becoming more widely available, the adoption cost will likely fall, making it more accessible to a larger pool of organizations.

Ethnography

What it is: Enthnograprhic market research (EMR) is one of the costliest types of qualitative research. An experienced ethnographic researcher is needed to design and conduct the study. It analyzes people in their own environment, be it at home, an office, or another location of interest.

Research can take place over a few hours, months, or even years. It’s typically used during the early-stage development of a user-centric design project. But it can also be useful in identifying or analyzing issues arising once a product or service has gone to market.

Best for: It’s widely adopted within useability, service design, and user-focused fields. Getting under the skin of a design problem helps develop a deeper understanding of issues a product should solve. Outcomes help to build improvements or new features in products or services.

Grounded theory

What it is: Researchers use various qualitative market research methods, such as surveys or interviews, and combine them with other types of secondary market research to inform outcomes. Typically, participant groups are between 20-60, making it a larger sample size than focus groups. Responses are collated, and a series of specialist coding techniques are used to formulate a theory that explains behavioral patterns.

Best for: Organizations can better understand a target audience by using research to generate a theory. The findings provide explanations that can inform design decisions or spark new innovation through features or improvements to products or services. A typical use case could be when particularly heavy use of a product occurs or frustrations arise with usability – grounded theory is then used to explore the reasoning behind these behaviors.

Observational

What it is: Contrary to belief, this type of qualitative market research can occur remotely or on-site. A researcher will observe people via camera or being physically present in a shopping mall, store, or other location. Systematic data are collated using subjective methods that monitor how people react in a natural setting. Researchers usually remain out of sight to ensure they go undetected by the people they observe.

Best for: Low-budget market research projects. Suited to those with a physical store or who seek to examine consumer behavior in a public setting. Researchers can see how people react to products or how they navigate around a store. It can also provide insights into shopping behavior, and record the purchase experience.

Useful to know: Observational research provides more effective feedback than market research surveys. This is because instinctive reactions are more reflective of real-world behaviors.

Online Forums

What it is: A web message board or online forum is quick and easy to set up. Most people know how they work, and users’ names can be anonymized. This makes it a safe space to conduct group research and gain consensus or garner opinions on things like creative concepts, promotions, new features, or other topics of interest. The researcher moderates it to ensure discussions remain focused and the right questions are asked to thoroughly explore a topic.

Organizations typically invite between 10-30 participants, and forums are open for anything between 1-5 days. The researcher initiates various threads and may later divide people into subgroups once initial responses are given.

Here’s an example.

If a group of male participants indicates they dislike a specific content on the forum. The moderator would create a subgroup on the fly, with the intent of probing into the viewpoints of that group in more detail.

Best for: Discussing sensitive research topics that people may feel uncomfortable sharing in a group or interview. Getting feedback from people from a broad area and diverse backgrounds is easy. And a more cost-effective way to run focus groups with similar aims and outcomes.

What it is: For a survey to be considered a type of qualitative market research, questions should remain open and closed-ended. Surveys are typically sent digitally but can also be done in person or via direct mail. Feedback can be anonymous or with user details exposed. Surveys are a type of primary research and should be tailored to the research goals and the audience. Segmentation is a great way to uncover more about a select group of people that make up a target persona or market.

Best for: A low-cost way to question a large group of people and gain insights into how they feel about a topic or product. It can be used to flesh out usability issues, explore the viability of new features, or better understand a target audience in almost any sector. Surveys can also be used to explore UX or employee experience in greater detail.

Read more: 18 Ways Businesses Can Use Market Research Surveys

Diary or journal logging

What it is: When you think about it, almost all qualitative research methods aim to help you understand the experiences, lives, and motivations of people. What better way is there to connect with how people think and feel than a journal? Yes, it’s pretty much exactly what it claims to be; a simple note-taking exercise that records regular input, insights, feelings, and thoughts over a period of time.

A survey or focus group captures sentiment at a single point in time. Whereas journal logging gives way to more frequent input without any pressures of time to consider. It’s also more reliable data, as there’s no requirement for people to think about and recall data, as input occurs at the moment. Popular formats include digital diaries, paper journals, and voice journals.

Key parameters are set out from the start. And offer prompts so people know what to record, how often they need to make an entry, the time of day (if relevant), how much they should write, and the purpose or goal of the research.

Best for: Measuring change or impact over time. They’re also a great tool to establish things like:

• Usage scenarios
• Motivations
• Changes in perception
• Behavioral shifts
• Customer journeys  

Start building your story with Similarweb today

Benefits of qualitative market research.

• Flexible – It can be adjusted according to the situation. For example, if the questions being asked aren’t yielding useful information, the researcher can change direction with open questions and adapt as needed.
• Clear and open communication –  Forums like these can help a brand and its customers communicate effectively. The voice of the customer is paramount, and participants are encouraged to express their values and needs freely.
• Provides detailed information – One of the biggest draws of qualitative research is the level of detail given by respondents. Data collected can be vital in helping organizations gain an in-depth understanding of consumer pain points and perspectives.
• Improve retention – Qualitative research gets under the hood, helping an organization know how consumers think or feel about a business or its products. The intel can shape future offerings or improve service elements, thus boosting loyalty.

Qualitative market research examples

Whether you’ve carried out qualitative research in the past or not, it’s never a bad idea to look at what others are doing. Who knows, it could inspire your research project or give you an example of qualitative research in action to use as a base.

Here are three qualitative market research examples in action!

Example 1: This Voice of Customer questionnaire is an example of qualitative research we use here at Similarweb. 

Example 2: A market research survey used in retail. It’s sent out with a digital copy of a store receipt and aims to explore how people feel about their in-store experience.

Example 3: A case study report published by Forrester Consulting. It highlights the ROI of Similarweb following a period of use and a forward-looking estimation.

A smarter way to get Similar results in less time

While different in nature, qualitative and quantitative research go hand in hand. In short, qualitative can explain what quantitative research shows. While qualitative research costs vary, it takes time to plan, conduct, and analyze. Not everybody has the luxury of time or the resources to carry out their own qualitative market research. And with how fast markets and consumer behaviors shift, it’s not always the optimal solution.

Feature spotlight: Audience Analysis 

Similarweb’s audience behavior research tool shows you where people in your target market spend their time online. Uncovering critical, unbiased insights at pace.

• Audience metrics show you demographics , geographics , audience loyalty , and interests.
• Competitive insights allow you to see any rivals’ reach and unpack their successes.
• Visualize your target market like never before – layered with insights that show where and how they spend time online.
• Segment your audience to see industry-specific consumer interests.
• Discover untapped audiences to acquire and grow your share of market.

As a single source of truth, Similarweb Research Intelligence lets you get the measure of the digital world that matters to you most. At a glance, you can see what’s happening in any market, and drill down into any rival or audience group to spot trends, analyze changes, and inform key decisions; fast. As far as market research tools go, it’s the only platform that brings together feedback from mobile web, desktop, and mobile apps in a single place. Giving you a complete and comprehensive picture of your digital landscape.

Wrapping Up…

Compared to quantitative research, the qualitative approach can take more time and cost more money. But, there are distinct benefits that make it hard to dismiss. While statistical research can show you the ‘what,’ ‘who,’ and ‘when’, qualitative research complements this and helps uncover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ – giving you the complete picture.

From the high-hitting budget owners to the SMBs who need to research a market or audience, qualitative research is a vital tool that’ll help you uncover insights and focus on growth.

Digital intelligence platforms like Similarweb can give you a framework to outline a story that can be filled in with qualitative research later down the line.

What’s the difference between quantitative and qualitative research methods? Qualitative market research is a type of primary research method that explores how people think and feel about a topic. Quantitative research is statistics-based and analyses numerical data.

What are the different types of qualitative market research? The most popular types of qualitative market research include Focus groups, interviews, ethnography, case studies, grounded theory, observational, online forums, open-ended surveys, biometrics, narrative, thematic analysis, diary or journal logging, thematic analysis, and phenomenological study.

How is qualitative research used in marketing? Qualitative market research serves as a tool that helps marketing teams identify consumer needs, refine product messaging, generate ideas for campaigns, discover new channels, and develop targeted campaigns that resonate with target audiences.

What Types of Questions are Asked in Qualitative Market Research? Qualitative market research often focuses on open-ended questions that allow respondents to provide detailed answers about their attitudes, opinions, and experiences. Examples of questions include: What factors influence your decision to purchase a particular product or service? How do you use a product or service? What do you like or dislike about a product or service?

What are the Limitations of Qualitative Market Research? Qualitative market research can be subjective and may be limited by the number of participants and the amount of time available for research. Additionally, qualitative research does not provide quantitative data , which can be useful for measuring and comparing consumer behavior.

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Qualitative research in marketing: definition, methods and examples

Apr 7th, 2022

What is qualitative research? 

Qualitative research methods, how to design qualitative research , qualitative research examples.

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Qualitative research allows businesses to determine customers’ needs, generate ideas on improving the product or expanding the product line, clarify the marketing mix and understand how the product would fit into customers’ lifestyles. The research will be useful for businesses of any size and type. For example, entrepreneurs can use qualitative research to gain insight into customers’ feelings, values, and impressions of the product or service. With qualitative research, you can understand the reasons and motives of customers’ reactions and use this information to create marketing and sales strategies .

The research can also help you design products and services that meet the requirements of your target audience. For instance, imagine you are a restaurant owner and want to introduce a new menu; you can conduct qualitative research and invite local residents to give you feedback on the food, service, and pricing. This approach will increase your chances of success.

Qualitative research studies the motives that determine consumer behavior by employing observation methods and unstructured questioning techniques, such as individual in-depth interviews and group discussions. The approach involves the collection and analysis of primary and secondary non-numerical data. The goal of qualitative research is to understand the underlying reasons for making purchasing decisions and learn about customers’ values and beliefs. 

Qualitative research asks open-ended questions beginning with the words “what”, “how”, and “why” to get feedback concerning a new product or service before the launch or development phase. This method reveals customers’ perceptions of the brand, buyers’ needs, advantages, and drawbacks of the product or service. Furthermore, it helps evaluate promotional materials and predict how the product or service can influence the lives of your customers. 

This research method emerged in the early 1940s when American sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld introduced focus group interviews to study the impact of propaganda during World War II. In the late 1940s, American psychologist and marketing expert Ernest Dichter developed a new type of consumer research called motivational research. Dichter used Freudian psychoanalytic concepts to understand the motives of consumer behavior. He conducted in-depth interviews to learn more about customers’ needs and attitudes towards certain products. 

In the 1960s, marketing academic John Howard began studying consumer behavior from the perspective of social sciences, including psychology, anthropology, and economics. At the same time, market researchers focused on the emotions, feelings, and attitudinal elements of consumption. As a result, in-depth interviews, video-recorded focus groups, and computer-assisted telephone interviews became prevalent qualitative research techniques. 

With the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, qualitative research has undergone numerous changes. Today the Internet allows researchers to conduct surveys on a much larger scale. The marketers can use hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization to launch targeted advertising campaigns, utilize market research analysis software and gather customer opinions using social media analysis. Let us take a detailed look at the basic methods of qualitative research.

The most common qualitative research methods include focus groups, individual interviews, observations, in-home videos, lifestyle immersion, ethnographic research, online sentence completion, and word association. We will consider each of them in more detail below.

Focus groups

Focus groups are discussions dedicated to a specific product and its marketing strategies . The groups typically consist of 6-10 people and a moderator who encourages them to express their opinions and feelings about the product. Usually, focus groups are held in-person to study consumers’ verbal and non-verbal reactions to the product or advertising campaign. 

This method has several applications, including testing marketing programs, evaluating the overall concept for a product, examining the copy and images of the advertisements, and analyzing the new types of product packaging. Nowadays, in-person focus groups are losing popularity, while online discussions via video conferencing tools are attracting a lot of attention from researchers. 

Social media analysis

Social media and mobile devices give brands more opportunities to gather and analyze information. Customers now interact directly with brands on social media platforms where they spend their free time. Content analysis of Facebook posts, comments, tweets, YouTube videos , and Instagram photos allows brands to track consumers’ activities, locations, and commonly used words. 

You can ask for users’ feedback , encourage them to fill out a brief survey, or engage with customers to inform them of your marketing plans and the development of new products. Furthermore, the qualitative research participants can provide additional contextual information like photos and videos, which gives a better understanding of their thoughts and attitudes.

Individual interviews

An individual interview is usually conducted in person, over the phone, or via video conferencing platforms. The interviewer asks the existing customer a number of questions to determine his motivation to buy a particular product. One-to-one interviews are held as a free-flowing conversation and include open-ended questions. The interviews can be flexible, semi-structured, and unstructured. You can ask about the customer’s frustrations concerning the product, motivations and reasons for purchase, and the sources of information from which they learned about the product.

Observations

Observations allow researchers to see how the customers react to the products in the store and analyze their shopping behavior and purchase experience. This method is more effective than written surveys as it provides better insight into consumer reactions. For example, the researchers can observe how customers stop outside the store, what attracts them to the shop window and which way they walk once they enter the store. In addition, observations help determine problems related to product placement on store shelves, clutter, or products that are out of stock. You can also collect customer feedback to improve some aspects of the shopping process, like packaging design.

In-home videos 

In-home videos allow researchers to watch how customers engage with the product in the comfort of their own homes. Using this method, you can monitor user behavior in a natural and relaxed environment. Thus, you can have a better picture of the ways people use your product. The customers can keep video diaries or film the videos with detailed comments concerning your product. You can store the qualitative content in one place and create an insight hub to analyze and reuse the collected information in the future.

Lifestyle immersion

Lifestyle immersion is another method that allows obtaining customer feedback in a comfortable environment. Immersion refers to the researcher’s profound personal involvement in a customer’s life. For instance, the researcher visits an event, such as a party or family gathering, and observes the user’s reactions and behaviors in a familiar setting. Watching how users speak to their family and friends is an increasingly effective technique that allows learning more about their needs, challenges, and motives. 

Ethnographic research

Ethnography is a type of research that originates from 20th-century anthropology and involves observing people in a natural environment rather than a lab. Namely, the researchers watch how respondents cope with their daily tasks, such as grocery shopping or preparing dinner. This helps see what people actually do instead of what they claim to do. 

Ethnography applies a variety of approaches, including direct observation, video recordings, diary studies, and photography. Researchers can observe the user’s behavior at home, at the workplace, or with their family or friends. Passive observation as a method of ethnographic research implies following and watching users without interacting with them or interfering with their actions. Active observation, in contrast, entails working or cooperating with consumers, asking them questions about a product or service, and joining their team or group.

Online sentence completion and word association

Sentence completion is a projective technique used in qualitative research to allow customers to express their opinions and feelings. According to this method, the respondents receive the survey with unfinished sentences. They should complete sentences that describe the product or find the words that would be appropriate in the context of the sentence. With this method, the researcher can put qualitative data in a structured form. 

Word association is a similar technique that helps researchers gather information about brand awareness , images, and associations related to a specific product or brand. The respondents are given the trigger words and instructed to write the first word, association, or image that comes to mind. In contrast to the interviews and focus groups, sentence completion and word association techniques can reach more people when conducted online. Moreover, it takes less time to analyze the results and understand users’ perceptions. 

Once you have learned about the most widely used qualitative research methods, it is time to plan the research process step by step. 

The success of your research outcomes greatly depends on adequate planning and appropriate strategy. Here we will list some general guidelines on how to conduct qualitative research.

Determine research objectives

The first step to designing or running qualitative market research is understanding the goals you want to achieve with your study. In particular, the research objectives might include discovering the existing or potential product or brand positioning , understanding perceptions about the company or product, investigating how people react to advertising campaigns,  packaging or design, evaluating website usability, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the product. The absence of clear objectives would create challenges for the researcher as qualitative research involves open-ended questions and in-depth replies that are difficult to interpret and analyze directly.

Choose the methodology to conduct the research

Determine the most suitable method to perform market research taking into account demographics, geographical location of your target audience, lifestyle behaviors, and the product that is being examined. Market researchers usually collaborate with professional recruiters who find and screen the participants. A significant part of the researcher’s work is to develop a list of topics for discussion in small groups. You need to involve moderators who would spend from 90 to 120 minutes with the group asking questions, observing their reactions, and analyzing behavior.

Investigate various data collection methods

Once you have chosen the observation method, you need to involve a moderator to examine the participants’ behavior and take notes. This approach usually requires a video camera or a one-way mirror. You can also combine qualitative and quantitative research to collect numerical data and analyze metrics together with customers’ replies and observation results. 

When running focus groups, you can either organize one discussion with eight to ten participants or a series of online meetings which will last three-four days. Respondents will answer the questions from the moderator or react to prerecorded videos.

When you conduct one-on-one interviews, you need to speak with the respondents on the phone or organize a personal meeting. This method will be suitable if you want customers to try the product and share their impressions.

Analyze the collected data

Researchers will typically need a few days to a few weeks to collect the information. Then researchers will examine the data to provide responses to your questions. The next step is qualitative coding or the technique of categorizing the findings to identify themes and patterns. The specialists might also include the statistics to explain what the data is indicating. Besides, the report might contain a narrative analysis of underlying messages and phrasings.

Study the report and recommendations

The final step is to review the report provided by the researchers. It can be a written document or video recording. The paper, based on MECE principles , will help you group the patterns and similarities and sort them according to demographics and other customer characteristics. The document will contain specific recommendations, so you can draw conclusions and start making improvements to your product marketing strategy .

In the next section of this article, we will review how famous brands have put qualitative research methods into practice.

Qualitative market research helps brands strengthen their reputation and credibility, segment customers , identify market trends, increase awareness, rebrand products , and get feedback from the consumers on their preferences. Let us discover how McDonald’s, Starbucks, and LEGO use data to confront tough competition.

When conducting market research, McDonald’s asks the customers several critical questions regarding best-performing products, the most appropriate pricing , the effective advertisements, and the most attended restaurants. Finding answers to these questions allows for analyzing whether the company managed to expand its customer base. 

Furthermore, McDonald’s collects customer feedback to improve the products. In particular, many customers were disappointed with the lack of healthy and organic options on the menu. As a result, the company added apple slices and other healthy items to the menu and launched an advertising campaign to show that chicken nuggets and burgers were made of real meat.

Starbucks encourages customers to share feedback on the official site and contribute ideas via Twitter . The company monitors social media, tracks cultural trends, and offers customers to test the products in the stores. From 2008 to 2018, Starbucks used the My Starbucks Idea platform to collect ideas and continuously improve its products. The company implemented over 275 consumer ideas, including recommendations about new products and methods to improve corporate responsibility.

Some years before, LEGO was considered to be primarily a boy-oriented company. Then LEGO decided to promote inclusivity and create toys targeted at all genders. The company conducted research involving 3,500 girls and their parents to examine children’s behavior while playing with toys. Later LEGO used the collected data to determine the size of the figures and create bright packaging for the new toy line called “Friends” which was designed specifically for girls.

Companies would not create new offers, improve their existing products, satisfy the needs of their customers, or solve the most difficult challenges without market research. Qualitative research will help you obtain a clear understanding of your target customers, recognize the emotional connections to your brand, identify potential obstacles to purchase and features that are missing in your offer, and as a result, develop an outstanding product. 

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The Complete Guide to Qualitative Market Research

So what exactly is qualitative research? At a glance, this type of research method seeks to gather in-depth data about a phenomenon without focusing on numerical data or on quantities.

But there is much more to this kind of study method. Learn holistically about qualitative market research with this complete guide.

What Defines & Makes Up Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is centered around experiences, ideas and opinions. As such, it does not focus on statistical or quantitative outcomes. Instead, it seeks out an in-depth understanding of an issue, occurrence or phenomenon.

Thus, this research method zeroes in on the “what” and more importantly, the “why” of a research subject. (Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on the “how much”).

Here are some of the applications of qualitative research:

Understanding an issue in greater depth

Finding the reason behind an occurrence (whether it’s desirable or undesirable)

Uncovering trends in target market opinions

Forming educated solutions to address customer/studied subject concerns

Discovering the causes of certain actions

Qualitative research generally relies on a smaller sample size in order to get a deep read of happenings, causes and motivations. This kind of research method functions through the usage of open-ended and exploratory questions.

Understanding the “why” behind an issue is then used to make decisions on how to resolve the issue or how to improve on an existing productive situation.

Qualitative data must occur in natural environments. This denotes a kind of environment in which participants discuss their opinions at length and at ease, which researchers use to gain deeper knowledge and form inferences around a topic.

Prior to the internet, this kind of research was conducted in-person, but with the advent of the internet and innovations in market research, qualitative data has been collected online. The digital space can also serve as a natural environment.

The Five Main Types of Qualitative Research

Just as with quantitative research, there is not a single approach to conducting qualitative research. On the contrary, there are five main varieties of performing qualitative research. Aside from their methodology, these sub-categories also seek different types of answers and conclusions.

1. Narrative Research

This research is used to form a cohesive story, or narrative, by way of consolidating several events from a small group of people. It involves running in-depth interviews and reading up on documents featuring similar actions as a means of theme-searching.

The point of this is to discover how one narrative is shaped by larger contextual influences. Interviews should be conducted for weeks to months and sometimes even for years. The narrative that the researcher uncovers does not have to be presented in sequential order.

Instead, it should be projected as one with defined themes that attempt to reconcile inconsistent stories. This method can highlight the research study’s ongoing challenges and hardships, which can be used to make any improvements.

2. Ethnographic Research

The most common qualitative research method, ethnography relies on entrenching oneself in various participant environments to extract challenges, goals, themes and cultures.

As the name suggests, it involves taking an ethnographic approach to research, meaning that researchers would experience an environment themselves to draw research. Using this firsthand observation, the researcher would not need to then rely on interviews or surveys.

This approach may seem to be far-fetched where market research is concerned, but it is doable. For example, you’d like to see the effectiveness or frustration that customers face when using your product. Since you can’t follow them home, you can request videos that show them using it. Many big brands have call-outs on their websites (ex: on product pages) for their customers to send in videos of their interactions with the products.

3. Phenomenological Research

This qualitative method entails researchers having to probe a phenomenon or event by bringing lived experiences to light and then interpreting them. In order to achieve this, researchers use several methods in combination.

These include conducting surveys, interviews and utilizing secondary research such as available documents and videos on the studied phenomenon. Additionally, as in ethnographic research, phenomenological research involves visiting places to collect research.

These will help you understand how your participants view your subject of examination. In turn, you will gain insight into the participants’ motivations.

In this research type, you would conduct between 5 and 25 surveys or interviews, then peruse them for themes. Once again, you would scrutinize experiences and sentiment over numerical data.

4. Grounded Theory Research

In contrast to phenomenological research, which seeks to fully form the core of an issue, grounded theory attempts to find explanations (the why) behind an issue. To achieve this, researchers use interviews, surveys and secondary research to form a theory around the issue/occurrence.

The sample of this study tends to be on the larger side, at 20-60 participants. Data extracted from this type of research is interpreted to determine the reasoning behind, for example, heavy usage of or frustration with a product. These types of studies help a business innovate an existing product by getting into the weeds of how it’s used.

5. Action Research

This type of research involves researchers and participants working collaboratively to bring theory to practice. Also called participatory research, collaborative inquiry, emancipatory research and action learning, this method entails the act of “learning by doing.”

This means a group of researchers come together to find and address a problem, resolve it and then study the success of their endeavors. If they underperformed or their outcomes don’t satisfy their expectations, they would then reattempt the process.

In action research , a researcher spends a considerable amount of time on collecting, analyzing, and presenting data in an ongoing, periodic process. This involves researchers coming up with their own surveys and interviews around a subject matter, then presenting their findings to one another to draw conclusions and solutions.

They would put into practice the means to improve a situation and continue measuring their success throughout the process.

Examples of Questions for Qualitative Research

When working within the capacity of any of the above research types, it’s crucial to ask the right questions. Here you’ll find the questions you can use when conducting each of the five types of qualitative research.

Bear in mind that some of these questions will appear to be similar in nature; some are even interchangeable. That is normal, as researchers may search for the same answers, but apply a different approach in their research method.

In any case, all of the below features questions that fit within the larger qualitative research framework.

Learn more about asking insightful market research questions . Here are a few examples of the questions within the five categories:

1. How do people who witnessed domestic violence understand its effects in their own relationships?

    Variable: Views of domestic violence on one’s own relationships

    Demographic: People in relationships, who’ve witnessed domestic violence

    Qualitative Research Type : Narrative

2. What are the lived experiences of working-class Americans between the ages of 20 and 40?

    Variable: Experiences and views of a working-class background

    Demographic: Working-class Americans ages 20-40

3. How do Asian Americans experience reaching out to address mental health concerns?

    Variable: The experiences in seeking out care for mental health

    Demographic: Asian Americans seeking help for mental health

    Qualitative Research Type: Ethnographic

4. What do you enjoy about this product or service?

    Variable: The positive experiences of using a particular product/service

    Demographic: The target market of a product or service

5. How have people who have experienced poverty changed their shopping habits when they entered the middle (or higher) class?

    Variable: The changes or stagnation in shopping habits

    Demographic: those who experienced poverty, but climbed the social ladder

    Qualitative Research Type : Phenomenological

6. What was it like when you had a negative online shopping experience?

    Variable: unpleasant shopping experiences

    Demographic: a group that is most likely to shop at a particular online store

7. What influences managers in private sectors to seek further professional advancement?

    Variable: Motivation for seniority

    Demographic: Managers in the private sector

    Qualitative Research Type: Grounded Theory

8. How do women in third world countries set up financial independence?

    Variable: Efforts at reaching financial independence

    Demographic: Women in third-world countries

9. What impact does collaborative working have on the UX optimization efforts of a telecommunications company?

    Variable: effects of collaboration on the UX of a telecommunications company

    Demographic: workers in the telecommunications space

    Qualitative Research Type: Action Research

10. What strategies can marketing managers use to improve the reach of millennial customers?

    Variable: Strategies to improve millennial reach and their outcomes

    Demographic: Marketing managers

When to Use the Research and How to Analyze It

The qualitative research method has specific use cases. You ought to consider which is best for your particular business, which includes your strategy, your marketing and other facets.

The core of qualitative research is to understand a phenomenon (a problem, an inadequacy, and a slew of other occurrences) including its causes, its motivations, its goals and its solutions. Researchers do this by observing smaller portions of a population.

Researchers should use this form of research whenever you need to get the gist of a particular occurrence or event. It is particularly useful for studying how your target market experiences certain situations and how it feels about them.

There are several more specific ways that elucidate why this research style is valuable if not completely necessary. Here are some of the most crucial ways this method of research is vital:

Helps brands see the emotional connections customers have with them

Allows brands to find gaps in customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX)

Enables brands to create experiences that are more tailored to their target market

Helps businesses understand how they can improve on their product, service or CX

Finds experiences that customers had that highlight sensitive topics/language for them

Shows businesses how customers compare them to their competitors

Identifies possible solutions and innovations based on customer attitudes and experiences

To analyze qualitative research, you should first identify your subject of study and decide on the type of research you need to conduct based on the five types of research that fall under the qualitative category.

Then, brainstorm several questions that you can use to form the base of your studies. During the process make sure to jot down (either digitally or otherwise) your observations. For example, record interviews and store surveys in an organized database.

Make sure you ask open-ended questions in surveys, interviews, focus groups, et al. Aggregate secondary research such as government database documents, articles in your niche,  images,  videos and more.

Search for patterns or similarities within your findings. When you group them together and organize them by demographics, you can start drawing conclusions and proposing solutions.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research can be extraordinarily beneficial. But as with other aspects of research and beyond, it too comes with a set of drawbacks. As a business owner, marketer or market researcher, you should know both the pros and cons. Here are some notable ones:

More intimate understanding of context and causation: besides understanding “what” in a granular way, you also learn the “why” and “how” of a particular situation.

Understanding key experiences: Open-ended questions lead to unique answers, exposing things numerical-based surveys can’t answer.

A foundation of deep insights: The design of the study is made to understand how customers relate to particular occurrences, events, ideas and products.

Context-driven: Finding insights on motivation and past behaviors allows researchers to understand what their target market needs and what it tries to avoid.

No need to find and create the correct measuring units: Open-ended questions don’t require a scale, a number range or any other measuring tools — one less thing to worry about.

Smaller sample size: Smaller sample sizes allow researchers to study responses more thoroughly to form more accurate hypotheses and conclusions.

Inspirational : The responses received can also help researchers form new studies.

Flexible and detail-oriented : Since questions aren’t based on scales and other units, you can ask more creative and in-depth questions. Questions focus on details and subtleties for robust insights.

Relies on researcher experience: It relies on the researchers’ experience; not all are familiar with industry topics.

Not statistically representative: Only collects perspective-based research; does not provide statistical representation. Only comparisons, not measurements can be executed.

Difficult to make copies of data.  Individual perspectives make it hard to replicate findings, making it it more difficult to form conclusions.

More likely to have researcher bias: Both conscious or subconscious of the researcher can affect the data. The conclusions they draw can thus be influenced by their bias. (This can be avoided by using controls in data collection.

The Final Word

Market research is a wide-spanning undertaking. It has a wide swath of aspects, practices and applications. As such, researchers should know its main categories and qualitative research is one such category of significance.

As opposed to quantitative research, which has four methods, qualitative research has five — not all of which will be of use to your particular market research needs. In any case, this type of research involves imbuing as much context and particularities around a phenomenon as possible.

As such, researchers should create questions more specific to the aforementioned examples of this article. That is because those are more encompassing, generalized questions that researchers can attempt to answer after conducting all of their research and parsing of the findings.

But prior to that, researchers should ask several related questions around a particular topic and tailor those questions as best as possible to the target audience.

Frequently asked questions

What is qualitative research.

Qualitative research is a type of research that is conducted to gain deep or unexpected insights rather than focusing on numeral or quantitative data.

Why is qualitative research conducted?

Qualitative research is conducted to find the “why” of the research subject, rather than the “what’ of that subject. For example, qualitative research might be conducted to understand an issue more deeply, to understand why something is happening, or to learn how to address a target market’s concerns.

What is narrative research?

Narrative research is a type of research that is used to create an in-depth story about a phenomenon or event. It is conducted by interviewing a small group of people who were directly involved in the event.

How is ethnographic research conducted?

When conducting ethnographic research, the researchers use firsthand observations of an environment to more deeply understand the goals, challenges, or opinions of the target audience.

What is action research?

Action research is a type of qualitative research in which researchers and participants collaborate to better understand a phenomenon. Together the group works to find and solve the problem by gathering information on an ongoing and evolving basis.

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7 Types of Qualitative Research + 6 Types of Qualitative Methods of Research

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Jennifer Butler Keeton

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Do you want to learn about the types of qualitative research and some examples of methodologies?

Qualitative studies are vital to the market research process. They provide an understanding of the reasons and motivations behind consumer decisions. You can use this information to improve your marketing and increase sales.

What does that mean for your business?

If you have a product that isn’t selling as well as you expected, qualitative research can help you understand why. Or, if you’re launching a new marketing campaign, qualitative studies can help you create ads that will entice your target audience.

If you’re new to this kind of market research, you’re in the right place.

In this guide, you’ll learn the basics of qualitative market research. We’ll also share how your business can use qualitative data to better appeal to your customers.

What is Qualitative Research?

Why use qualitative research, 7 types of qualitative research, 6 types of qualitative methods of research.

• Ideas for Analyzing Qualitative Data

Qualitative research is any research that provides subjective, non-numerical information. It focuses on people: their experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. It’s generally conducted using observation or unstructured questioning.

Qualitative research is used across many fields and industries, including sales, marketing, health care, education, and social sciences.

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

You likely hear the term “qualitative” used in contrast with “quantitative.”

Quantitative research generates specific numerical data. Its goal is to quantify and generalize the results of a study through numbers, percentages, and statistics. Quantitative research seeks to answer the what , where , when, and who of decision-making.

Qualitative market research, on the other hand, provides insights into the deeper motives behind consumer purchases. Qualitative research answers the why and how .

Why should your business use qualitative research as opposed to quantitative research?

Well, first of all, you should not use qualitative market research instead of quantitative. The 2 are complementary to each other.

Qualitative research on its own is not conclusive. However, you can use it to:

• Explain quantitative research results.
• Conduct market research when traditional surveys are unavailable. For instance, when your topic involves sensitive or complex questions.
• Conduct market research when more structured research is not possible.

Let’s look at an example of combining quantitative and qualitative research.

For instance, we’ll say that your business wants to conduct research to improve your website.

Quantitative research would give you information such as:

• The number of website visitors
• The length of time users stay on each page
• The number of leads generated from each email signup form
• More quantitative data, such as online shopping statistics and conversion rates

This information is all important data about user behavior. But it doesn’t give you the why behind this behavior.

Qualitative research fills in the rest of the picture with information such as:

• Which parts of your website users find difficult to use
• Whether users find your lightbox popups to be intrusive
• Which special offers and coupon codes shoppers find exciting
• More subjective information about how users view the style, relevance, and usability of your site

A complete website study should include both quantitative and qualitative research. Then, you can improve your website based both on hard numbers and users’ experiences and opinions.

Qualitative market research collects subjective feedback and observations from consumers and users. However, as with most data collection, it’s much more complicated in practice.

Experts divide qualitative research into 7 main types. These are also sometimes called types of qualitative research designs.

Below, we’ll quickly explain the basics of each qualitative research approach before diving into qualitative research methods you can use for your market research.

Don’t feel like you have to memorize and fully understand all of these approaches. However, reviewing them will give you a good introduction to the field of qualitative research.

1. Phenomenology

Phenomenological research is based on the root word “phenomena.” It seeks to discover how individual people view specific experiences. Phenomenology focuses on lived experiences and individuality instead of generalizations about larger groups.

2. Ethnography

In the ethnography approach, researchers immerse themselves in a specific culture to gain qualitative data through observation and interaction. Ethnographic research provides more in-depth and nuanced information than, say, questionnaires or interviews. This approach also provides data about specific demographics.

3. Grounded Theory

The term “grounded theory” essentially describes the order in which researchers develop a theory.

In most other types of qualitative research, researchers start with a hypothesis and then conduct a study to test that hypothesis. However, researchers using grounded theory begin with qualitative data, such as interviews and observations, and then analyze it to develop a theory. This approach is helpful when you have no working theory for why consumers behave in a certain way.

4. Case Study

Case studies are in-depth examinations of a business, process, product, person, or group of people. They also often include quantitative research, but they become qualitative when they focus on the reasons behind that data and the participants’ individual experiences.

For instance, in our case study of AdamEnfroy.com , we present subjective feedback in addition to quantitative data:

See more examples of OptinMonster’s case study research.

5. Historical Research

The historical approach to research is reasonably self-explanatory. Researchers analyze data from the past to form expectations about the present and future. In qualitative market research, this might mean analyzing consumer feedback from throughout the history of your company or industry.

6. Narrative Research

The narrative approach seeks to tell a story about people’s experiences. Researchers conduct interviews and collect observations over a period of time. Then, they use this information to develop a narrative about the experiences of an individual or small group of people.

7. Action Research

Action research aims to investigate and solve a specific, immediate problem. This type of research is cyclical. Researchers apply an action, analyze the data, draw conclusions, and start again.

Now that you have an overview of the different types of qualitative research, we’ll explore types of qualitative methods of research along with some practical examples.

The approaches above are fairly abstract. Now, we’ll share some concrete qualitative methods to collect data for your business. Even beginners and small businesses can use these methodologies.

Here are some of the most common types of qualitative research methods to give you greater insight into your customers. Next time that you are ready to launch a new product or start a new marketing campaign, try out one or more of these methods. You’ll get valuable feedback that will help you succeed.

1. In-Depth Interviews Let You Dig Deep

In-depth interviews (IDIs) are a great way to get detailed consumer feedback. An IDI can be conducted over the phone, in person, or via webcam, using services like Skype or Zoom.

Webcam interviews have become the most common qualitative research method. 34% of researchers report regularly conducting webcam IDIs as 1 of their top 3 data collection methods.

Regardless of your interview method, your IDIs should focus on your ideal user or an existing customer. You ask each person a series of research questions and follow-ups to learn what motivates them to buy a product like yours.

For qualitative research, you should always ask open-ended questions. Avoid simple yes/no questions that provide only quantitative data.

You should go into the interview with some questions prepared, but you shouldn’t stick to a script. If the participant says something interesting, ask follow-up questions that dig deeper.

Here are a few initial questions you could ask:

• What frustrates you about [your topic]?
• If I had a magic wand and could give you the perfect product, what would it look like?
• Have you bought [your type of product] before? If so, what motivated you to buy it?

IDIs provide detailed information about individuals. Therefore, they are especially common in the phenomenology and narrative types of qualitative research.

2. Focus Groups Allow for the Exchange of Ideas

Like IDIs, focus groups can be face-to-face or online. These groups usually involve sample sizes of 6-10 people. They provide a safe and comfortable environment for your users to talk about their thoughts and feelings surrounding your product.

The advantage of in-person focus groups is that you observe the consumer’s verbal and non-verbal reaction to your product or advertising. Group members can also bounce off each other’s thoughts and ideas, which means you’ll get even greater insights.

You can use focus groups to:

• Test a new product or website
• Explore the general concept for your product
• Evaluate your advertising copy and imagery
• Explore new packaging ideas

Online focus groups are similar to in-person ones. They’re more cost-efficient, allow you to include more people, and are less time-consuming to organize. Now that more people are comfortable with Zoom and Skype, online focus groups are more accessible than ever before.

You can also use social media to your advantage. Create a community of people interested in your topic and use it to foster a conversation. Then, observe the dialogue. You’ll gain a lot of interesting insights!

3. Shopping Observations, or “Shop-Alongs,” Give Real-Time Insight

An in-person observation of shopping behavior lets you watch the consumer react to your products in-store. With a shop-along, you get to see consumers’ real-life shopping behavior. Because you see immediate reactions, this method provides different insight than a written survey.

These qualitative studies highlight problems with shelf displays, clutter, or out-of-stock products. You may also interact with consumers to get deeper insights during the shopping process. You can get real-time feedback on package design, for example.

4. In-Home Videos Show Realistic Product Use

In-home videos allow you to observe how users interact with your product in real life, in their own homes.

This research method’s advantage is the setting of the participant observation. You can see your user’s behavior in a natural, comfortable environment. You’ll get a more realistic view of how people use your product.

5. Lifestyle Immersion Lets You Hear Real-World Dialogue

Lifestyle immersion is when you attend an event, such as a party or a family gathering. This research method gives you an uninterrupted view of users’ attitudes and behaviors. Immersion is another excellent way to get candid insight in a comfortable, familiar setting.

During these activities, observe your users having a dialogue with their friends. Listen to these real-world conversations to learn about consumers’ desires, frustrations, and motivations.

6. Journal or Diary Studies for Honest Feedback

Have your user or potential customer keep a journal or a diary to document their experience with your topic or product. Users may be more likely to be completely honest when they’re not face-to-face with an interviewer or moderator.

Journals can be handwritten or digital. Either way, it will capture your user’s voice, which is extremely valuable for optimizing your marketing copy.

3 Tips for Qualitative Data Analysis (to Help You Understand Your Customers)

Using the methods and types of qualitative research discussed above, you can gather excellent information about consumers’ opinions, experiences, and behaviors. The next step is to analyze your data.

Since qualitative data is unstructured, it can be tricky to draw conclusions, let alone present your findings. While qualitative data is not conclusive in and of itself, here are a few tips for analyzing qualitative research data.

“Top 5 Best Survey Data Visualization Tools (In-Depth Comparison)

1. Summarize the Key Points

For interviews and focus groups, have the moderator write up some key points from the discussion. For example: “Common concerns among participants about our pizza were cheese overuse, greasiness, and bland sauce.”

Here is an example of a qualitative summary from a market research project for Pizza Hut Pakistan

2. Code Responses

Coding is the process of organizing and labeling your qualitative data into categories. You can “code” your unstructured data into labels you can summarize with tables or charts.

For example, a researcher might have asked the open-ended question, “How often do you wear a watch?”

Every respondent’s answer would likely be a little different. But you could code them in categories such as:

• Once in a while

This process gives you coded data sets to analyze and report.

3. Create a Word Cloud

Create a “word cloud” out of the keywords used by consumers. Put your field notes into a word cloud generator like WordClouds.com . In your cloud, the words that research participants used most often will be the largest. You’ll be able to spot the most prominent words easily.

Use Qualitative Research to Improve Marketing and Sales

You can use these qualitative research types, methods, and analysis strategies to understand your users and customers. Qualitative data collection will help you improve your product development and marketing strategy, leading to more sales and revenue.

If online surveys are part of your research process, check out our survey best practices .

Once you clearly understand your customers, apply what you’ve learned to your email marketing strategy . Using in-depth qualitative data, you’ll generate more leads and sales than ever before.

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Your ultimate guide to qualitative research (with methods and examples).

16 min read You may be already using qualitative research and want to check your understanding, or you may be starting from the beginning. Learn about qualitative research methods and how you can best use them for maximum effect.

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research is a research method that collects non-numerical data. Typically, it goes beyond the information that quantitative research provides (which we will cover below) because it is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations.

Qualitative research methods focus on the thoughts, feelings, reasons, motivations, and values of a participant, to understand why people act in the way they do .

In this way, qualitative research can be described as naturalistic research, looking at naturally-occurring social events within natural settings. So, qualitative researchers would describe their part in social research as the ‘vehicle’ for collecting the qualitative research data.

Qualitative researchers discovered this by looking at primary and secondary sources where data is represented in non-numerical form. This can include collecting qualitative research data types like quotes, symbols, images, and written testimonials.

These data types tell qualitative researchers subjective information. While these aren’t facts in themselves, conclusions can be interpreted out of qualitative that can help to provide valuable context.

Because of this, qualitative research is typically viewed as explanatory in nature and is often used in social research, as this gives a window into the behavior and actions of people.

It can be a good research approach for health services research or clinical research projects.

Free eBook: The qualitative research design handbook

Quantitative vs qualitative research

In order to compare qualitative and quantitative research methods, let’s explore what quantitative research is first, before exploring how it differs from qualitative research.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is the research method of collecting quantitative research data – data that can be converted into numbers or numerical data, which can be easily quantified, compared, and analyzed .

Quantitative research methods deal with primary and secondary sources where data is represented in numerical form. This can include closed-question poll results, statistics, and census information or demographic data.

Quantitative research data tends to be used when researchers are interested in understanding a particular moment in time and examining data sets over time to find trends and patterns.

The difference between quantitative and qualitative research methodology

While qualitative research is defined as data that supplies non-numerical information, quantitative research focuses on numerical data.

In general, if you’re interested in measuring something or testing a hypothesis, use quantitative research methods. If you want to explore ideas, thoughts, and meanings, use qualitative research methods.

While qualitative research helps you to properly define, promote and sell your products, don’t rely on qualitative research methods alone because qualitative findings can’t always be reliably repeated. Qualitative research is directional, not empirical.

The best statistical analysis research uses a combination of empirical data and human experience ( quantitative research and qualitative research ) to tell the story and gain better and deeper insights, quickly.

Where both qualitative and quantitative methods are not used, qualitative researchers will find that using one without the other leaves you with missing answers.

For example, if a retail company wants to understand whether a new product line of shoes will perform well in the target market:

• Qualitative research methods could be used with a sample of target customers, which would provide subjective reasons why they’d be likely to purchase or not purchase the shoes, while
• Quantitative research methods into the historical customer sales information on shoe-related products would provide insights into the sales performance, and likely future performance of the new product range.

Approaches to qualitative research

There are five approaches to qualitative research methods:

• Grounded theory: Grounded theory relates to where qualitative researchers come to a stronger hypothesis through induction, all throughout the process of collecting qualitative research data and forming connections. After an initial question to get started, qualitative researchers delve into information that is grouped into ideas or codes, which grow and develop into larger categories, as the qualitative research goes on. At the end of the qualitative research, the researcher may have a completely different hypothesis, based on evidence and inquiry, as well as the initial question.
• Ethnographic research : Ethnographic research is where researchers embed themselves into the environment of the participant or group in order to understand the culture and context of activities and behavior. This is dependent on the involvement of the researcher, and can be subject to researcher interpretation bias and participant observer bias . However, it remains a great way to allow researchers to experience a different ‘world’.
• Action research: With the action research process, both researchers and participants work together to make a change. This can be through taking action, researching and reflecting on the outcomes. Through collaboration, the collective comes to a result, though the way both groups interact and how they affect each other gives insights into their critical thinking skills.
• Phenomenological research: Researchers seek to understand the meaning of an event or behavior phenomenon by describing and interpreting participant’s life experiences. This qualitative research process understands that people create their own structured reality (‘the social construction of reality’), based on their past experiences. So, by viewing the way people intentionally live their lives, we’re able to see the experiential meaning behind why they live as they do.
• Narrative research: Narrative research, or narrative inquiry, is where researchers examine the way stories are told by participants, and how they explain their experiences, as a way of explaining the meaning behind their life choices and events. This qualitative research can arise from using journals, conversational stories, autobiographies or letters, as a few narrative research examples. The narrative is subjective to the participant, so we’re able to understand their views from what they’ve documented/spoken.

Qualitative research methods can use structured research instruments for data collection, like:

Surveys for individual views

A survey is a simple-to-create and easy-to-distribute qualitative research method, which helps gather information from large groups of participants quickly. Traditionally, paper-based surveys can now be made online, so costs can stay quite low.

Qualitative research questions tend to be open questions that ask for more information and provide a text box to allow for unconstrained comments.

Examples include:

• Asking participants to keep a written or a video diary for a period of time to document their feelings and thoughts
• In-Home-Usage tests: Buyers use your product for a period of time and report their experience

Surveys for group consensus (Delphi survey)

A Delphi survey may be used as a way to bring together participants and gain a consensus view over several rounds of questions. It differs from traditional surveys where results go to the researcher only. Instead, results go to participants as well, so they can reflect and consider all responses before another round of questions are submitted.

This can be useful to do as it can help researchers see what variance is among the group of participants and see the process of how consensus was reached.

• Asking participants to act as a fake jury for a trial and revealing parts of the case over several rounds to see how opinions change. At the end, the fake jury must make a unanimous decision about the defendant on trial.
• Asking participants to comment on the versions of a product being developed , as the changes are made and their feedback is taken onboard. At the end, participants must decide whether the product is ready to launch .

Semi-structured interviews

Interviews are a great way to connect with participants, though they require time from the research team to set up and conduct, especially if they’re done face-to-face.

Researchers may also have issues connecting with participants in different geographical regions. The researcher uses a set of predefined open-ended questions, though more ad-hoc questions can be asked depending on participant answers.

• Conducting a phone interview with participants to run through their feedback on a product . During the conversation, researchers can go ‘off-script’ and ask more probing questions for clarification or build on the insights.

Focus groups

Participants are brought together into a group, where a particular topic is discussed. It is researcher-led and usually occurs in-person in a mutually accessible location, to allow for easy communication between participants in focus groups.

In focus groups , the researcher uses a set of predefined open-ended questions, though more ad-hoc questions can be asked depending on participant answers.

• Asking participants to do UX tests, which are interface usability tests to show how easily users can complete certain tasks

Direct observation

This is a form of ethnographic research where researchers will observe participants’ behavior in a naturalistic environment. This can be great for understanding the actions in the culture and context of a participant’s setting.

This qualitative research method is prone to researcher bias as it is the researcher that must interpret the actions and reactions of participants. Their findings can be impacted by their own beliefs, values, and inferences.

• Embedding yourself in the location of your buyers to understand how a product would perform against the values and norms of that society

Qualitative data types and category types

Qualitative research methods often deliver information in the following qualitative research data types:

• Written testimonials

Through contextual analysis of the information, researchers can assign participants to category types:

• Social class
• Political alignment
• Most likely to purchase a product
• Their preferred training learning style

Advantages of qualitative research

• Useful for complex situations: Qualitative research on its own is great when dealing with complex issues, however, providing background context using quantitative facts can give a richer and wider understanding of a topic. In these cases, quantitative research may not be enough.
• A window into the ‘why’: Qualitative research can give you a window into the deeper meaning behind a participant’s answer. It can help you uncover the larger ‘why’ that can’t always be seen by analyzing numerical data.
• Can help improve customer experiences: In service industries where customers are crucial, like in private health services, gaining information about a customer’s experience through health research studies can indicate areas where services can be improved.

Disadvantages of qualitative research

• You need to ask the right question: Doing qualitative research may require you to consider what the right question is to uncover the underlying thinking behind a behavior. This may need probing questions to go further, which may suit a focus group or face-to-face interview setting better.
• Results are interpreted: As qualitative research data is written, spoken, and often nuanced, interpreting the data results can be difficult as they come in non-numerical formats. This might make it harder to know if you can accept or reject your hypothesis.
• More bias: There are lower levels of control to qualitative research methods, as they can be subject to biases like confirmation bias, researcher bias, and observation bias. This can have a knock-on effect on the validity and truthfulness of the qualitative research data results.

How to use qualitative research to your business’s advantage?

Qualitative methods help improve your products and marketing in many different ways:

• Understand the emotional connections to your brand
• Identify obstacles to purchase
• Uncover doubts and confusion about your messaging
• Find missing product features
• Improve the usability of your website, app, or chatbot experience
• Learn about how consumers talk about your product
• See how buyers compare your brand to others in the competitive set
• Learn how an organization’s employees evaluate and select vendors

6 steps to conducting good qualitative research

Businesses can benefit from qualitative research by using it to understand the meaning behind data types. There are several steps to this:

• Define your problem or interest area: What do you observe is happening and is it frequent? Identify the data type/s you’re observing.
• Create a hypothesis: Ask yourself what could be the causes for the situation with those qualitative research data types.
• Plan your qualitative research: Use structured qualitative research instruments like surveys, focus groups, or interviews to ask questions that test your hypothesis.
• Data Collection: Collect qualitative research data and understand what your data types are telling you. Once data is collected on different types over long time periods, you can analyze it and give insights into changing attitudes and language patterns.
• Data analysis: Does your information support your hypothesis? (You may need to redo the qualitative research with other variables to see if the results improve)
• Effectively present the qualitative research data: Communicate the results in a clear and concise way to help other people understand the findings.

Qualitative data analysis

Evaluating qualitative research can be tough when there are several analytics platforms to manage and lots of subjective data sources to compare.

Qualtrics provides a number of qualitative research analysis tools, like Text iQ , powered by Qualtrics iQ, provides powerful machine learning and native language processing to help you discover patterns and trends in text.

This also provides you with:

• Sentiment analysis — a technique to help identify the underlying sentiment (say positive, neutral, and/or negative) in qualitative research text responses
• Topic detection/categorisation — this technique is the grouping or bucketing of similar themes that can are relevant for the business & the industry (eg. ‘Food quality’, ‘Staff efficiency’ or ‘Product availability’)

How Qualtrics products can enhance & simplify the qualitative research process

Even in today’s data-obsessed marketplace, qualitative data is valuable – maybe even more so because it helps you establish an authentic human connection to your customers. If qualitative research doesn’t play a role to inform your product and marketing strategy, your decisions aren’t as effective as they could be.

The Qualtrics XM system gives you an all-in-one, integrated solution to help you all the way through conducting qualitative research. From survey creation and data collection to textual analysis and data reporting, it can help all your internal teams gain insights from your subjective and categorical data.

Qualitative methods are catered through templates or advanced survey designs. While you can manually collect data and conduct data analysis in a spreadsheet program, this solution helps you automate the process of qualitative research, saving you time and administration work.

Using computational techniques helps you to avoid human errors, and participant results come in are already incorporated into the analysis in real-time.

Our key tools, Text IQ™ and Driver IQ™ make analyzing subjective and categorical data easy and simple. Choose to highlight key findings based on topic, sentiment, or frequency. The choice is yours.

Some examples of your workspace in action, using drag and drop to create fast data visualizations quickly:

Related resources

Market intelligence 10 min read, marketing insights 11 min read, ethnographic research 11 min read, qualitative vs quantitative research 13 min read, qualitative research questions 11 min read, qualitative research design 12 min read, primary vs secondary research 14 min read, request demo.

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What Is Qualitative Market Research? Why Do We Need It?

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Methodology

• What Is Qualitative Research? | Methods & Examples

What Is Qualitative Research? | Methods & Examples

Published on June 19, 2020 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on June 22, 2023.

Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research.

Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research , which involves collecting and analyzing numerical data for statistical analysis.

Qualitative research is commonly used in the humanities and social sciences, in subjects such as anthropology, sociology, education, health sciences, history, etc.

• How does social media shape body image in teenagers?
• How do children and adults interpret healthy eating in the UK?
• What factors influence employee retention in a large organization?
• How is anxiety experienced around the world?
• How can teachers integrate social issues into science curriculums?

Table of contents

Approaches to qualitative research, qualitative research methods, qualitative data analysis, advantages of qualitative research, disadvantages of qualitative research, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about qualitative research.

Qualitative research is used to understand how people experience the world. While there are many approaches to qualitative research, they tend to be flexible and focus on retaining rich meaning when interpreting data.

Common approaches include grounded theory, ethnography , action research , phenomenological research, and narrative research. They share some similarities, but emphasize different aims and perspectives.

Note that qualitative research is at risk for certain research biases including the Hawthorne effect , observer bias , recall bias , and social desirability bias . While not always totally avoidable, awareness of potential biases as you collect and analyze your data can prevent them from impacting your work too much.

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Each of the research approaches involve using one or more data collection methods . These are some of the most common qualitative methods:

• Observations: recording what you have seen, heard, or encountered in detailed field notes.
• Interviews:  personally asking people questions in one-on-one conversations.
• Focus groups: asking questions and generating discussion among a group of people.
• Surveys : distributing questionnaires with open-ended questions.
• Secondary research: collecting existing data in the form of texts, images, audio or video recordings, etc.
• You take field notes with observations and reflect on your own experiences of the company culture.
• You distribute open-ended surveys to employees across all the company’s offices by email to find out if the culture varies across locations.
• You conduct in-depth interviews with employees in your office to learn about their experiences and perspectives in greater detail.

Qualitative researchers often consider themselves “instruments” in research because all observations, interpretations and analyses are filtered through their own personal lens.

For this reason, when writing up your methodology for qualitative research, it’s important to reflect on your approach and to thoroughly explain the choices you made in collecting and analyzing the data.

Qualitative data can take the form of texts, photos, videos and audio. For example, you might be working with interview transcripts, survey responses, fieldnotes, or recordings from natural settings.

Most types of qualitative data analysis share the same five steps:

• Prepare and organize your data. This may mean transcribing interviews or typing up fieldnotes.
• Review and explore your data. Examine the data for patterns or repeated ideas that emerge.
• Develop a data coding system. Based on your initial ideas, establish a set of codes that you can apply to categorize your data.
• Assign codes to the data. For example, in qualitative survey analysis, this may mean going through each participant’s responses and tagging them with codes in a spreadsheet. As you go through your data, you can create new codes to add to your system if necessary.
• Identify recurring themes. Link codes together into cohesive, overarching themes.

There are several specific approaches to analyzing qualitative data. Although these methods share similar processes, they emphasize different concepts.

Qualitative research often tries to preserve the voice and perspective of participants and can be adjusted as new research questions arise. Qualitative research is good for:

• Flexibility

The data collection and analysis process can be adapted as new ideas or patterns emerge. They are not rigidly decided beforehand.

• Natural settings

Data collection occurs in real-world contexts or in naturalistic ways.

• Meaningful insights

Detailed descriptions of people’s experiences, feelings and perceptions can be used in designing, testing or improving systems or products.

• Generation of new ideas

Open-ended responses mean that researchers can uncover novel problems or opportunities that they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

Researchers must consider practical and theoretical limitations in analyzing and interpreting their data. Qualitative research suffers from:

• Unreliability

The real-world setting often makes qualitative research unreliable because of uncontrolled factors that affect the data.

• Subjectivity

Due to the researcher’s primary role in analyzing and interpreting data, qualitative research cannot be replicated . The researcher decides what is important and what is irrelevant in data analysis, so interpretations of the same data can vary greatly.

• Limited generalizability

Small samples are often used to gather detailed data about specific contexts. Despite rigorous analysis procedures, it is difficult to draw generalizable conclusions because the data may be biased and unrepresentative of the wider population .

• Labor-intensive

Although software can be used to manage and record large amounts of text, data analysis often has to be checked or performed manually.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Chi square goodness of fit test
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses . Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.

There are five common approaches to qualitative research :

• Grounded theory involves collecting data in order to develop new theories.
• Ethnography involves immersing yourself in a group or organization to understand its culture.
• Narrative research involves interpreting stories to understand how people make sense of their experiences and perceptions.
• Phenomenological research involves investigating phenomena through people’s lived experiences.
• Action research links theory and practice in several cycles to drive innovative changes.

Data collection is the systematic process by which observations or measurements are gathered in research. It is used in many different contexts by academics, governments, businesses, and other organizations.

There are various approaches to qualitative data analysis , but they all share five steps in common:

• Prepare and organize your data.
• Review and explore your data.
• Develop a data coding system.
• Assign codes to the data.
• Identify recurring themes.

The specifics of each step depend on the focus of the analysis. Some common approaches include textual analysis , thematic analysis , and discourse analysis .

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Qualitative research: methods and examples

Last updated

13 April 2023

Reviewed by

Qualitative research involves gathering and evaluating non-numerical information to comprehend concepts, perspectives, and experiences. It’s also helpful for obtaining in-depth insights into a certain subject or generating new research ideas. 

As a result, qualitative research is practical if you want to try anything new or produce new ideas.

There are various ways you can conduct qualitative research. In this article, you'll learn more about qualitative research methodologies, including when you should use them.

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• What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research is a broad term describing various research types that rely on asking open-ended questions. Qualitative research investigates “how” or “why” certain phenomena occur. It is about discovering the inherent nature of something.

The primary objective of qualitative research is to understand an individual's ideas, points of view, and feelings. In this way, collecting in-depth knowledge of a specific topic is possible. Knowing your audience's feelings about a particular subject is important for making reasonable research conclusions.

Unlike quantitative research , this approach does not involve collecting numerical, objective data for statistical analysis. Qualitative research is used extensively in education, sociology, health science, history, and anthropology.

• Types of qualitative research methodology

Typically, qualitative research aims at uncovering the attitudes and behavior of the target audience concerning a specific topic. For example,  “How would you describe your experience as a new Dovetail user?”

Some of the methods for conducting qualitative analysis include:

Focus groups

Hosting a focus group is a popular qualitative research method. It involves obtaining qualitative data from a limited sample of participants. In a moderated version of a focus group, the moderator asks participants a series of predefined questions. They aim to interact and build a group discussion that reveals their preferences, candid thoughts, and experiences.

Unmoderated, online focus groups are increasingly popular because they eliminate the need to interact with people face to face.

Focus groups can be more cost-effective than 1:1 interviews or studying a group in a natural setting and reporting one’s observations.

Focus groups make it possible to gather multiple points of view quickly and efficiently, making them an excellent choice for testing new concepts or conducting market research on a new product.

However, there are some potential drawbacks to this method. It may be unsuitable for sensitive or controversial topics. Participants might be reluctant to disclose their true feelings or respond falsely to conform to what they believe is the socially acceptable answer (known as response bias).

Case study research

A case study is an in-depth evaluation of a specific person, incident, organization, or society. This type of qualitative research has evolved into a broadly applied research method in education, law, business, and the social sciences.

Even though case study research may appear challenging to implement, it is one of the most direct research methods. It requires detailed analysis, broad-ranging data collection methodologies, and a degree of existing knowledge about the subject area under investigation.

Historical model

The historical approach is a distinct research method that deeply examines previous events to better understand the present and forecast future occurrences of the same phenomena. Its primary goal is to evaluate the impacts of history on the present and hence discover comparable patterns in the present to predict future outcomes.

Oral history

This qualitative data collection method involves gathering verbal testimonials from individuals about their personal experiences. It is widely used in historical disciplines to offer counterpoints to established historical facts and narratives. The most common methods of gathering oral history are audio recordings, analysis of auto-biographical text, videos, and interviews.

Qualitative observation

One of the most fundamental, oldest research methods, qualitative observation , is the process through which a researcher collects data using their senses of sight, smell, hearing, etc. It is used to observe the properties of the subject being studied. For example, “What does it look like?” As research methods go, it is subjective and depends on researchers’ first-hand experiences to obtain information, so it is prone to bias. However, it is an excellent way to start a broad line of inquiry like, “What is going on here?”

Record keeping and review

Record keeping uses existing documents and relevant data sources that can be employed for future studies. It is equivalent to visiting the library and going through publications or any other reference material to gather important facts that will likely be used in the research.

Grounded theory approach

The grounded theory approach is a commonly used research method employed across a variety of different studies. It offers a unique way to gather, interpret, and analyze. With this approach, data is gathered and analyzed simultaneously.  Existing analysis frames and codes are disregarded, and data is analyzed inductively, with new codes and frames generated from the research.

Ethnographic research

Ethnography  is a descriptive form of a qualitative study of people and their cultures. Its primary goal is to study people's behavior in their natural environment. This method necessitates that the researcher adapts to their target audience's setting. 

Thereby, you will be able to understand their motivation, lifestyle, ambitions, traditions, and culture in situ. But, the researcher must be prepared to deal with geographical constraints while collecting data i.e., audiences can’t be studied in a laboratory or research facility.

This study can last from a couple of days to several years. Thus, it is time-consuming and complicated, requiring you to have both the time to gather the relevant data as well as the expertise in analyzing, observing, and interpreting data to draw meaningful conclusions.

Narrative framework

A narrative framework is a qualitative research approach that relies on people's written text or visual images. It entails people analyzing these events or narratives to determine certain topics or issues. With this approach, you can understand how people represent themselves and their experiences to a larger audience.

Phenomenological approach

The phenomenological study seeks to investigate the experiences of a particular phenomenon within a group of individuals or communities. It analyzes a certain event through interviews with persons who have witnessed it to determine the connections between their views. Even though this method relies heavily on interviews, other data sources (recorded notes), and observations could be employed to enhance the findings.

• Qualitative research methods (tools)

Some of the instruments involved in qualitative research include:

Document research: Also known as document analysis because it involves evaluating written documents. These can include personal and non-personal materials like archives, policy publications, yearly reports, diaries, or letters.

Focus groups:  This is where a researcher poses questions and generates conversation among a group of people. The major goal of focus groups is to examine participants' experiences and knowledge, including research into how and why individuals act in various ways.

Secondary study: Involves acquiring existing information from texts, images, audio, or video recordings.

Observations:   This requires thorough field notes on everything you see, hear, or experience. Compared to reported conduct or opinion, this study method can assist you in getting insights into a specific situation and observable behaviors.

Structured interviews :  In this approach, you will directly engage people one-on-one. Interviews are ideal for learning about a person's subjective beliefs, motivations, and encounters.

Surveys:  This is when you distribute questionnaires containing open-ended questions

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• What are common examples of qualitative research?

Everyday examples of qualitative research include:

Conducting a demographic analysis of a business

For instance, suppose you own a business such as a grocery store (or any store) and believe it caters to a broad customer base, but after conducting a demographic analysis, you discover that most of your customers are men.

You could do 1:1 interviews with female customers to learn why they don't shop at your store.

In this case, interviewing potential female customers should clarify why they don't find your shop appealing. It could be because of the products you sell or a need for greater brand awareness, among other possible reasons.

Launching or testing a new product

Suppose you are the product manager at a SaaS company looking to introduce a new product. Focus groups can be an excellent way to determine whether your product is marketable.

In this instance, you could hold a focus group with a sample group drawn from your intended audience. The group will explore the product based on its new features while you ensure adequate data on how users react to the new features. The data you collect will be key to making sales and marketing decisions.

Conducting studies to explain buyers' behaviors

You can also use qualitative research to understand existing buyer behavior better. Marketers analyze historical information linked to their businesses and industries to see when purchasers buy more.

Qualitative research can help you determine when to target new clients and peak seasons to boost sales by investigating the reason behind these behaviors.

• Qualitative research: data collection

Data collection is gathering information on predetermined variables to gain appropriate answers, test hypotheses, and analyze results. Researchers will collect non-numerical data for qualitative data collection to obtain detailed explanations and draw conclusions.

To get valid findings and achieve a conclusion in qualitative research, researchers must collect comprehensive and multifaceted data.

Qualitative data is usually gathered through interviews or focus groups with videotapes or handwritten notes. If there are recordings, they are transcribed before the data analysis process. Researchers keep separate folders for the recordings acquired from each focus group when collecting qualitative research data to categorize the data.

• Qualitative research: data analysis

Qualitative data analysis is organizing, examining, and interpreting qualitative data. Its main objective is identifying trends and patterns, responding to research questions, and recommending actions based on the findings. Textual analysis is a popular method for analyzing qualitative data.

Textual analysis differs from other qualitative research approaches in that researchers consider the social circumstances of study participants to decode their words, behaviors, and broader meaning. 

Learn more about qualitative research data analysis software

• When to use qualitative research

Qualitative research is helpful in various situations, particularly when a researcher wants to capture accurate, in-depth insights. 

Here are some instances when qualitative research can be valuable:

Examining your product or service to improve your marketing approach

When researching market segments, demographics, and customer service teams

Identifying client language when you want to design a quantitative survey

When attempting to comprehend your or someone else's strengths and weaknesses

Assessing feelings and beliefs about societal and public policy matters

Collecting information about a business or product's perception

Analyzing your target audience's reactions to marketing efforts

When launching a new product or coming up with a new idea

When seeking to evaluate buyers' purchasing patterns

• Qualitative research methods vs. quantitative research methods

Qualitative research examines people's ideas and what influences their perception, whereas quantitative research draws conclusions based on numbers and measurements.

Qualitative research is descriptive, and its primary goal is to comprehensively understand people's attitudes, behaviors, and ideas.

In contrast, quantitative research is more restrictive because it relies on numerical data and analyzes statistical data to make decisions. This research method assists researchers in gaining an initial grasp of the subject, which deals with numbers. For instance, the number of customers likely to purchase your products or use your services.

What is the most important feature of qualitative research?

A distinguishing feature of qualitative research is that it’s conducted in a real-world setting instead of a simulated environment. The researcher is examining actual phenomena instead of experimenting with different variables to see what outcomes (data) might result.

Can I use qualitative and quantitative approaches together in a study?

Yes, combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches happens all the time and is known as mixed methods research. For example, you could study individuals’ perceived risk in a certain scenario, such as how people rate the safety or riskiness of a given neighborhood. Simultaneously, you could analyze historical data objectively, indicating how safe or dangerous that area has been in the last year. To get the most out of mixed-method research, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each methodology, so you can create a thoughtfully designed study that will yield compelling results.

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Home » Qualitative Research – Methods, Analysis Types and Guide

Qualitative Research – Methods, Analysis Types and Guide

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Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a type of research methodology that focuses on exploring and understanding people’s beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and experiences through the collection and analysis of non-numerical data. It seeks to answer research questions through the examination of subjective data, such as interviews, focus groups, observations, and textual analysis.

Qualitative research aims to uncover the meaning and significance of social phenomena, and it typically involves a more flexible and iterative approach to data collection and analysis compared to quantitative research. Qualitative research is often used in fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, and education.

Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative Research Methods are as follows:

One-to-One Interview

This method involves conducting an interview with a single participant to gain a detailed understanding of their experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. One-to-one interviews can be conducted in-person, over the phone, or through video conferencing. The interviewer typically uses open-ended questions to encourage the participant to share their thoughts and feelings. One-to-one interviews are useful for gaining detailed insights into individual experiences.

Focus Groups

This method involves bringing together a group of people to discuss a specific topic in a structured setting. The focus group is led by a moderator who guides the discussion and encourages participants to share their thoughts and opinions. Focus groups are useful for generating ideas and insights, exploring social norms and attitudes, and understanding group dynamics.

Ethnographic Studies

This method involves immersing oneself in a culture or community to gain a deep understanding of its norms, beliefs, and practices. Ethnographic studies typically involve long-term fieldwork and observation, as well as interviews and document analysis. Ethnographic studies are useful for understanding the cultural context of social phenomena and for gaining a holistic understanding of complex social processes.

Text Analysis

This method involves analyzing written or spoken language to identify patterns and themes. Text analysis can be quantitative or qualitative. Qualitative text analysis involves close reading and interpretation of texts to identify recurring themes, concepts, and patterns. Text analysis is useful for understanding media messages, public discourse, and cultural trends.

This method involves an in-depth examination of a single person, group, or event to gain an understanding of complex phenomena. Case studies typically involve a combination of data collection methods, such as interviews, observations, and document analysis, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the case. Case studies are useful for exploring unique or rare cases, and for generating hypotheses for further research.

Process of Observation

This method involves systematically observing and recording behaviors and interactions in natural settings. The observer may take notes, use audio or video recordings, or use other methods to document what they see. Process of observation is useful for understanding social interactions, cultural practices, and the context in which behaviors occur.

Record Keeping

This method involves keeping detailed records of observations, interviews, and other data collected during the research process. Record keeping is essential for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data, and for providing a basis for analysis and interpretation.

This method involves collecting data from a large sample of participants through a structured questionnaire. Surveys can be conducted in person, over the phone, through mail, or online. Surveys are useful for collecting data on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and for identifying patterns and trends in a population.

Qualitative data analysis is a process of turning unstructured data into meaningful insights. It involves extracting and organizing information from sources like interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The goal is to understand people’s attitudes, behaviors, and motivations

Qualitative Research Analysis Methods

Qualitative Research analysis methods involve a systematic approach to interpreting and making sense of the data collected in qualitative research. Here are some common qualitative data analysis methods:

Thematic Analysis

This method involves identifying patterns or themes in the data that are relevant to the research question. The researcher reviews the data, identifies keywords or phrases, and groups them into categories or themes. Thematic analysis is useful for identifying patterns across multiple data sources and for generating new insights into the research topic.

Content Analysis

This method involves analyzing the content of written or spoken language to identify key themes or concepts. Content analysis can be quantitative or qualitative. Qualitative content analysis involves close reading and interpretation of texts to identify recurring themes, concepts, and patterns. Content analysis is useful for identifying patterns in media messages, public discourse, and cultural trends.

Discourse Analysis

This method involves analyzing language to understand how it constructs meaning and shapes social interactions. Discourse analysis can involve a variety of methods, such as conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, and narrative analysis. Discourse analysis is useful for understanding how language shapes social interactions, cultural norms, and power relationships.

Grounded Theory Analysis

This method involves developing a theory or explanation based on the data collected. Grounded theory analysis starts with the data and uses an iterative process of coding and analysis to identify patterns and themes in the data. The theory or explanation that emerges is grounded in the data, rather than preconceived hypotheses. Grounded theory analysis is useful for understanding complex social phenomena and for generating new theoretical insights.

Narrative Analysis

This method involves analyzing the stories or narratives that participants share to gain insights into their experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. Narrative analysis can involve a variety of methods, such as structural analysis, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis. Narrative analysis is useful for understanding how individuals construct their identities, make sense of their experiences, and communicate their values and beliefs.

Phenomenological Analysis

This method involves analyzing how individuals make sense of their experiences and the meanings they attach to them. Phenomenological analysis typically involves in-depth interviews with participants to explore their experiences in detail. Phenomenological analysis is useful for understanding subjective experiences and for developing a rich understanding of human consciousness.

Comparative Analysis

This method involves comparing and contrasting data across different cases or groups to identify similarities and differences. Comparative analysis can be used to identify patterns or themes that are common across multiple cases, as well as to identify unique or distinctive features of individual cases. Comparative analysis is useful for understanding how social phenomena vary across different contexts and groups.

Applications of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research has many applications across different fields and industries. Here are some examples of how qualitative research is used:

• Market Research: Qualitative research is often used in market research to understand consumer attitudes, behaviors, and preferences. Researchers conduct focus groups and one-on-one interviews with consumers to gather insights into their experiences and perceptions of products and services.
• Health Care: Qualitative research is used in health care to explore patient experiences and perspectives on health and illness. Researchers conduct in-depth interviews with patients and their families to gather information on their experiences with different health care providers and treatments.
• Education: Qualitative research is used in education to understand student experiences and to develop effective teaching strategies. Researchers conduct classroom observations and interviews with students and teachers to gather insights into classroom dynamics and instructional practices.
• Social Work : Qualitative research is used in social work to explore social problems and to develop interventions to address them. Researchers conduct in-depth interviews with individuals and families to understand their experiences with poverty, discrimination, and other social problems.
• Anthropology : Qualitative research is used in anthropology to understand different cultures and societies. Researchers conduct ethnographic studies and observe and interview members of different cultural groups to gain insights into their beliefs, practices, and social structures.
• Psychology : Qualitative research is used in psychology to understand human behavior and mental processes. Researchers conduct in-depth interviews with individuals to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
• Public Policy : Qualitative research is used in public policy to explore public attitudes and to inform policy decisions. Researchers conduct focus groups and one-on-one interviews with members of the public to gather insights into their perspectives on different policy issues.

How to Conduct Qualitative Research

Here are some general steps for conducting qualitative research:

• Identify your research question: Qualitative research starts with a research question or set of questions that you want to explore. This question should be focused and specific, but also broad enough to allow for exploration and discovery.
• Select your research design: There are different types of qualitative research designs, including ethnography, case study, grounded theory, and phenomenology. You should select a design that aligns with your research question and that will allow you to gather the data you need to answer your research question.
• Recruit participants: Once you have your research question and design, you need to recruit participants. The number of participants you need will depend on your research design and the scope of your research. You can recruit participants through advertisements, social media, or through personal networks.
• Collect data: There are different methods for collecting qualitative data, including interviews, focus groups, observation, and document analysis. You should select the method or methods that align with your research design and that will allow you to gather the data you need to answer your research question.
• Analyze data: Once you have collected your data, you need to analyze it. This involves reviewing your data, identifying patterns and themes, and developing codes to organize your data. You can use different software programs to help you analyze your data, or you can do it manually.
• Interpret data: Once you have analyzed your data, you need to interpret it. This involves making sense of the patterns and themes you have identified, and developing insights and conclusions that answer your research question. You should be guided by your research question and use your data to support your conclusions.
• Communicate results: Once you have interpreted your data, you need to communicate your results. This can be done through academic papers, presentations, or reports. You should be clear and concise in your communication, and use examples and quotes from your data to support your findings.

Examples of Qualitative Research

Here are some real-time examples of qualitative research:

• Customer Feedback: A company may conduct qualitative research to understand the feedback and experiences of its customers. This may involve conducting focus groups or one-on-one interviews with customers to gather insights into their attitudes, behaviors, and preferences.
• Healthcare : A healthcare provider may conduct qualitative research to explore patient experiences and perspectives on health and illness. This may involve conducting in-depth interviews with patients and their families to gather information on their experiences with different health care providers and treatments.
• Education : An educational institution may conduct qualitative research to understand student experiences and to develop effective teaching strategies. This may involve conducting classroom observations and interviews with students and teachers to gather insights into classroom dynamics and instructional practices.
• Social Work: A social worker may conduct qualitative research to explore social problems and to develop interventions to address them. This may involve conducting in-depth interviews with individuals and families to understand their experiences with poverty, discrimination, and other social problems.
• Anthropology : An anthropologist may conduct qualitative research to understand different cultures and societies. This may involve conducting ethnographic studies and observing and interviewing members of different cultural groups to gain insights into their beliefs, practices, and social structures.
• Psychology : A psychologist may conduct qualitative research to understand human behavior and mental processes. This may involve conducting in-depth interviews with individuals to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
• Public Policy: A government agency or non-profit organization may conduct qualitative research to explore public attitudes and to inform policy decisions. This may involve conducting focus groups and one-on-one interviews with members of the public to gather insights into their perspectives on different policy issues.

Purpose of Qualitative Research

The purpose of qualitative research is to explore and understand the subjective experiences, behaviors, and perspectives of individuals or groups in a particular context. Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on numerical data and statistical analysis, qualitative research aims to provide in-depth, descriptive information that can help researchers develop insights and theories about complex social phenomena.

Qualitative research can serve multiple purposes, including:

• Exploring new or emerging phenomena : Qualitative research can be useful for exploring new or emerging phenomena, such as new technologies or social trends. This type of research can help researchers develop a deeper understanding of these phenomena and identify potential areas for further study.
• Understanding complex social phenomena : Qualitative research can be useful for exploring complex social phenomena, such as cultural beliefs, social norms, or political processes. This type of research can help researchers develop a more nuanced understanding of these phenomena and identify factors that may influence them.
• Generating new theories or hypotheses: Qualitative research can be useful for generating new theories or hypotheses about social phenomena. By gathering rich, detailed data about individuals’ experiences and perspectives, researchers can develop insights that may challenge existing theories or lead to new lines of inquiry.
• Providing context for quantitative data: Qualitative research can be useful for providing context for quantitative data. By gathering qualitative data alongside quantitative data, researchers can develop a more complete understanding of complex social phenomena and identify potential explanations for quantitative findings.

When to use Qualitative Research

Here are some situations where qualitative research may be appropriate:

• Exploring a new area: If little is known about a particular topic, qualitative research can help to identify key issues, generate hypotheses, and develop new theories.
• Understanding complex phenomena: Qualitative research can be used to investigate complex social, cultural, or organizational phenomena that are difficult to measure quantitatively.
• Investigating subjective experiences: Qualitative research is particularly useful for investigating the subjective experiences of individuals or groups, such as their attitudes, beliefs, values, or emotions.
• Conducting formative research: Qualitative research can be used in the early stages of a research project to develop research questions, identify potential research participants, and refine research methods.
• Evaluating interventions or programs: Qualitative research can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions or programs by collecting data on participants’ experiences, attitudes, and behaviors.

Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is characterized by several key features, including:

• Focus on subjective experience: Qualitative research is concerned with understanding the subjective experiences, beliefs, and perspectives of individuals or groups in a particular context. Researchers aim to explore the meanings that people attach to their experiences and to understand the social and cultural factors that shape these meanings.
• Use of open-ended questions: Qualitative research relies on open-ended questions that allow participants to provide detailed, in-depth responses. Researchers seek to elicit rich, descriptive data that can provide insights into participants’ experiences and perspectives.
• Sampling-based on purpose and diversity: Qualitative research often involves purposive sampling, in which participants are selected based on specific criteria related to the research question. Researchers may also seek to include participants with diverse experiences and perspectives to capture a range of viewpoints.
• Data collection through multiple methods: Qualitative research typically involves the use of multiple data collection methods, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observation. This allows researchers to gather rich, detailed data from multiple sources, which can provide a more complete picture of participants’ experiences and perspectives.
• Inductive data analysis: Qualitative research relies on inductive data analysis, in which researchers develop theories and insights based on the data rather than testing pre-existing hypotheses. Researchers use coding and thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes in the data and to develop theories and explanations based on these patterns.
• Emphasis on researcher reflexivity: Qualitative research recognizes the importance of the researcher’s role in shaping the research process and outcomes. Researchers are encouraged to reflect on their own biases and assumptions and to be transparent about their role in the research process.

Advantages of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research offers several advantages over other research methods, including:

• Depth and detail: Qualitative research allows researchers to gather rich, detailed data that provides a deeper understanding of complex social phenomena. Through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observation, researchers can gather detailed information about participants’ experiences and perspectives that may be missed by other research methods.
• Flexibility : Qualitative research is a flexible approach that allows researchers to adapt their methods to the research question and context. Researchers can adjust their research methods in real-time to gather more information or explore unexpected findings.
• Contextual understanding: Qualitative research is well-suited to exploring the social and cultural context in which individuals or groups are situated. Researchers can gather information about cultural norms, social structures, and historical events that may influence participants’ experiences and perspectives.
• Participant perspective : Qualitative research prioritizes the perspective of participants, allowing researchers to explore subjective experiences and understand the meanings that participants attach to their experiences.
• Theory development: Qualitative research can contribute to the development of new theories and insights about complex social phenomena. By gathering rich, detailed data and using inductive data analysis, researchers can develop new theories and explanations that may challenge existing understandings.
• Validity : Qualitative research can offer high validity by using multiple data collection methods, purposive and diverse sampling, and researcher reflexivity. This can help ensure that findings are credible and trustworthy.

Limitations of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research also has some limitations, including:

• Subjectivity : Qualitative research relies on the subjective interpretation of researchers, which can introduce bias into the research process. The researcher’s perspective, beliefs, and experiences can influence the way data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted.
• Limited generalizability: Qualitative research typically involves small, purposive samples that may not be representative of larger populations. This limits the generalizability of findings to other contexts or populations.
• Time-consuming: Qualitative research can be a time-consuming process, requiring significant resources for data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Resource-intensive: Qualitative research may require more resources than other research methods, including specialized training for researchers, specialized software for data analysis, and transcription services.
• Limited reliability: Qualitative research may be less reliable than quantitative research, as it relies on the subjective interpretation of researchers. This can make it difficult to replicate findings or compare results across different studies.
• Ethics and confidentiality: Qualitative research involves collecting sensitive information from participants, which raises ethical concerns about confidentiality and informed consent. Researchers must take care to protect the privacy and confidentiality of participants and obtain informed consent.

Also see Research Methods

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research

A variety of techniques from online chats to video logs can reveal how people feel about your product or service and how you can improve it to make more money..

Visualize. Just as you head off to work you get a text message asking if you've had a cup of coffee. You reply "no." About 20 minutes later you receive another text asking "did you have your coffee yet?" You reply "yes" this time. Now you receive a series of texts about when and where did you buy the coffee—a corner store Starbucks or company cafeteria. What brand or flavor did you choose—regular or Hazelnut? Why did you choose it? How do you feel now that you've had that first cup? Will you have had a second or third cup come lunchtime? Later in the week when you're at the local grocer, you take out your cell phone to take a picture of the one pound of ground French Roast coffee you just purchased so you can post it online. Welcome to the brave new world of qualitative research where companies can catch or capture their customers' behaviors in the moment using modern technology. It could be a single person doing online journaling or a video log about a product or issue, a moderator directing conversations in an online chat room, or webcam gathering of people in Hollywood Squares game show-like fashion. It's a different spin on the traditional focus group. Social media is playing a bigger role. "We are even monitoring whole online communities; we have a targeted representative find out what selected individuals are saying in their social networks," says Peg Moulton-Abbott, a certified professional research consultant and principal of Newfound Insights, a Virginia Beach-based market research firm. Such tech-oriented research is generally skewed towards a younger twenty-something demographic. But more importantly it speaks to how market researchers are sprouting new methods of qualitative study as an outgrowth of old techniques. Comparatively speaking, fifty years ago qualitative research was done in a big city like New York or Washington, DC with focus groups conducted inside women's homes, notes Moulton-Abbott. A one-way mirror was installed and adverting guys would be on the receiving end, she explains. The homemaker would host the meeting with a group of women who would talk about soap or some other consumer product. According to the Qualitative Research Consultants Association , qualitative research can help business owners identify customer needs, clarify marketing messages, generate ideas for improvements of a product, extend a line or brand, and/or gain perspective on how a product fits into a customer's lifestyle. Any size and type of business can benefit from qualitative market research, says Moulton-Abbott. However, "my job is not to make a sales pitch for your product; my job is to find out how people feel about your product and what you can do to improve it so that you wind up making more money selling it," she adds. Qualitative research can help entrepreneurs to understand their customers' or clients' feelings, values, and perceptions of a particular product or service. Once you know the reason "why" people react a certain way or make certain decisions, you can use that feedback to help build your sales and marketing plan, says Moulton-Abbott. The design and implementation of qualitative research will depend on your particular situation, says Robert E. Stake, PhD, author of Qualitative Research: Studying How Things Work and director for the center of instructional research as the University of Illinois. "The means are different in different situations. It's what you are interested in that defines qualitative research," he adds. "It isn't the style of data gathering, it is whether or not you are interested in the experiences of your customers or clients." Business owners won't have to wrack their brains over how to conduct the nitty-gritty aspects of market research if a professional is hired. But here are some general guidelines and what to expect on how qualitative research is handled. How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: Determine What You Want to Study Do you want to investigate a current or potential product, service or brand positioning? Do your want to identify strengths and weaknesses in products? Understand purchasing decisions? Study reactions to advertising or marketing campaigns? Assess the usability of a website or other interactive services? Understand perceptions about the company, brand and product? Explore reactions to packaging and design? Qualitative (qual) research is usually contrasted against Quantitative (quant) research. Quant asks closed-ended questions that can be answered finitely by either "yes" or "no," true or false or multiple choice with an option for "other." It is used to collect numerical data, employing such techniques as surveys. Whereas, qual asks open-ended questions that are phrased in such a way that invite people to tell their stories in their own words. Methods used to collect data include field observations, personal interviews and group discussions. The job of a qual researcher is to design and deliver data that drives results. Dig Deeper: How to Define Your Target Market  How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: Understand What Methodology will be Used Typically qual researchers don't use experimental methods such as field trials or test markets, Stake maintains. "Not many use really highly-developed psychometric (e.g., personality or psychological tests) or econometric (e.g., economic statistics) indicators." Qual researchers generally rely on methodologies rooted in ethnography (e.g. field or participant observation) and phenomenology (e.g., understanding life experiences using written or recorded narratives). Market researchers partner with professional recruiters to identify and screen qualifying customers or consumers who in turn receive an honorarium for their participation in the study. You should rely on a market research firm to choose the best fit for you based on: what is it that you need to learn and who is your target audience demographically, where they are geographically, and what are their lifestyle behaviors or time constraints, says Kristin Schwitzer, president of Beacon Research, a qual firm that specializes in innovative online methods, based in Annapolis, Maryland. Conducting qualitative research is about asking the right people the right questions in the right format, says Hannah Baker Hitzhusen, vice president of qualitative research at CMI, a market research firm in Atlanta. What qual researchers do is very much on the front end, it is discovery or exploratory work. "For a qual study, we generally do a discussion guide to make sure we cover certain topics or issues," says Hitzhusen. Qual is generally used for small sample groups, because, "you want to spend a lot of time with the participants, maybe 90 to 120 minutes. Quant usually uses a larger sample size of people and a smaller amount of time, 15 to 30 minutes (for someone to fill out a questionnaire)," she explains. Dig Deeper: How to Use Sampling and Demos for Customer Feedback  How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: Explore Various Means to Collect Data •    Observation - Direct observation can involve a researcher watching subjects and taking notes in the background which could be from behind a one-way mirror or video camera recording the happenings. With participant observation, the researcher is actually part of the situation being studied as with a moderated focus group or one-on-one interviews. •    Focus Groups - This technique is good if you need a range of opinions, says Hitzhusen. In general, you want to get reactions from eight to 10 people. But you don't have to have the traditional group of people closed in a room. You can do a webcam or online bulletin board focus group, in which consumers participate in an asynchronous group discussion over the duration of three to four days. Participants answer questions from the moderator and respond to images or video on their computer screen. •    Subject Interviews - There are times when you want to talk with subjects or participants either over the telephone or face- to-face, says Moulton-Abbott. Such as if you want them to sample a product or if it is an emotional or sensitive issue, such as taking care of elderly parents with dementia or using personal hygiene products. •    Hybrid Studies - This is a blend of qual and quant market research. So, you get some important metrics as well as the why's behind the numbers through narrative, photo collection, and other exercises, says Schwitzer. Moulton-Abbott says for example, you may have a couple hundred people come into a big meeting hall. Using a handheld dialer participants respond to a survey that is projected on a screen. Afterwards, you host a town hall session to debrief the group and to find out what they think. From there, you separate the respondents into smaller focus groups based on demographics, their responses and other parameters. At the end of day you can say we spoke to 700 people today and this is what they said they like or don't like and this is how they feel about your product or service. •    Online tools - The online piece is an outgrowth of in-person observation. "We can use tools such as their cell phones, iphone video cameras, digital cameras, and we can have them in the moment record what is happening in their world," says Schwitzer. Whether it is how they use a product or interact from a service standpoint."  For example, Schwitzer conducted a study on how teenage boys were spending their money over a course of a week. They took pictures of everything that they bought and texted it in. They then created an online blog to be probed as the second phase of the study. "Online tools allow us to get even deeper into the subjects' lives and to see what is happening to them from an experiential level. We can be with them at crazy hours of the day now or during more private moments." Dig Deeper: How to Write a Customer Survey   How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: Analyze the Collected Data A qualitative study may take one day or three weeks for the data collection and up to six weeks in total for the final report generation and turnaround solutions. Researchers will look at the collected data to come up with theories and answers to your questions or concerns. Generally, researchers will use coding to identify themes, patterns and ideas. They may also incorporate some statistics that describe what the data is showing along with narrative analysis that focuses on grammar, word usage, and underlying messages. Dig Deeper: How to Conduct Market Research   How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: Review Report and Recommendations Finally, a researcher will generate a report featuring actionable recommendations. It doesn't have to be just a written document; it may be a video report or slideshow. As the saying goes a picture paints a thousand words; visual reports are more effective than simply words on a paper. Of course, you need to be aware upfront what the cash outlay will be for such extensive feedback. Dig Deeper: How to Find New Customers and Increase Sales   How to Conduct Qualitative Market Research: A Heads Up Don't expect to pay under $10,000 for basic qualitative research, cautions experts. There are cost associate with the recruiters, facilities, moderators and reporting. It you have a small or tight budget consider working with a university such as Chicago's Northwestern, Atlanta's Emory Goizueta, or the University of Maryland, suggests Moulton-Abbott. Many of the top business schools have marketing research programs. To find a reputable market research firm, check out trade associations, including directories from The Marketing Research Association, which publishes the Blue Book , and the New York American Marketing Association, which puts out the Green Book . Also, the QRCA has a search tool for locating market research firms geographically.  Choose a firm that is knowledgeable about your industry and be sure to get a couple of proposals and competitive price offers. Dig Deeper: How do I find training programs for market research?

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

Privacy Policy

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal

• Submit your paper
• Author guidelines
• Editorial team
• Indexing & metrics
• Calls for papers & news

Before you start

For queries relating to the status of your paper pre decision, please contact the Editor or Journal Editorial Office. For queries post acceptance, please contact the Supplier Project Manager. These details can be found in the Editorial Team section.

Author responsibilities

Our goal is to provide you with a professional and courteous experience at each stage of the review and publication process. There are also some responsibilities that sit with you as the author. Our expectation is that you will:

• Respond swiftly to any queries during the publication process.
• Be accountable for all aspects of your work. This includes investigating and resolving any questions about accuracy or research integrity .
• Treat communications between you and the journal editor as confidential until an editorial decision has been made.
• Include anyone who has made a substantial and meaningful contribution to the submission (anyone else involved in the paper should be listed in the acknowledgements).
• Exclude anyone who hasn’t contributed to the paper, or who has chosen not to be associated with the research.
• In accordance with COPE’s position statement on AI tools , Large Language Models cannot be credited with authorship as they are incapable of conceptualising a research design without human direction and cannot be accountable for the integrity, originality, and validity of the published work. The author(s) must describe the content created or modified as well as appropriately cite the name and version of the AI tool used; any additional works drawn on by the AI tool should also be appropriately cited and referenced. Standard tools that are used to improve spelling and grammar are not included within the parameters of this guidance. The Editor and Publisher reserve the right to determine whether the use of an AI tool is permissible.
• If your article involves human participants, you must ensure you have considered whether or not you require ethical approval for your research, and include this information as part of your submission. Find out more about informed consent .

Generative AI usage key principles

• Copywriting any part of an article using a generative AI tool/LLM would not be permissible, including the generation of the abstract or the literature review, for as per Emerald’s authorship criteria, the author(s) must be responsible for the work and accountable for its accuracy, integrity, and validity.
• The generation or reporting of results using a generative AI tool/LLM is not permissible, for as per Emerald’s authorship criteria, the author(s)
• must be responsible for the creation and interpretation of their work and accountable for its accuracy, integrity, and validity.
• The in-text reporting of statistics using a generative AI tool/LLM is not permissible due to concerns over the authenticity, integrity, and validity of the data produced, although the use of such a tool to aid in the analysis of the work would be permissible.
• Copy-editing an article using a generative AI tool/LLM in order to improve its language and readability would be permissible as this mirrors standard tools already employed to improve spelling and grammar, and uses existing author-created material, rather than generating wholly new content, while the author(s) remains responsible for the original work.
• The submission and publication of images created by AI tools or large-scale generative models is not permitted.

Research and publishing ethics

Our editors and employees work hard to ensure the content we publish is ethically sound. To help us achieve that goal, we closely follow the advice laid out in the guidelines and flowcharts on the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) website .

We have also developed our research and publishing ethics guidelines . If you haven’t already read these, we urge you to do so – they will help you avoid the most common publishing ethics issues.

A few key points:

• Any manuscript you submit to this journal should be original. That means it should not have been published before in its current, or similar, form. Exceptions to this rule are outlined in our pre-print and conference paper policies .  If any substantial element of your paper has been previously published, you need to declare this to the journal editor upon submission. Please note, the journal editor may use  Crossref Similarity Check  to check on the originality of submissions received. This service compares submissions against a database of 49 million works from 800 scholarly publishers.
• Your work should not have been submitted elsewhere and should not be under consideration by any other publication.
• If you have a conflict of interest, you must declare it upon submission; this allows the editor to decide how they would like to proceed. Read about conflict of interest in our research and publishing ethics guidelines .
• By submitting your work to Emerald, you are guaranteeing that the work is not in infringement of any existing copyright.

Third party copyright permissions

Prior to article submission, you need to ensure you’ve applied for, and received, written permission to use any material in your manuscript that has been created by a third party. Please note, we are unable to publish any article that still has permissions pending. The rights we require are:

• Non-exclusive rights to reproduce the material in the article or book chapter.
• Print and electronic rights.
• Worldwide English-language rights.
• To use the material for the life of the work. That means there should be no time restrictions on its re-use e.g. a one-year licence.

We are a member of the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers (STM) and participate in the STM permissions guidelines , a reciprocal free exchange of material with other STM publishers.  In some cases, this may mean that you don’t need permission to re-use content. If so, please highlight this at the submission stage.

Please take a few moments to read our guide to publishing permissions  to ensure you have met all the requirements, so that we can process your submission without delay.

Open access submissions and information

All our journals currently offer two open access (OA) publishing paths; gold open access and green open access.

If you would like to, or are required to, make the branded publisher PDF (also known as the version of record) freely available immediately upon publication, you can select the gold open access route once your paper is accepted.

If you’ve chosen to publish gold open access, this is the point you will be asked to pay the APC (article processing charge) . This varies per journal and can be found on our APC price list or on the editorial system at the point of submission. Your article will be published with a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 user licence , which outlines how readers can reuse your work.

Alternatively, if you would like to, or are required to, publish open access but your funding doesn’t cover the cost of the APC, you can choose the green open access, or self-archiving, route. As soon as your article is published, you can make the author accepted manuscript (the version accepted for publication) openly available, free from payment and embargo periods.

You can find out more about our open access routes, our APCs and waivers and read our FAQs on our open research page. 

Find out about open

Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines

We are a signatory of the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines , a framework that supports the reproducibility of research through the adoption of transparent research practices. That means we encourage you to:

• Cite and fully reference all data, program code, and other methods in your article.
• Include persistent identifiers, such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), in references for datasets and program codes. Persistent identifiers ensure future access to unique published digital objects, such as a piece of text or datasets. Persistent identifiers are assigned to datasets by digital archives, such as institutional repositories and partners in the Data Preservation Alliance for the Social Sciences (Data-PASS).
• Follow appropriate international and national procedures with respect to data protection, rights to privacy and other ethical considerations, whenever you cite data. For further guidance please refer to our  research and publishing ethics guidelines . For an example on how to cite datasets, please refer to the references section below.

Prepare your submission

Manuscript support services.

We are pleased to partner with Editage, a platform that connects you with relevant experts in language support, translation, editing, visuals, consulting, and more. After you’ve agreed a fee, they will work with you to enhance your manuscript and get it submission-ready.

This is an optional service for authors who feel they need a little extra support. It does not guarantee your work will be accepted for review or publication.

Visit Editage

Manuscript requirements

Before you submit your manuscript, it’s important you read and follow the guidelines below. You will also find some useful tips in our structure your journal submission how-to guide.

Submit your manuscript

There are a number of key steps you should follow to ensure a smooth and trouble-free submission.

Double check your manuscript

Before submitting your work, it is your responsibility to check that the manuscript is complete, grammatically correct, and without spelling or typographical errors. A few other important points:

• Give the journal aims and scope a final read. Is your manuscript definitely a good fit? If it isn’t, the editor may decline it without peer review.
• Does your manuscript comply with our research and publishing ethics guidelines ?
• Have you cleared any necessary publishing permissions ?
• Have you followed all the formatting requirements laid out in these author guidelines?
• If you need to refer to your own work, use wording such as ‘previous research has demonstrated’ not ‘our previous research has demonstrated’.
• If you need to refer to your own, currently unpublished work, don’t include this work in the reference list.
• Any acknowledgments or author biographies should be uploaded as separate files.
• Carry out a final check to ensure that no author names appear anywhere in the manuscript. This includes in figures or captions.

You will find a helpful submission checklist on the website Think.Check.Submit .

The submission process

All manuscripts should be submitted through our editorial system by the corresponding author.

The only way to submit to the journal is through the journal’s ScholarOne site as accessed via the Emerald website, and not by email or through any third-party agent/company, journal representative, or website. Submissions should be done directly by the author(s) through the ScholarOne site and not via a third-party proxy on their behalf.

A separate author account is required for each journal you submit to. If this is your first time submitting to this journal, please choose the Create an account or Register now option in the editorial system. If you already have an Emerald login, you are welcome to reuse the existing username and password here.

Please note, the next time you log into the system, you will be asked for your username. This will be the email address you entered when you set up your account.

Don't forget to add your ORCiD ID during the submission process. It will be embedded in your published article, along with a link to the ORCiD registry allowing others to easily match you with your work. Don’t have one yet?

It only takes a few moments to register for a free ORCiD identifier .

Visit the ScholarOne support centre  for further help and guidance.

What you can expect next

You will receive an automated email from the journal editor, confirming your successful submission. It will provide you with a manuscript number, which will be used in all future correspondence about your submission. If you have any reason to suspect the confirmation email you receive might be fraudulent, please contact the journal editor in the first instance.

Post submission

Review and decision process.

Each submission is checked by the editor. At this stage, they may choose to decline or unsubmit your manuscript if it doesn’t fit the journal aims and scope, or they feel the language/manuscript quality is too low.

If they think it might be suitable for the publication, they will send it to at least two independent referees for double anonymous peer review.  Once these reviewers have provided their feedback, the editor may decide to accept your manuscript, request minor or major revisions, or decline your work.

This journal offers an article transfer service. If the editor decides to decline your manuscript, either before or after peer review, they may offer to transfer it to a more relevant Emerald journal in this field. If you accept, your ScholarOne author account, and the accounts of your co-authors, will automatically transfer to the new journal, along with your manuscript and any accompanying peer review reports. However, you will still need to log in to ScholarOne to complete the submission process using your existing username and password. While accepting a transfer does not guarantee the receiving journal will publish your work, an editor will only suggest a transfer if they feel your article is a good fit with the new title.

While all journals work to different timescales, the goal is that the editor will inform you of their first decision within 60 days.

During this period, we will send you automated updates on the progress of your manuscript via our submission system, or you can log in to check on the current status of your paper.  Each time we contact you, we will quote the manuscript number you were given at the point of submission. If you receive an email that does not match these criteria, it could be fraudulent, please contact the journal editor in the first instance.

Manuscript transfer service

Emerald’s manuscript transfer service takes the pain out of the submission process if your manuscript doesn’t fit your initial journal choice. Our team of expert Editors from participating journals work together to identify alternative journals that better align with your research, ensuring your work finds the ideal publication home it deserves. Our dedicated team is committed to supporting authors like you in finding the right home for your research.

If a journal is participating in the manuscript transfer program, the Editor has the option to recommend your paper for transfer. If a transfer decision is made by the Editor, you will receive an email with the details of the recommended journal and the option to accept or reject the transfer. It’s always down to you as the author to decide if you’d like to accept. If you do accept, your paper and any reviewer reports will automatically be transferred to the recommended journals. Authors will then confirm resubmissions in the new journal’s ScholarOne system.

Our  Manuscript Transfer Service page  has more information on the process.

If your submission is accepted

Open access.

Once your paper is accepted, you will have the opportunity to indicate whether you would like to publish your paper via the gold open access route.

If you’ve chosen to publish gold open access, this is the point you will be asked to pay the APC (article processing charge).  This varies per journal and can be found on our APC price list or on the editorial system at the point of submission. Your article will be published with a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 user licence , which outlines how readers can reuse your work.

All accepted authors are sent an email with a link to a licence form.  This should be checked for accuracy, for example whether contact and affiliation details are up to date and your name is spelled correctly, and then returned to us electronically. If there is a reason why you can’t assign copyright to us, you should discuss this with your journal content editor. You will find their contact details on the editorial team section above.

Proofing and typesetting

Two to three months before the scheduled print publication of an issue, we carry out editorial checks on your paper and a pre-typeset version appears in the Accepted Articles section of the journal’s online content. Your paper is then copyedited, typeset, and proofs are sent to you (if you are the corresponding author) for your review. You receive advance notification of this.  Please note, this is your opportunity to correct any typographical errors, grammatical errors or incorrect author details. We can’t accept requests to rewrite texts at this stage.

How to share your paper

Visit our author rights page  to find out how you can reuse and share your work.

To find tips on increasing the visibility of your published paper, read about  how to promote your work .

Correcting inaccuracies in your published paper

Sometimes errors are made during the research, writing and publishing processes. When these issues arise, we have the option of withdrawing the paper or introducing a correction notice. Find out more about our  article withdrawal and correction policies .

Need to make a change to the author list? See our frequently asked questions (FAQs) below.

Frequently asked questions

• Associate Professor Fiona Spotswood University of Bristol - UK [email protected]

Founding Editor

• Professor Len Tiu Wright

Associate Editors

• Dr Anoop Bhogal-Nair De Montfort University - UK [email protected]
• Dr Ariadne Kapetanaki University of York - UK [email protected]

Book Review Editor

• Clare Lehane Emerald Publishing - UK [email protected]

Journal Editorial Office (For queries related to pre-acceptance)

• Sanjana Kuril Emerald Publishing [email protected]

Supplier Project Manager (For queries related to post-acceptance)

• Aarti Kakade Emerald Publishing [email protected]

Editorial Advisory Board

• Professor Russell Abratt George Mason University - USA
• Professor Richard Bagozzi Ross School of Business, University of Michigan - USA
• Russell W. Belk Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada
• Professor Clive Boddy Anglia Ruskin University - UK
• Professor Lenita Davis University of Wisconsin Eau Claire - USA
• Dr Toni Eagar ANU College of Business and Economics, Australia National University - Australia
• Dr Florence Euzéby La Rochelle Université - France
• Dr Cristina Galalae The Open University - UK
• Professor Audrey Gilmore University of Ulster - UK
• Dr Delphine Godefroit-Winkel TBS Business School - Morocco
• Dr Amy Goode University of Glasgow - UK
• Dr Ahir Gopaldas Fordham University - USA
• Dr Sianne Gordon-Wilson Queen Mary University of London - UK
• Professor Denise G Jarratt University of Western Sydney - Australia
• Professor Chanaka Jayawardhena University of Surrey - UK
• Dr Kaouther Kooli University of Bournemouth - UK
• Professor Adam Lindgreen Copenhagen Business School - Denmark
• Professor T.C. Melewar Middlesex University - UK
• Dr Mona Moufahim University of Stirling - UK
• Professor Luiz Moutinho University of Glasgow - UK
• Dr William Magnus Northington Appalachian State University - USA
• Professor Nicholas O'Shaughnessy University of London - UK
• Associate Professor Maria Palazzo Universitas Mercatorum - Italy
• Professor Stanley J Paliwoda University of Strathclyde - UK
• Dr Georgios Patsiarous University of Leicester - UK
• Professor Lisa Penaloza Kedge Business School - France
• Professor Daiane Scaraboto University of Melbourne - Australia
• Dr Andrew Smith Suffolk University - USA
• Professor Jaana Tähtinen University of Turku - Finland
• Professor Wolfgang Ulaga INSEAD - France
• Dr Niklas Vallstrӧm Kristianstad University - Sweden
• Professor Luca Visconti Università della Svizzera Italiana - Switzerland
• Dr Agostino Vollero Università degli Studi di Salerno - Italy
• Dr Scott Weaven Griffith Business School - Australia
• Dr Dongmei Zha Brunel University - Uk
• Professor Nil Özçaglar-Toulouse Université Lille - SKEMA Business School - France

Early Career Reviewer Board

• Sahar Bakr Nottingham Trent University - UK
• Shalini Bisani De Montfort University - UK
• Zafeirenia Brokalaki Queen Mary University of London - UK
• Hao Du Newcastle University - UK
• Sarah Evans-Howe The University of Buckingham - UK
• Shaheen Hosany Goldsmiths University of London - UK
• Scott Jones University of Birmingham - UK
• Alison M. Joubert The University of Adelaide - Australia
• Mohamad Amir Merhabi University of Ulster - UK
• Ulla-Maija Sutinen Tampere University - Finland

Citation metrics

CiteScore 2023

Further information

CiteScore is a simple way of measuring the citation impact of sources, such as journals.

Calculating the CiteScore is based on the number of citations to documents (articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters, and data papers) by a journal over four years, divided by the number of the same document types indexed in Scopus and published in those same four years.

For more information and methodology visit the Scopus definition

CiteScore Tracker 2024

(updated monthly)

CiteScore Tracker is calculated in the same way as CiteScore, but for the current year rather than previous, complete years.

The CiteScore Tracker calculation is updated every month, as a current indication of a title's performance.

2023 Impact Factor

The Journal Impact Factor is published each year by Clarivate Analytics. It is a measure of the number of times an average paper in a particular journal is cited during the preceding two years.

For more information and methodology see Clarivate Analytics

5-year Impact Factor (2023)

A base of five years may be more appropriate for journals in certain fields because the body of citations may not be large enough to make reasonable comparisons, or it may take longer than two years to publish and distribute leading to a longer period before others cite the work.

Actual value is intentionally only displayed for the most recent year. Earlier values are available in the Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate Analytics .

Publication timeline

Time to first decision

Time to first decision , expressed in days, the "first decision" occurs when the journal’s editorial team reviews the peer reviewers’ comments and recommendations. Based on this feedback, they decide whether to accept, reject, or request revisions for the manuscript.

Data is taken from submissions between 1st June 2023 and 31st May 2024

Acceptance to publication

Acceptance to publication , expressed in days, is the average time between when the journal’s editorial team decide whether to accept, reject, or request revisions for the manuscript and the date of publication in the journal. 

Data is taken from the previous 12 months (Last updated July 2024)

Acceptance rate

The acceptance rate is a measurement of how many manuscripts a journal accepts for publication compared to the total number of manuscripts submitted expressed as a percentage %

Data is taken from submissions between 1st June 2023 and 31st May 2024 .

This figure is the total amount of downloads for all articles published early cite in the last 12 months

(Last updated: July 2024)

This journal is abstracted and indexed by

• Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Accounting, Economics and Finance
• Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Management and Marketing
• CNRS (France)
• Electronic Collections Online
• Emerald Management Reviews;  FMS Journal Rating Guide (D)
• FNEGE (France)
• Management and Marketing Abstracts
• Social Research Methodology Database
• Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics)
• WARC Market Research Abstracts
• Zetoc (British Library)
• AIDEA (Italy)
• Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List - B ranking
• Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS, UK) Academic Journal Guide
• The Publication Forum (Finland).

Reviewer information

Peer review process.

This journal engages in a double-anonymous peer review process, which strives to match the expertise of a reviewer with the submitted manuscript. Reviews are completed with evidence of thoughtful engagement with the manuscript, provide constructive feedback, and add value to the overall knowledge and information presented in the manuscript.

The mission of the peer review process is to achieve excellence and rigour in scholarly publications and research.

Our vision is to give voice to professionals in the subject area who contribute unique and diverse scholarly perspectives to the field.

The journal values diverse perspectives from the field and reviewers who provide critical, constructive, and respectful feedback to authors. Reviewers come from a variety of organizations, careers, and backgrounds from around the world.

All invitations to review, abstracts, manuscripts, and reviews should be kept confidential. Reviewers must not share their review or information about the review process with anyone without the agreement of the editors and authors involved, even after publication. This also applies to other reviewers’ “comments to author” which are shared with you on decision.

Resources to guide you through the review process

Discover practical tips and guidance on all aspects of peer review in our reviewers' section. See how being a reviewer could benefit your career, and discover what's involved in shaping a review.

More reviewer information

Calls for papers

Roots: creating routes for budding perspective in qualitative market research from early career researchers.

Introduction The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet' Aristotle. Roots lay foundations, and routes pave the way for growth. They provide structure and direction. In terms...

The Digital Revolution: The Role of Technology in Transforming Fashion Design, Branding, and Marketing

Introduction The cost-of-living crisis has put further pressure on brands’ supply chains and their ability to appeal to consumers who have increasingly less disposable income. This is in addition to a decade that has seen ...

Virtual Special Issue on Qualitative Research Methods

Curated by Clive Boddy, Anglia Ruskin University Introduction The editors of Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal...

Call for Special Issues

Call for Special Issues The Qualitative Market Research (QMR) editorial team would welcome special issue proposals from interested colleagues on aspects of qu...

Thank you to the 2022 Reviewers of Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal

The publishing and editorial teams would like to thank the following, for their invaluable service as 2022 reviewers for this journal. We are very grateful for the contributions made. With their help, the journal has been able to publish such high...

Introducing our new editor!

Qualitative Market Research is delighted to introduce Dr. Fiona Spotswood as the new Editor from 2023, taking over from Dr. Andrew Lindridge.  Fiona is based at the University of Bristol Business School. She has background in cons...

Thank you to the 2021 Reviewers of Qualitative Market Research

The publishing and editorial teams would like to thank the following, for their invaluable service as 2021 reviewers for this journal. We are very grateful for the contributions made. With their help, the journal has ...

Literati awards

Qualitative Market Research - Literati Award Winners 2023

We are pleased to announce our 2023 Literati Award winners. Outstanding Papers Consumers’ Perception on Artificial Int...

Qualitative Market Research - Literati Award Winners 2022 

We are pleased to announce our 2022 Literati Award winners. Outstanding Paper The role of social media to ge...

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal (QMR) publishes scholarly research from around the world that aims to further the frontiers of knowledge and understanding of qualitative market research and its applications.

Aims and scope

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal (QMR) publishes high-quality research papers that both inform and challenge our awareness of the dichotomy of practices and principles in research in an analytical and practical way.

As a journal that aims to further our understanding of qualitative market research, papers can use a variety of inter-disciplinary applications, such as cultural studies, economics and sociology; and from related fields in discourse analysis, ethnography, semiotics and grounded theory, phenomenology and psycho-analysis. As such, only systematic literature reviews with a qualitative focus, or literature reviews that specifically advance the use of qualitative methods are in scope.

QMR welcomes papers that utilise qualitative methodologies that cover all aspects of marketing, including but not limited to consumer behaviour, online marketing, marketing strategy, services and social marketing.

For example, we are particularly interested in research exploring:

• Disruption and transition in consumption, particularly in relation to sustainability and wellbeing
• The internationalisation of markets
• Changing consumer behaviours
• Consumer inequality, exclusion and vulnerability
• Power, conflict and coercion in marketplaces and marketing
• Disruptive technology
• Market transition, with particular reference to environmental, political, business or community disruption
• Methodology in qualitative marketing and consumption research
• Ethics in research and marketing practice
• Qualitative research for marketing policy impact.

I have been fortunate enough to publish in the journal (QMR) several times and I read it rigorously, always finding something new and interesting. It is THE source for such research and there is simply nothing better.

Latest articles

These are the latest articles published in this journal (Last updated: July 2024)

Corporate social responsibility communication after COVID-19: What values for practical implementation of the SDGs?

Navigating brand purpose in the post-pandemic era: insights from marketing agencies on supporting sdgs through strategic delineation and execution, developing artificial intelligence enabled marketing 4.0 framework: an industry 4.0 perspective, top downloaded articles.

These are the most downloaded articles over the last 12 months for this journal (Last updated: July 2024)

Who creates luxury? Unveiling the essence of luxury creation through three perspectives: a scoping review

Advertising to gen-z college students with memes a focus group study, virtual influencer marketing: a study of millennials and gen z consumer behaviour.

These are the top cited articles for this journal, from the last 12 months according to Crossref (Last updated: July 2024)

Resilience of small retailers in facing the Covid-19 pandemic - a qualitative study

How to make a collaborative videography using phygital affordances to study sensitive topics, developing internal marketing strategies for measuring and managing employee-based brand equity.

This journal is aligned with our responsible management goal

We aim to champion researchers, practitioners, policymakers and organisations who share our goals of contributing to a more ethical, responsible and sustainable way of working.

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Qualitative data analysis: how market researchers can crack the code

What is qualitative data, what are the ingredients of a good qualitative data analysis, how to conduct an enlightening qualitative data analysis, the pros and cons of qualitative data analysis, get great results from qualitative data analysis.

When numbers fall short and you need the full story, qualitative data analysis comes to the rescue. Instead of following assumptions based on numerical data, qualitative data analysis methods let you dig deeper. Qualitative data analysis examines non-numerical data – words, images, and observations, to uncover themes, patterns, and meanings. 

And in this article, we’ll tell you exactly how to do it yourself, in-house. 

Qualitative data analysis uncovers the stories and feelings behind numbers. Qualitative methods gain information from conversations, interviews, and observations, capturing what people think and why they act a certain way. Unlike hard numbers, qualitative data helps us see the color and texture of people’s opinions, experiences, and emotions. 

Examples of the textual data that often makes up qualitative data pieces are a user’s detailed feedback on a mobile app’s usability, a shopper’s narrative about choosing eco-friendly products, or observational notes on customer behavior in a retail setting. 

This type of qualitative data collection helps us understand real feelings and thoughts, and goes beyond numbers and assumptions.

Get qual research with Video Responses

Unlock the voice of the consumer with qualitative insights. Get fast, reliable Video Responses straight from your target customers.

There’s a big difference between knowing that 50% of customers prefer your new product and understanding the nuanced reasons behind that preference.

It’s easy to get blinded by shiny numbers. In this case, a preference signals that you’re doing something great. But not knowing what, means you can’t replicate it, or double down on it to crank up that 50% even more.

So what you’ll need to do is dig into the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. And we mean really dig. A strong qualitative data analysis process really aims at not putting words inside your customers mouths but letting them speak for themselves.

Another example is when a company finds out through a quick quantitative data survey that customers rate their service 4 out of 5. Which isn’t bad. But how can they improve it – or even work to maintain it? Guesswork is lethal here, yet it’s what so many companies resort to.

Which leads to obvious follow-up actions that are usually not customer-centric. Let’s say that this company assumes people are mostly happy because of their quick response times. So, they implement chatbots to take care of the first part of conversations, to speed things up even more. What could be wrong with that? 

But what if through in-depth interviews, they could have discovered that the personal touch from the staff right from the get-go is what customers really value? 

In consumer research, these nuances are gold. They allow your team to make finely tuned adjustments that resonate deeply with your audience. It’s what helps you move beyond the one-size-fits-all approach suggested by quantitative data. 

So if you want to start making experiences and products that feel personal and relevant to each customer, here are some ways to approach qualitative data research.

Content analysis: unveiling customer sentiments

What it is: Content analysis involves examining texts, reviews, and comments to identify frequently occurring words and sentiments, providing a quantitative measure of qualitative feedback.

Good to know:

• Focus on reviews, comments, and social media posts.
• Look for repeating words and sentiments to identify trends.
• Helps prioritize actions based on frequently mentioned topics by customers.

Chances are, you already have a lot of content that can be analyzed for qualitative data research. In that case, content analysis is your go-to approach to getting started. Content analysis means zooming in on recurring words, phrases, and sentiments scattered across reviews and comments.

Dig into reviews, comments, and emails and start flagging words and phrases that keep coming back. These can help you identify areas for improvement, but also show you what really is working.

This way, content analysis offers a quantitative measure of qualitative feedback, enabling you to prioritize actions based on what’s most mentioned by your customers, when they’re not prompted or asked anything specifically.

By systematically categorizing and quantifying this feedback, you’ll be able to make informed decisions on product features, marketing messages, and even future design innovations.

Narrative analysis: connecting through stories

What it is: Narrative analysis delves into customers’ stories to understand their experiences, decisions, and emotions throughout their journey with your brand.

• Analyze customer stories from initial contact to purchase.
• Focus on customers’ thoughts and feelings at each stage.
• Useful for identifying communication and support opportunities.

A lot of times brands are mostly interested in the beginning and end of a customer journey: how do I get in front of customers, and how do I get in their shopping basket?

But the story of what happens between those two moments is just as, if not more important. And with narrative analysis, you can help connect the dots.

You won’t just be looking at the touchpoints there were, but also what customers were thinking and feeling at each stage. By interpreting qualitative data, you can create a full story from start to finish on how customers think and feel and make decisions in your market.

And that is so much more than just a nice story. Narrative analysis shows you where you can swoop in, where you should change your communications or where you should offer more support — for a happy ever after.

Discourse analysis: shaping perceptions through conversation

What it is: Discourse analysis examines language and communication on platforms like social media to understand how they influence public perception and consumer behavior.

• Explore broader conversations around topics relevant to your brand.
• Understand cultural, social, and environmental contexts.
• Align your messaging with audience values and lead discussions.

Discourse analysis looks at the broader conversation around topics relevant to your brand. This qualitative data analysis method looks at how language and communication on platforms like social media shape public perception and influence consumer behavior.

Discourse analysis not just about what’s being said about your brand and products; it’s about understanding the cultural, social, and environmental currents that drive these conversations.

For example, when customers discuss “sustainability,” they’re not just talking about your specific packaging; they’re engaging in a larger dialogue about corporate responsibility, environmental impact, and ethical consumption.

Discourse analysis helps you grasp the nuances of these discussions, revealing how your brand can authentically contribute to and lead within these conversations.

This strategic insight allows you to align your messaging with your audience’s values, build credibility, and position your brand as a leader in meaningful sustainability efforts.

By engaging with and influencing the discourse, you can adapt to current consumer expectations but you can even take it a step further, and shape future trends and behaviors in alignment with your brand’s values and goals.

Thematic analysis: finding overlapping themes in chaos

What it is: Thematic analysis seeks to find common themes within qualitative data, moving beyond individual opinions to uncover broader patterns.

• Organize feedback into distinct themes.
• Requires systematic data collection and coding.
• Offers clear, actionable insights for different business areas.

Plenty of brands are already sitting on qualitative data from thousands of customer interactions, which might seem like a jumble of individual opinions and experiences.

You might look at them and think ‘ ha, humans really all want or value different things ’. But there will be overlap, and that is where the real value lies.

Thematic analysis aims at finding common themes in this qualitative data. You move beyond surface-level chaos by categorizing all pieces of feedback into distinct themes.

These themes could range from specific product features, such as “battery life” in electronics, to broader experiential factors, like “customer service excellence” or “ease of use.” By identifying these recurring patterns, you gain a clearer, more organized understanding of your customers’ priorities and pain points.

One of the benefits of thematic analysis is that it helps you organize a wide range of feedback into clear, actionable insights for each team in your business. You may uncover themes about the product, about communication, or other parts of your business that customers get exposed to. In other words: every business could benefit from some thematic analysis.

Grounded theory: building strategies from real feedback

What it is: Grounded theory uses early feedback from users to develop theories and strategies that meet their needs, focusing on continuous improvement.

• Start with feedback from early users or testers.
• Engage deeply with feedback to guide product development.
• Ideal for new services or products, ensuring they align with customer expectations.

For those launching a new service, grounded theory takes feedback from early users and starts building from there. It uses real, raw customer thoughts to shape a strategy that better meets their needs.

This approach isn’t just about collecting data; it’s about letting qualitative data direct your next moves, ensuring your innovations are not just shots in the dark but informed, strategic decisions aimed at fulfilling genuine customer needs.

When you adopt grounded theory, you commit to a process of continuous improvement and adaptation. As feedback starts rolling in from those first users or beta testers, you’re given a unique opportunity to see your product through the eyes of those it’s meant to serve.

This early-stage feedback is gold—unfiltered, direct, and incredibly insightful. It tells you what’s resonating with your audience, what’s missing the mark, and, crucially, how to adjust your offering for better alignment with customer expectations.

Bear in mind that when done right, grounded theory goes beyond merely reacting to feedback. It’s about proactively seeking it out and engaging with it. This means not just reading comments or reviews, but diving deeper through follow-up questions, interviews, or focus groups to really understand the why behind the feedback. 

Diving into qualitative data analysis can feel like a big task for many brands. There’s often worry about how much time it’ll take. Or how much money. And then there’s the question of whether all that detail might lead you off track instead of to clear answers.

After all, businesses move fast these days, and spending a lot of time on a research project doesn’t always fit the schedule.

But those worries don’t have to stop you. With the right plan and the best tools, you can dodge those issues. Start by creating a roadmap, so you know what the next few days, weeks or months will look like. See? It’s less daunting already.

Below, we’ll break the whole process down into simple steps. We’re going to walk through how to tackle qualitative data analysis without getting bogged down.

1. Transcribing interviews and collecting qualitative survey data

When it comes to qualitative research, if something’s said, it’s crucial. And that means you gotta write it down. Or at least have a tool to do it for you.

‘ ’I don’t wanna miss a thing’ ’ is your theme song for this step.

Every chuckle, pause, or sigh can give you insights into what your customers really think and feel. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Transcribing interviews sounds like a lot of work. Let alone conducting all of them!” 

But here’s the good news—using Attest makes this step a pleasant breeze on a hot summer night. With Attest, you can send out surveys that dive deep into all the qualitative questions you’ve been itching to ask. Our platform is designed to capture rich, detailed responses in a way that is easy to search and analyze. 

This means you don’t have to worry about spending hours transcribing interviews. The responses are already there in writing, ready for you to analyze. This doesn’t just save time; it ensures accuracy. You’re getting the unfiltered voice of your customer, directly and conveniently. No more playing detective with hours of audio recordings.

2. Organize data and identify common patterns

Next, sift through your transcribed interviews, survey responses, and notes. Your goal here is to spot patterns or themes that crop up repeatedly.

This could be similar sentiments about a product feature or shared experiences with your service. Organizing data helps you identify themes that move from scattered bits of feedback to clear, common threads that tell a bigger story.

3. Using tools to make the process easier

There are plenty of software tools out there designed to help with qualitative data analysis. These tools can help you code your qualitative data, which means tagging parts of the text with keywords or themes, making it easier to organize and analyze textual data. They can save you a heap of time and help you stay accurate and consistent in your analysis.

That’s where Attest’s innovative Video Responses come into play, offering a seamless and impactful way to gather and analyze qualitative data directly from your target audience – all in the same platform as your quantitative data.

Here’s how we transform qualitative research:

• Easy to use : Attest’s platform lets you quickly add video questions to surveys, making it straightforward to collect in-depth feedback.
• Fast insights : With automated transcriptions, you can swiftly analyze video responses, identifying key themes without the wait.
• Reliable data : Attest ensures feedback comes from a diverse, representative audience, giving you confidence in the insights you gather.
• Rich context : Video responses capture the full spectrum of customer emotions and nuances, providing a deeper understanding than text alone.
• Seamless integration : Mix qualitative and quantitative data effortlessly, for a comprehensive view of your customer base.

As consumer behaviors and preferences continue to evolve at lightning speed, it’s products like Video Responses that will help brands win more based on decisions made with a deeper understanding of their customers. Jeremy King, CEO and Founder of Attest

4. Highlight context alongside data where relevant

Understanding the context in which feedback is provided is crucial in qualitative analysis. It’s not just about what your customers are saying; it’s also about why they’re saying it at that particular moment. This deeper layer of insight can significantly impact how you interpret and act on the data you collect.

Why context matters:

• Timing : Feedback given right after a new product launch can contain initial impressions that might evolve over time. Similarly, responses collected during a major sale or promotion might be influenced by the excitement or urgency of the moment.
• External factors : Consider the broader environment. For example, feedback during a major social event, a public holiday, or even a global crisis can be colored by the emotions and experiences of that time. This can shift priorities or change the way people interact with your brand.
• Customer journey stage : The stage of the customer journey at which feedback is given can also provide important context. Early-stage feedback might focus on first impressions and expectations, while later-stage feedback could offer deeper insights into user experience and satisfaction.

How to account for context in your qualitative analysis:

• Document the circumstances : When collecting data, make a note of the timing and any relevant external factors.
• Consider the source : Different platforms can also provide context. For instance, feedback from a public social media post might differ from what’s shared in a private survey due to the public nature of the medium.
• Use context to guide action : Let the context inform how you prioritize and respond to feedback. Initial excitement might warrant a quick thank-you message, while deeper, contextual insights might lead to product or service improvements.

5. Seek participant validation

Once you’ve got some preliminary findings, it’s a good idea to circle back to your participants. This could mean confirming your interpretations with them or diving deeper into certain areas.

This will help you be sure your analysis aligns with your respondents’ intended meanings and experiences. Plus, it shows respect for their contributions and can uncover even richer insights.

6. Compile a final report with a mix of data and visualization techniques

Finally, bring your analysis to life in a report that mixes clear, concise writing with visual elements like charts, graphs, and quotes.

Visualization helps make complex insights more accessible, engaging, and persuasive. Your report should not only present what you’ve found but also tell the story of how these research findings can influence decisions and strategies.

7. Put insights into action

The real value of qualitative data analysis lies in its application. Use the insights to inform decisions, refine strategies, and better meet your customers’ needs. This is where your analytical journey makes a tangible impact on your business.

Previously when we’ve had to do qualitative research, it’s taken months and months. Attest gets the information that we need quickly. By the very next day we’re able to implement some of the changes and then go back for round two. Simon Gray, Head of Marketing, Zzoomm

Qualitative data analysis looks at the human side of data. It offers insights that numbers alone can’t provide. But like all research methods, even qualitative data analysis methods have their strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to shaping a marketing plan that hits the mark.

Advantages of qualitative data analysis

Bringing qualitative data into your strategy brings about transformative advantages that can significantly transform how your business connects with your audience and adapts to the market. Without further ado, let’s look at the benefits it brings.

Qualitative data gives you truly rich insights

Want to go beyond meeting the explicit needs of your customers, and also address their unspoken desires and creating experiences that truly matter to them? Qualitative analysis offers an unparalleled depth of understanding by capturing the subtleties and complexities of customer behavior and sentiment. 

By engaging directly with your audience through interviews, focus groups, or social media interactions, you gain nuanced perspectives that quantitative data alone cannot provide. These rich insights enable you to craft marketing strategies and product innovations that resonate on a deeper level with your audience. 

Qualitative data is a lot more flexible than numbers

Numbers can be quite limiting. The benefit of qualitative analysis is that you’re not confined to a predetermined set of questions or outcomes. 

Instead, you have the freedom to explore new directions, probe interesting findings further, and let the data guide your research process. This flexibility means your research process can evolve in real-time, responding to unexpected insights or shifting market dynamics. 

Qualitative data is great for strategic decision-making

The insights gained from qualitative analysis can significantly inform strategic decision-making. By understanding the nuances of customer feedback, you can make informed and detailed choices about where to allocate resources, which product features to prioritize, and how to position your business in the market.

You can go beyond generic moves in the right direction and make sure you hit the nail on the head on the first try, instead of slowly creeping towards it.

Qualitative research data fuels innovation and differentiation

Businesses are always looking for ways to innovate, but where to look? It’s often less obvious and loud than you think. And innovation doesn’t always have to be massively disrupting or a big pivot. Sometimes small changes made by listening to your customers’ unmet needs and emerging desires will tell you everything you need to know for your next product launch.

Innovation that brings information in from customers is often much more to-the-point than innovation that comes from inside the business, where people tend to be focused on the product and possibilities around it a lot. But try a different approach every once in a while. Listen to the people that use your product, not just the ones who create it.

Qualitative research data will fuel a customer-centric culture

Qualitative data puts your customer’s voice front and center. It highlights their stories, opinions, and feelings, making your marketing strategy more empathetic and customer-focused. This will allow you to build stronger connections with your audience.

Not by any marketing gimmicks, creating online communities or carefully curated UGC campaigns, but by speaking directly to customers’ experiences and emotions. Using qualitative data across your organization brings transformative effects, deeply embedding a culture of attentiveness, adaptability, and unwavering focus on the customer at every level of your business.

This approach does more than just inform product development or marketing strategies—it reshapes the very foundation of how your business operates and interacts with the people it was created for. 

Disadvantages of qualitative data analysis

We’re not going to pretend that qualitative data analysis is something you can do on autopilot. But while qualitative data analysis brings its set of challenges, understanding these can help you navigate through them more effectively.

Moreover, with the right tools and strategies, the benefits you gain far outweigh any of the potential drawbacks we’ve listed below. Here’s a closer look at these challenges and how to turn them into opportunities:

Qualitative data analysis can time-consuming

Yes, qualitative analysis often* demands time and resources. The depth it requires—from collecting detailed narratives to transcribing and interpreting vast amounts of text—can seem daunting. However, this investment in time is what uncovers the nuanced insights that quantitative methods might miss.

*… but not always. With Attest’s Video Responses, you get reliable qual insights fast, alongside your quantitative data!

Qualitative data analysis is pretty subjective

Of course, the interpretive nature of qualitative data analysis does introduce the risk of subjectivity and bias. But ignoring all opinions and thoughts around your product or brand is arguably worse. What this challenge underscores all the more is the importance of a structured, systematic approach to analysis.

By implementing standardized procedures for coding and analyzing data, and employing tools that facilitate consistency across the process, you can mitigate the risks of subjective bias.

And if you involve a diverse team in the analysis process and make sure you pick a representative set of respondents, qualitative research can enable a deeper, more empathetic understanding of ALL your customers; experiences and perspectives.

Qualitative data analysis methods come with scaling issues

Qualitative data collection can indeed be tricky to scale and generalize across a broader market. But who said you can only do qualitative research with in-person interviews? With the right survey tool, like Attest, you can ask quantitative questions at scale, to an audience that is large and diverse.

Our participant audience consists of 125 million people spread across 59 countries, and once you send out a survey, results can come back in mere minutes or hours. So if scalability is holding you back, online surveys with video responses are the answer.

Unlock the full potential of qualitative data analysis with Attest. Gain actionable insights, bridge the gap between raw data and emotional intelligence, and make informed decisions. Discover how Attest can support your journey to deeper consumer understanding at Attest for insights professionals and learn about our commitment to data quality .

Customer Research Manager 

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5 Qualitative Data Analysis Methods + When To Use Each

Qualitative data analysis is the work of organizing and interpreting descriptive data. Interview recordings, open-ended survey responses, and focus group observations all yield descriptive—qualitative—information. This is the opposite of quantitative data, which is all about numbers and statistics. 

Qualitative data can’t easily be cleaned, sliced, and diced like its numerical sister. So researchers use specific qualitative data analysis methods to understand the information they collect. 

The field of research recognizes five qualitative data analysis methods. We’ll quickly define each one. Then we’ll break down how to use them, when, and why.

#1. Content Analysis

Content analysis is when researchers categorize and organize words, concepts, patterns, and themes in their data. 

When You Should Use Content Analysis

Content analysis is useful for identifying trends and patterns in research. 

The trends could be literally anything. Market researchers could look at a large sample of contemporary ad campaigns to spot trends in how businesses use emotions to appeal to their customers.

Social researchers could study mommy blog posts and Instagram momfluencers from 2010 to 2020 to identify patterns about how motherhood changed in the span of a decade.

You get the idea. 

Content analysis hasis flexible, and to better understand it, get to know the two subtypes of content analysis: conceptual analysis and relational analysis. 

First, let’s look at conceptual analysis. 

When people talk about content analysis, they often mean conceptual analysis. This method involves picking a concept and then counting how often it appears in your data. The basic goal is to see how frequently certain terms come up. In general, conceptual analysis requires you to do three things: 

• Identify your question: Figure out what you want to learn from your research and choose your samples accordingly.
• Determine your level of analysis: Decide whether you want to analyze words, phrases, sentences, or themes.
• Code the text: Break the text down into manageable categories. In other words, figure out which specific words or patterns are relevant to your research question, and quantify them. This process, called coding, is made much easier with qualitative research software like QDA Miner and ATLAS.ti .

Relational analysis takes conceptual analysis a step further. It involves identifying patterns and focusing on the relationships between them, rather than studying the existence of the patterns themselves. 

There are three subtypes of relational analysis: 

• Affect extraction: Identifying and analyzing the emotions expressed within your qualitative data.
• Proximity analysis: Looking at how often and where words, phrases, or ideas appear close to each other in a text.
• Cognitive mapping: Using charts, graphs, or other visualization tools to explore the relationships between specific themes and trends. 

When To Use Content Analysis 

How do you know when to use cognitive vs. relational concept analysis?

It’s simple. 

• Use conceptual analysis when you want to quantify the presence and frequency of a specific concept. 
• Use relational analysis when you want to explore the relationships between concepts in a set of qualitative data. 

Say you run a survey to ask a group of dog owners whether they let their furry friends sleep in their beds with them. Conceptual content analysis can reveal how many times certain words are used, like “always,” “never,” “cuddle,” and “scratch.” It can also show you trends in the attitudes pup parents have about bedsharing (or not) with their furbabies. 

Relational analysis can help you explore themes among people who responded “yes” and people who said “no.” This, in turn, can help you understand the reasons behind the answers. 

#2. Narrative Analysis

Narrative analysis involves collecting stories or accounts and looking for underlying themes.  

When You Should Use Narrative Analysis

Use narrative analysis when you need to understand the stories behind client or customer experiences.

If your goal is to improve your customer journey, for instance, narrative analysis can reveal what your customers think about the journey as it is right now. What they love about it—and what they don’t.

The content you need for narrative analysis might already be out there. Do your customers or clients give reviews? Those count as narratives that can be analyzed.

But you can also be intentional and methodical about collecting the qualitative data you need for these reviews. Consider hosting one-on-one interviews with a small group of customers. Or running a focus group. Even surveys with space for long-form responses provide narratives you can dig through.

An Example of Narrative Analysis

Imagine a mid-sized retail company, Fashion ABC, is facing a decline in repeat customers. This is despite offering high-quality products—and even getting top influencers to be brand ambassadors. For some reason, though, Fashion ABC just can’t hang onto as many customers as they’d like to.

To get to the bottom of this, they decide to use narrative analysis on customer feedback collected over the past year.

Here’s how Fashion ABC runs the process, step by step.

• Gather stories : Fashion ABC collects customer stories from reviews, social media comments, and customer service call transcripts.
• Find the narratives : The team looks for personal stories within the data. They note the positive stories but focus more intensely on any narrative with a negative emotion, like anger or frustration.
• Identify themes : Next, Fashion ABC categorizes these stories to spot common themes, like “return process,” “customer service,” “product quality,” and “shopping experience.”
• Analyze patterns : In the “return process” category, the Fashion ABC team notices a trend: many customers are unhappy with the confusing return policies and especially the slow refunds.
• Draw insights : It becomes clear that although customers love the products, the complicated return process is a major pain point. Even returning something as simple as a too-big shirt or pair of pants is a major hassle. This issue shows up consistently across different feedback sources.
• Take action : Fashion ABC decides to simplify their return policy. They make it clearer and look to other companies, like Target and Costco, to figure out how to quickly refund customers. They roll out the new, easy-to-understand return policy on their website and streamline the return process.
• Check results : The narrative analysis isn’t done yet. After a few months, the Fashion ABC team gathers new customer feedback. Their goal? To see if the changes have made a positive impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

If the changes work, the team knows that the inefficient return process really was the culprit. If not, they can go back to square one and keep digging. 

#3. Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis looks at how people structure and express language within a cultural context.

When You Should Use Discourse Analysis 

Discourse analysis is a great tool to use when you want to understand how language shapes and reflects us. It’s ideal for examining how different groups or institutions communicate—and helps measure the impact of language choices. 

Take political speeches, for example. Politicians hire speechwriters for a reason. They’re looking for people who can carefully use words to influence public opinion and persuade people to a specific point of view. (Hot tip: If you’ve never done discourse analysis before, these speeches are a great place to do some practice analysis.)

Like any type of concept analysis, though, discourse analysis is helpful in just about every field. 

In education, it can highlight how the language teachers use affects learning. In healthcare, it can help researchers understand how language between doctors and patients impacts the quality of care. 

It’s also really useful in media studies. You can use it to look at how news outlets frame specific stories, which can reveal hidden biases. All it takes is looking at one news story from the point of view of five different publications to see how the language used in each one might influence the reader to a specific viewpoint.

In short, discourse analysis doesn’t just help you understand what is being said. It also helps you understand why it’s being said the way it is. 

An Example of Discourse Analysis

Let’s pretend we’re analyzing an ad for a new herbal tea. Here’s the general process we’d take for discourse analysis.

First, we’d choose a specific ad promoting a brand of herbal tea.

Then we’d look for recurring themes within the images. Does the ad emphasize relaxation? Health benefits? Luxury? All three?

Let’s look at the image below, which shows a billboard for Pukka tea. Specifically, for a tea that’s meant to help people get ready for a good night’s sleep. 

Let’s look at what words and phrases the company uses to communicate these themes. 

There’s not a lot on the billboard, but what’s there is powerful: “Unwind with Nature.” Pukka’s signature twisty vines and flowers bookend the corners of the billboard, and the purple hues and steam rising from the cup help complete the ad. 

The language here is telling us that with Pukka tea, we can relax and look forward to a good night’s sleep. It also suggests that by drinking Pukka tea, we’re connected to nature—even in the middle of a city.

#4. Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis involves looking at a set of qualitative data, like interview transcripts or survey responses, and extracting meanings and themes from it. 

When To Use Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is helpful for finding ideas—aka themes—in qualitative data. You can use it to analyze things like interview transcripts, open-ended survey responses, focus group discussions, and just about any type of qualitative data you collect or source from elsewhere.

And with today’s AI-powered tools like NVivo and ATLAS.ti , thematic analysis is easier than ever. (More on how to use AI for content analysis in a moment.)

Thematic analysis is especially useful early on in your research, especially when you’re trying to generate new ideas. Or when you’re exploring a topic without any specific hypotheses in mind.

For example, if you’re in healthcare research, you might use thematic analysis to understand how patients feel about a new treatment. In education, it can help you explore what teachers think about a new curriculum. In the business world, it’s useful for analyzing customer feedback to spot common complaints.

An Example of Thematic Analysis

Let’s say we’ve decided to use thematic analysis to analyze customer feedback for our new coffee shop. To begin, we collect and read through 50 customer reviews. Our goal is to look for recurring words or phrases that point to specific ideas—things like “friendly staff,” “cozy atmosphere,” and “long wait times.”

Next, we’ll group these elements into broader themes. “Friendly staff” and “cozy atmosphere” go in a “Positive Experiences” category. Points like “pricey menu” and “long wait times” go under a “Needs Work” category.

From there, we can summarize our findings and use them to make improvements to our new coffee shop. 

#5. Grounded Theory 

Grounded theory is a way of trying to understand the meanings of peoples’ actions—based on their own interpretations of those actions. 

When You Should Use Grounded Theory

You should use grounded theory when you’re trying to use your data to develop a theory, rather than the other way around. Grounded theory is particularly useful when existing theories about something don’t really fit, and you’re looking for a different angle or answer.

For instance, let’s say you’re studying how people adapt to remote work in a field like telehealth. With grounded theory, you can use participants’ actual experiences and interactions to generate theories and better understand the topic of your research. 

So why is it called grounded theory, anyway? 

The answer lies in this definition of grounded theory, which comes to us from a 2021 article titled, “Grounded theory: what makes a grounded theory study?” in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing : “The focus of [grounded theory] is to generate theory that is grounded in data and shaped by the views of participants.”

In other words, it’s a qualitative research method that invites theory to originate from the ground up, instead of the other way around. 

An Example of Grounded Theory 

Imagine you want to develop software to help digital nomads keep track of their working hours and block distractions. (For reference, digital nomads are people who work remotely using technology and travel as they work.)

There’s not much existing research on how these folks manage their work-life balance or connect with other people. It must be hard, since they’re always on the go. How do they do it? What does it mean for their work-life balance? You want to use grounded theory to learn more about this growing segment of people so your product can support their needs.

To collect data, you start by surveying a variety of self-proclaimed digital nomads. You also spend time observing online forums like Reddit to get more of an insider perspective.

As you dig into the survey responses and your observation notes, you start the coding process. To do this, you identify concepts like “flexible work hours,” “isolation,” “community support,” and “travel logistics.”

Next, you connect these concepts into broader categories. For instance, “flexible work hours” and “travel logistics” might merge into a category called “lifestyle management,” while “isolation” and “community support” could come together under “social dynamics.”

Finally, you refine these categories into a new, core theory. You might come up with the idea that digital nomads thrive by balancing autonomy and flexible scheduling with community support. This theory highlights how digital nomads create routines that help them manage work and travel. At the same time, they rely on online and physical communities to fill their social cup. 

Your grounded theory suggests that the sustainability of the digital nomad lifestyle hinges on balancing personal freedom, structured but flexible work hours, and social connectedness.

At the end of this journey, you’ve decided to build software that provides digital nomads with a one-stop shop for logging work hours, blocking distractions, and connecting with other nomads. 

How to Use AI With Qualitative Data Analysis

AI is a hot-button topic, but there’s no question it can help with qualitative analysis. It can’t—and shouldn’t—do all the work for you, though. 

Here’s a quick round-up of Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to using AI in qualitative analysis.

• Use AI for data cleaning : AI tools can do the mindless tasks humans take forever to do, like transcribing interviews, removing duplicates, and organizing qualitative data.
• Use AI for initial coding : AI can also do a great job helping you with the coding process. How? By identifying frequent terms in the text. Some tools can help you organize those terms into broader theme groups, too.
• Use AI for visualizing data: AI can help you create graphs and other visual representations of data, which makes it easier to digest and study.

Don’t:

• Use AI for anything else. No, really. AI is not human, and it can’t make interpretations, draw conclusions, or basically do any of the heavy thinking necessary in qualitative analysis. It’s great for eliminating busywork, but you’ve got to use your own brain and experience as a human to do all the rest. 

Tools like ATLAS.ti, Nvivo, and Tableau can help you with the AI-friendly parts of qualitative research. Trust your experience as a human being to help you with the rest.

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Diverse Methods of Marketing Research and

Their applications: a guide to business success.

In the previous article , we discussed the purpose and importance of marketing research in detail. By capturing market voices accurately and understanding consumer needs, you can build a foundation that supports your business growth. Marketing research is a powerful tool that underpins this process.

What marketing research methods are currently available? And how are they useful in different business scenarios? Marketing research can be broadly categorized into two main types: “qualitative research” and “quantitative research.” Each of these methods has its own strengths and applicable scenarios. Additionally, desk research is effective as a supplementary information-gathering method.

In this article, we will introduce the characteristics and benefits of each type of marketing research and specific applicable scenarios. This will help you choose the most suitable research method for your business challenges and develop more effective strategies.

Types of Marketing Research

Marketing research can be categorized primarily into two main types: "qualitative research" and "quantitative research." Each research method has unique characteristics and advantages, and it is crucial to use them appropriately, depending on the situation. The primary data obtained from "qualitative research" and "quantitative research" requires manual data collection, which can be time-consuming and costly. However, this effort can yield new unique information that only some know, allowing you to acquire valuable yet widely unavailable data.

In marketing research, it is efficient to review secondary data through desk research first and then collect any missing information as primary data.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is a method designed to gather data in the form of numbers or objective indicators by having respondents choose from predefined options. This method enables extensive data collection and works well when collecting objective facts. Below are some commonly known methods of quantitative research:

Internet Research : This method involves collecting data by having eligible respondents complete surveys online. It is cost-effective, requires less effort, and can be conducted in short-term research, making it the mainstream method for quantitative research today.

Mystery Shopping : This involves sending researchers disguised as customers to stores or other service locations to evaluate service quality, staff behavior, and other aspects. It offers the advantage of capturing actual service conditions.

Face-to-Face Interviews : This method involves researchers visiting respondents at their homes or workplaces to conduct interviews. The advantage of this approach is that it allows for the presentation and discussion of actual products or advertisements during the interview.

Mail Surveys : This involves sending questionnaires to respondents by mail, which they complete and return. It is beneficial for reaching older generations who may not use the internet.

Automated Telephone Surveys : This method uses an automated voice response system to conduct surveys. Respondents follow voice prompts and press keys to provide answers. It allows for rapid data collection without human intervention.

• Omnibus Surveys : This method involves multiple companies adding their questions to a shared survey, thus distributing the data collection costs between them. Each company receives responses to its specific questions only. It is cost-effective and allows for quick data collection.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a method where respondents are allowed to express themselves freely, and their words are the data themselves. This approach works well when you want to understand consumers' emotions, opinions, and reasons for their behavior or when you want to explore complex issues that are difficult to quantify or the motivations behind consumer actions. Below are some representative methods of qualitative research.

Focus Groups : This method involves conducting a discussion session where participants talk about a specific theme, and opinions and ideas are collected. It typically involves 6 to 8 participants in a group with a moderator facilitating the discussion.

Depth Interviews : This method involves a one-on-one interview between the respondent and the interviewer. It allows them to dig into topics that may be difficult to discuss in front of a larger group.

Observational Research : This anthropological method involves observing the subjects' natural behavior and activities in their environment. Cameras and recording devices are set up in sales areas to conduct interviews while watching the footage or documenting and analyzing observed behaviors.

Specific Application Scenarios and Examples

Marketing research plays a crucial role in a wide range of business scenarios. Below are some specific application scenarios and examples.

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Automotive Industry Marketing Research Case Study

• Research Objective: Measure the PR effectiveness of a taxi dispatch app
• Research Type: Quantitative research (20 screening questions + 5 main survey questions) with monthly fixed-point surveys
• Research Target: Men and women aged 20 and over. 2,000 responses for the main survey
• Research Period: 3 days

Screening questions are included in the questionnaire to group "taxi users" by area.

The survey examines first recall acquisition and usage of the dispatch app to investigate the effectiveness of PR activities by age and area. You can assess the promotional effects by comparing them with past results.

While some information cannot be conveyed fully through text alone in the questionnaire, including logo images, videos, and links to service sites ensures accurate data collection. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

IT Industry Marketing Research Case Study

• Research Objective: Brand image survey of a cloud service
• Research Type: Quantitative research (10 screening questions + 15 main survey questions)
• Research Target: Men and women aged 20 to 69, 1,000 responses for the main survey
• Research Period: 2 days

The survey aims to clarify the image of the product, brand, and company using a questionnaire, thereby understanding the accurate status of the company in the market. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Toward Future Success

Net research is a highly effective method to deeply understand consumers and aid in product development and customer acquisition. GMO Research & AI supports strategic decision-making for your business challenges. For detailed information or consultations, please feel free to contact us .

Beginner's Guide to Successful Online Survey

INDEX: Articles

Quantitative Data: Definition, Examples, Types, Methods, and Analysis

11 min read

35% of startups fail because there is no market need. This is because they haven’t conducted any customer research to determine whether the product they are building is actually what customers want.

To gather the information needed to avoid this, quantitative data is a valuable tool for all startups. This article will examine quantitative data, the difference between quantitative and qualitative data, and how to collect the former.

• Quantitative data, expressed numerically, is crucial for analysis, driving strategic decisions, and understanding consumer behavior and market trends .
• Metrics like DAU, MRR, sales figures, satisfaction scores, and traffic are examples of quantitative data across industries.
• Quantitative data is numeric and measurable, identifying patterns or trends, while qualitative data is descriptive, providing deeper insights and context.
• Nominal data categorizes information without order and labels variables like user roles or subscription types. It is often shown in bar or pie charts .
• Ordinal data categorizes information in a specific order, such as satisfaction ratings or ticket priorities, and is often shown in a bar or stacked bar chart.
• Discrete data is numerical and takes specific values, like daily sign-ups or support tickets , and is often shown in bar or column charts.
• Continuous data can take any numerical value within a range, such as user time on a platform or revenue over time, and is often shown in line graphs or histograms.
• Quantitative data is objective, handles large datasets, and enables easy comparisons, providing clear insights and generalized conclusions in various fields.
• However, quantitative data analysis lacks contextual understanding, requires analytical expertise, and is influenced by data collection quality that may affect result validity.
• Customer feedback surveys , triggered by tools like Userpilot, collect consistent quantitative data, providing reliable numerical insights into customer satisfaction and experiences.
• Product analytics tools track user interactions and feature usage , offering insights into user behavior and improving the user experience.
• Tracking customer support data identifies common issues and areas for improvement , enhances service quality, and helps understand customer needs.
• Implementing A/B tests and other experiments provides quantitative data on feature performance, helping teams make informed decisions to enhance product and user experience.
• Searching platforms like Kaggle or Statista for accurate, reliable datasets enhances product analysis by providing broader context and robust comparison data.
• Statistical analysis uses mathematical techniques to summarize and infer data patterns, helping SaaS companies understand user behavior, evaluate features, and identify engagement trends.
• Trend analysis tracks quantitative data to identify patterns, helping SaaS companies forecast outcomes, understand variations, and plan strategic initiatives effectively.
• Funnel analysis tracks user progression through stages, identifies drop-off points to enhance user experience, and increases conversions for SaaS companies.
• Cohort analysis groups users by attribute and tracks behavior over time to understand retention and engagement.
• Path analysis maps user journeys to identify users’ optimal routes, helping SaaS companies streamline and enhance the user experience.
• Feedback analysis examines responses to close-ended questions to identify user sentiments and areas for improvement.
• If you want to collect quantitative data within your product and analyze it, then learn how Userpilot can help you. Book a demo now !

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What is quantitative data?

Quantitative data is information that can be measured and expressed numerically. It is essential for making data-driven decisions, as it provides a concrete foundation for analysis and evaluation.

In various fields, such as market research , quantitative data helps businesses understand consumer behavior, market trends, and overall performance. Companies can gain insights that drive strategic decisions and improve their products or services by collecting and analyzing numerical data.

Whether conducting a survey, running experiments , or gathering information from other sources, quantitative data analysis is key to uncovering patterns, testing hypotheses, and making informed decisions based on solid evidence.

What are examples of quantitative data?

Quantitative data comes in many forms and is used across various industries to provide measurable and numerical insights. Here are some examples of quantitative data:

• Daily Active Users (DAU) : This metric counts the number of unique users interacting with a product or service daily. It is crucial for understanding user engagement and product usage trends.
• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) : For SaaS businesses, MRR is a vital metric that shows the predictable revenue generated each month from subscriptions. It helps forecast growth and financial planning.
• Sales figures : This includes the total number of products sold or services rendered over a specific period. Sales data helps in evaluating business performance and market demand.
• Customer satisfaction scores : Often collected through surveys , these scores quantify customers’ satisfaction with a product or service.
• Website traffic : Measured in terms of visits, page views, and unique visitors, this quantitative data helps businesses understand their online presence and the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
• Conversion rates : This metric shows the percentage of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, out of the total number of visitors.
• Churn rate : This represents the percentage of customers who stop using a product or service over time. It’s essential for understanding customer retention .
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) : This metric calculates the average revenue generated per user, which helps assess each customer’s value to the business.
• Bounce rate : In web analytics, the bounce rate indicates the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page. It’s useful for evaluating the effectiveness of a website’s content and user experience .

Differences between quantitative and qualitative data

Quantitative data and qualitative data are two fundamental types of information used in research and analysis, each serving distinct purposes and represented in different forms.

Quantitative data is numeric and measurable. It allows you to quantify variables and identify patterns or trends that can be generalized. For example, tracking product trends or analyzing charts to understand market movements. Some quantitative data examples include:

• The number of daily active users on a platform.
• Monthly recurring revenue.
• Customer satisfaction scores .
• Website traffic metrics, like page views.

On the other hand, qualitative data is descriptive and subjective, often represented in words and visuals. It aims to explore deeper insights, understand data , and provide context to behaviors and experiences.

Examples of qualitative data include:

• Customer reviews and testimonials.
• Interview responses.
• Social media interactions.
• Observations recorded during user tests .

Different types of quantitative data

Understanding the different types of quantitative data is essential for effective data analysis . These types help categorize and analyze data accurately to derive meaningful insights and make informed decisions.

Nominal data

Nominal data categorizes information without a specific order or ranking. It is used to label variables that do not have a quantitative value.

For instance, in a SaaS platform , user roles can be categorized as ‘admin,’ ‘editor,’ or ‘viewer.’ Subscription types might be classified as ‘free,’ ‘basic,’ ‘premium,’ or ‘enterprise.’

This data type is typically represented using bar charts or pie charts to show the frequency or proportion of each category.

Ordinal data

Ordinal data categorizes information with a specific order or ranking. It is used to label variables that follow a particular sequence.

Examples include:

• Rating customer satisfaction as ‘poor,’ ‘fair,’ ‘good,’ ‘very good,’ or ‘excellent.’
• Ranking support ticket priorities as ‘low,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘high.’
• User feedback ratings on features as ‘1 star’ to ‘5 stars.’

This type of data is typically represented using bar charts or stacked bar charts to illustrate the order and frequency of each category.

Discrete data

Discrete data is numerical values that can only take on specific values and cannot be subdivided meaningfully.

Examples include the number of new sign-ups daily, the count of support tickets received, and the number of active users at a given time.

This type of numerical data is often represented using bar charts or column charts to display the frequency of each value.

Continuous data

Continuous data is numerical information that can take on any numerical value within a range.

In a SaaS context, examples include measuring the amount of time users spend on a platform, the bandwidth usage of an application, and the revenue generated over a specific period. Continuous data, along with interval data, helps identify patterns and trends over time.

Pros of analyzing quantitative data

Analyzing quantitative data offers several advantages, making it a valuable approach in various fields, especially in SaaS. Here are some key benefits:

Provides measurable and verifiable data

Quantitative data is numeric and objective, allowing for precise measurement and verification. This reduces the influence of personal biases and subjectivity in analysis, leading to more reliable and consistent results.

Analyzing customer data using quantitative methods can provide clear insights into user behavior and preferences, helping businesses make data-driven decisions.

Enables analysis of large datasets

Quantitative data analysis can handle large datasets efficiently, enabling the identification of patterns and trends across extensive samples.

This capability makes it possible to draw broad, generalized conclusions that can be applied to larger populations. For example, a company might analyze usage data from thousands of users to understand overall engagement trends and identify areas for improvement .

Allows easy comparison across different groups, time periods, and variables

Quantitative data allows straightforward comparisons across various groups, time periods, and variables. This facilitates the evaluation of changes over time, differences between demographics, and the impact of different factors on outcomes.

For instance, comparing customer satisfaction scores before and after a product update can help assess the effectiveness of the changes and guide future improvements.

Cons of quantitative data analysis

While quantitative data analysis offers many benefits, it also has some drawbacks:

Lacks contextual understanding

Quantitative data can miss the deeper context and nuances of human behavior, focusing solely on numbers without explaining the reasons behind actions. For example, tracking user behavior may show usage patterns but not the motivations or feelings behind them.

Requires analytical expertise

Accurate analysis and interpretation of quantitative data require specialized skills . Without proper expertise, there is a risk of misinterpretation and incorrect conclusions, which can negatively impact decision-making.

Influenced by data collection quality

The reliability of quantitative analysis depends on the data collection methods and the quality of measurement tools. Poor data collection can lead to data discrepancies , affecting the validity of the results. Ensuring consistent, high-quality data collection is essential for accurate analysis.

How to collect data for quantitative research?

Collecting data for quantitative research involves using systematic and structured methods to gather numerical information. Let’s look at a few methods in detail.

Customer feedback surveys

Customer feedback surveys are a key method for collecting quantitative data. Tools like Userpilot can trigger in-app surveys with closed-ended questions to ensure consistent data collection.

Conducting these surveys quarterly or after a specific period helps track changes in customer satisfaction and other important metrics. This approach provides reliable, numerical insights into customer opinions and experiences.

Product usage data

Product analytics tools are essential for tracking user interactions and feature usage. Utilizing these tools allows you to monitor metrics such as user sessions, feature adoption , and user engagement regularly.

This quantitative data provides valuable insights into how users interact with your product, helping you understand their behavior and improve the overall user experience.

Customer support data

Tracking customer support data is crucial for quantitative research. You can record details such as ticket number, issue type, resolution time, and customer feedback by monitoring support tickets.

Organize these tickets into categories, such as feature requests , to identify common problems and areas needing product improvement . This approach helps understand customer needs and enhance overall service quality.

Experiments

Implementing experiments, such as A/B tests , is a powerful method for collecting quantitative data. By comparing the performance of different features or designs, you can gain valuable insights into what works best for your users.

Use the insights gained from these A/B tests and other product experimentation methods to make informed decisions that enhance your product and user experience.

Open-source datasets

Searching for datasets on platforms like Kaggle or Statista can provide valuable information relevant to your research. However, to avoid issues with data discrepancy , ensure these datasets are accurate and reliable before incorporating them into your analysis.

Utilizing accurate open-source datasets can significantly enhance your product analysis by providing a broader context and more robust quantitative data for comparison and insights.

Quantitative data analysis methods for gathering actionable insights

Analyzing quantitative data involves using various methods to extract meaningful and actionable insights. These techniques help understand the data’s patterns, trends, and relationships, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning .

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis involves using mathematical techniques to summarize, describe, and infer patterns from data. This method helps validate hypotheses and make data-driven decisions .

For SaaS companies, statistical analysis can be crucial in understanding user behavior , evaluating the effectiveness of new features, and identifying trends in user engagement.

By leveraging statistical techniques, SaaS businesses can derive meaningful insights from their data, allowing them to optimize their products and services based on empirical evidence.

Trend analysis

Trend analysis involves tracking quantitative data points and metrics to identify consistent patterns. Using a tool like Userpilot, SaaS companies can generate detailed trend analysis reports that provide valuable insights into how various metrics evolve.

This method enables SaaS companies to forecast future outcomes, understand seasonal variations, and plan strategic initiatives accordingly. By identifying trends, businesses can anticipate changes, adapt their strategies, and stay ahead of market dynamics.

Funnel analysis

Funnel analysis defines key stages in the user journey and tracks the number of users progressing through each stage.

This method helps SaaS companies identify friction and drop-off points within the funnel. By understanding where users are dropping off, businesses can implement targeted improvements to enhance user experience and increase conversions.

Cohort analysis

Cohort analysis groups users into cohorts based on attributes such as the month of sign-up or acquisition channel and tracks their behavior over time.

This method allows SaaS companies to understand user retention and engagement patterns by comparing how cohorts perform over various periods. By analyzing these patterns, businesses can identify successful strategies and improvement areas.

Path analysis

Path analysis maps user journeys and analyzes the actions taken by users. This method helps SaaS companies identify the “ happy path ” or the optimal route users take to achieve their goals.

By understanding these paths , businesses can streamline the user experience, making it more intuitive and efficient.

Feedback analysis

Feedback analysis involves using questionnaires and examining responses to close-ended questions to identify patterns in customer feedback . This quantitative data helps you to understand common user sentiments, preferences, and areas needing improvement.

Businesses can make informed decisions to enhance their products and services by systematically analyzing feedback.

Collecting quantitative data is important if you want a product that will succeed. Your customers are the only people who can signal your success, so speaking to them and analyzing the quantitative data you collect will help you to produce the best product you can.

If you want help collecting quantitative data and analyzing it, Userpilot can help. Book a demo now to see exactly how it can help.

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Top 10 research house methodologies.

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The world of research has evolved dramatically, driven by technological advancements and the growing demand for insightful data. With a multitude of methodologies at our disposal, researchers now face the challenge of selecting the most effective approaches to gather valuable information. This evolution brings us to the forefront of leading research techniques, which are essential for navigating complexities in various fields.

Leading research techniques encompass diverse methodologies, each designed to meet specific objectives. These techniques lay the groundwork for informed decision-making and strategic planning. By understanding and applying these methodologies, researchers can extract meaningful insights and drive impactful change, ultimately enriching their organizational knowledge and enhancing their project's outcomes.

Qualitative Research Methodologies

Qualitative research methodologies focus on understanding complex behaviors, perceptions, and experiences through rich, detailed descriptions rather than numerical data. These methodologies emphasize personal engagement with participants, allowing researchers to gather deeper insights. This aligns with leading research techniques that promote a fuller understanding of the subject matter.

Among various qualitative research methods, several stand out. Firstly, in-depth interviews allow researchers to explore individual perspectives comprehensively. Secondly, focus groups facilitate discussions among participants, revealing shared feelings and experiences. Thirdly, observations provide direct insights into behaviors within their natural context. Finally, content analysis allows researchers to interpret existing data for deeper meaning. Together, these methodologies provide a robust framework for obtaining qualitative insights that are indispensable in numerous fields of study, ensuring a valid understanding of human behavior and motivations.

In-Depth Interviews: Understanding Personal Insights

In-depth interviews are a powerful tool for gathering personal insights, allowing researchers to dive deep into the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of individuals. By engaging one-on-one with participants, researchers can uncover unique perspectives that quantitative methods might miss. This personal connection enables the exploration of intricate topics such as pain points, desires, and behavioral patterns.

Moreover, the qualitative data obtained through these interviews provide a rich narrative that adds context to statistical findings. For instance, a recruiter might express a substantial pain point regarding the hiring process, highlighting inefficiencies in evaluating candidates. These discussions offer valuable clues that can inform strategies and improve processes. Consequently, in-depth interviews play an integral role in leading research techniques, as they deliver nuanced insights that empower decision-makers to create targeted solutions.

Focus Groups: Gathering Collective Perspectives

Focus groups serve as a vital tool for gathering collective perspectives, enabling researchers to capture diverse opinions in a structured environment. These sessions consist of small groups of participants discussing specific topics, allowing for a deeper understanding of customer attitudes and behaviors. By fostering open dialogue, focus groups can unveil insights that individual surveys might miss, creating a rich tapestry of perspectives.

The process involves careful planning and facilitation to ensure all voices are heard. Researchers typically use guided questions to steer discussions while remaining flexible to new topics that may arise. The qualitative data obtained from focus groups can inform various strategies, from product development to marketing approaches. This methodology exemplifies one of the leading research techniques, demonstrating the power of collaboration in uncovering nuanced insights that drive business decisions.

Quantitative Research Techniques

Quantitative research techniques are essential tools for collecting and analyzing numerical data. These methods provide reliable insights through structured approaches, allowing researchers to identify patterns and measure variables statistically. Leading research techniques often involve surveys, experiments, and observations to quantify attitudes, behaviors, and other measurable phenomena.

When implementing quantitative research, researchers should consider several core approaches. First, surveys can gather data from a large sample to assess opinions and frequency. Next, experiments help establish causal relationships by controlling variables in a structured setting. Lastly, observational studies can offer insights into real-world behaviors without intervention. Each method has distinct advantages and helps researchers build a robust foundation for decision-making and strategy development.

Surveys: Collecting Large-Scale Data Efficiently

Surveys play a pivotal role in collecting large-scale data efficiently, making them a cornerstone of leading research techniques. They allow researchers to gather insights from diverse populations with minimal resources. By employing structured questionnaires and insightful queries, researchers can reach a broad audience and obtain valuable data quickly. This methodological approach not only streamlines data collection but also enhances the quality of insights derived.

Effective survey design should include several key components. First, ensure the clarity of questions to avoid any ambiguities. Next, utilize a mixed-methods approach by combining quantitative closed-ended questions with qualitative open-ended discussions. Additionally, employing incentives can significantly improve response rates and participant engagement. Finally, after conducting the surveys, employing robust data analysis methods will ensure the integrity of results and findings. Overall, thoughtful execution of surveys can transform the data collection process and lead to actionable insights.

Experiments: Testing Hypotheses in Controlled Settings

Experiments in controlled settings are essential to validate hypotheses within research methodologies. This approach enables researchers to isolate variables and assess the causal relationship between them. By carefully designing experiments, researchers can minimize external influences that might skew results, thus increasing the reliability of findings.

A successful experiment involves several key steps. First, researchers must clearly define their hypothesis and variables. Next, a suitable sampling method should be chosen to select participants, ensuring representation of the target population. After that, researchers should implement a control group, which does not receive the experimental treatment, to compare outcomes effectively. Finally, data analysis is crucial for interpreting results and drawing valid conclusions. These leading research techniques foster a deeper understanding of experimentation, ultimately contributing to the advancement of knowledge in various fields.

Mixed-Methods Approach

The Mixed-Methods Approach combines qualitative and quantitative research techniques, offering a comprehensive view of the data. This methodology allows researchers to explore complex questions and validate patterns identified through different lenses. Utilizing both forms of data collection enhances the richness of insights, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of research topics.

One prominent feature of this approach is triangulation, which promotes accuracy by cross-verifying information from various sources. Additionally, it fosters flexibility, enabling researchers to adapt their strategies based on emergent findings. Mixed-methods also enhance participant engagement, as diverse data collection methods can make research more relatable. By incorporating multiple perspectives, this approach aligns with leading research techniques, empowering researchers to derive deeper insights and make informed decisions based on a wider range of evidence.

Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Data for Comprehensive Insights

Combining qualitative and quantitative data enriches research methodologies and provides a well-rounded understanding of complex issues. By integrating these two approaches, researchers can capture the nuances of human behavior while reinforcing their findings with numerical evidence. Qualitative data offers in-depth insights into participants' thoughts and motivations, whereas quantitative data supplies measurable facts and trends that can be generalized across larger populations.

To effectively combine these approaches, several strategies can be employed. First, aligning research objectives ensures that both qualitative and quantitative data serve common goals. Second, using qualitative findings to inform quantitative survey design can yield more relevant questions. Finally, cross-validating results from both data types enhances the credibility of insights. These leading research techniques can guide organizations in making informed decisions, ultimately leading to more comprehensive insights that drive successful outcomes.

Case Studies: In-Depth Analysis Using Multiple Data Sources

In case studies that utilize multiple data sources, researchers employ various leading research techniques to generate comprehensive insights. By integrating qualitative and quantitative data, they can unveil deeper connections and highlight trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. For instance, combining customer interviews with survey results can enrich the understanding of consumer behavior and preferences.

A holistic approach enhances the analysis, allowing researchers to triangulate findings from different methodologies. This integration offers a robust platform for decision-making and strategy formulation. Additionally, using multiple data sources helps validate results, minimizing bias and improving the reliability of insights. By examining real-world scenarios through this lens, researchers can provide actionable recommendations tailored to specific industry challenges. The case studies serve as a testament to the effectiveness of using diverse data points to inform business strategies and improve outcomes.

Leading Research Techniques in Market Analysis

In the realm of market analysis, leading research techniques are vital for generating reliable insights. These techniques ensure that data collection is consistent and relevant, allowing organizations to make informed decisions based on accurate information. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods enhances the overall understanding of consumer behavior and market trends.

Some essential techniques include surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Surveys offer a broad reach and can capture both numerical data and opinions. Focus groups provide an interactive environment for deeper discussions, revealing the why behind consumer preferences. Interviews offer personalized insights, allowing for in-depth exploration of specific topics related to customer experiences. Utilizing these methods effectively leads to comprehensive market insights, guiding strategic initiatives that resonate with target audiences. Implementing these leading research techniques in market analysis strengthens a company's capability to adjust to dynamic conditions and fulfill customer needs.

Competitive Analysis: Benchmarking Against Industry Leaders

In the realm of research house methodologies, competitive analysis is essential. By benchmarking against industry leaders, organizations can understand how their methods stack up. This evaluation highlights strengths and uncovers areas for improvement, ultimately guiding strategic decisions. Leading research techniques not only enhance data collection but also ensure that insights are actionable and valuable.

Several key elements contribute to a successful competitive analysis. First, it’s important to identify top competitors and their methodologies. Then, assess their data analysis techniques, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness. Another critical aspect is collaboration; understanding how industry leaders share insights can inform improvements in your own processes. Finally, consider the innovative approaches competitors take to engage with their audience and gather feedback. By exploring these dimensions, research houses can refine their techniques and better serve their clients’ needs.

Consumer Behavior Studies: Understanding Buyer Motivations

Consumer behavior studies play a crucial role in understanding buyer motivations, offering insights that drive business decisions. Organizations often apply leading research techniques to analyze customer sentiments, preferences, and purchasing patterns. Through the study of emotions tied to pricing and product experience, companies can adapt their strategies to meet customer expectations effectively.

To appreciate these buyer motivations, several key aspects emerge. First, sentiment analysis allows businesses to gauge customer feelings regarding their products or services. Next, customer journey mapping provides a visual representation of a buyer's experience, identifying touchpoints that can enhance satisfaction. Finally, developing customer personas enables organizations to segment their market and tailor communications effectively. By fostering a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, businesses can increase their market share and refine their offerings in response to evolving customer needs.

Advanced Analytical Techniques

Advanced analytical techniques play a crucial role in the realm of leading research techniques. These methods allow researchers to uncover deeper insights from complex datasets, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of research findings. By employing advanced techniques such as predictive analytics, data mining, and natural language processing, researchers can interpret vast amounts of data with greater precision.

One significant aspect of these advanced techniques is their ability to identify patterns and trends that may not be visible through traditional methods. For instance, predictive analytics can forecast future behaviors based on historical data, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions. Additionally, natural language processing helps in analyzing qualitative data, such as interview transcripts, to extract meaningful insights efficiently. Overall, using advanced analytical techniques empowers researchers to generate actionable insights, thereby improving strategic direction and outcomes.

Data Mining: Extracting Hidden Patterns from Large Data Sets

Data mining involves analyzing vast amounts of data to uncover hidden patterns and valuable insights. By employing leading research techniques, organizations can identify trends that enhance decision-making and strategy formulation. With these methodologies, data scientists and researchers examine connections within data that are not immediately apparent, leading to innovative solutions in various industries.

Additionally, data mining processes can be categorized into several key techniques. These include clustering, which groups similar data points, and classification, which assigns predefined labels to data based on identified features. Furthermore, regression analysis helps in predicting outcomes by understanding relationships among variables. Lastly, association rule mining uncovers relationships between different data elements, providing actionable insights. Utilizing these techniques effectively can transform raw data into strategic advantages, making data mining a crucial component in today’s research methodologies.

Statistical Modeling: Predicting Trends with Precision

Statistical modeling utilizes mathematical frameworks to derive predictions about future trends from existing data. Its primary goal is to analyze historical patterns and identify potential future outcomes with a high degree of accuracy. By employing various techniques, researchers can transform raw data into actionable insights that inform business strategies and decision-making processes, showcasing some of the key leading research techniques in the industry.

Key elements in statistical modeling include regression analysis, time series analysis, and machine learning algorithms. Regression analysis helps in establishing relationships among variables, while time series analysis focuses on trends over time. Machine learning algorithms enhance predictive capabilities by learning from data patterns automatically. Together, these methods enable organizations to foresee market dynamics and shifts, making statistical modeling an indispensable tool in research methodologies and trend prediction.

Conclusion: The Future of Leading Research Techniques

The future of leading research techniques is poised for remarkable growth, shaped by advancing technologies and evolving research needs. As organizations continue to seek actionable insights, the integration of artificial intelligence will play a crucial role. It enables efficient data scraping and summarization, significantly streamlining the research process and freeing up valuable time for analysts. This transition marks a shift towards more strategic, high-impact methodologies.

Furthermore, the increasing complexity of niche markets demands a greater emphasis on expert interviews. As traditional data sources become scarce, tapping into specialized knowledge will be essential. Looking ahead, the ability to blend human expertise with innovative research tools will define the next chapter in leading research techniques. Embracing these methodologies will enhance decision-making and lead to more informed investment strategies.

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The hotel architectural design factors influencing consumer destinations: a case study of three-star hotels in hua hin, thailand.

1. Introduction

2. literature review, 2.1. the characteristics of hotels in aesthetic perception and evaluation approach, 2.2. the characteristics of hotels in physical comfort approach, 2.3. the characteristics of hotels in emotional comfort, safety, and security: influencing consumer perceptions, 2.4. sensitivity of mind approach: influencing consumer emotions and decision-making, 3. methodology, 3.1. data sources, 3.1.1. professional group, 3.1.2. consumer group, 3.2. data collection, 3.2.1. in-depth interviews with professionals, 3.2.2. open-ended questions with the consumer group, 3.2.3. developing a questionnaire for consumer groups, collection of main data, 3.3. data analysis, 4.1. aesthetics perspectives, 4.2. physical comfort perspectives, 4.3. emotional comfort perspectives, 4.4. security and sensibility of mind perspectives, 5. conclusions and discussion, author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Share and Cite

Sirirat, S.; Thampanichwat, C.; Pongsermpol, C.; Moorapun, C. The Hotel Architectural Design Factors Influencing Consumer Destinations: A Case Study of Three-Star Hotels in Hua Hin, Thailand. Buildings 2024 , 14 , 2428. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082428

Sirirat S, Thampanichwat C, Pongsermpol C, Moorapun C. The Hotel Architectural Design Factors Influencing Consumer Destinations: A Case Study of Three-Star Hotels in Hua Hin, Thailand. Buildings . 2024; 14(8):2428. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082428

Sirirat, Sanawete, Chaniporn Thampanichwat, Chotewit Pongsermpol, and Chumporn Moorapun. 2024. "The Hotel Architectural Design Factors Influencing Consumer Destinations: A Case Study of Three-Star Hotels in Hua Hin, Thailand" Buildings 14, no. 8: 2428. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082428

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Evaluation of the LEAP 1000 Program in Ghana: Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to understand processes and mechanisms of impact

Since March 2008, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in Ghana has been implementing the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) program, a cash transfer for extremely poor households. A new initiative, LEAP 1000, was implemented in 2015-2018 targeting children in the first 1000 days of their life to improve nutrition and well-being in households with pregnant women and children under 12 months of age. CPC led the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative data about the processes and mechanisms of LEAP impact collected from caregivers in an embedded, longitudinal qualitative cohort of LEAP participants and provided technical support to the quantitative evaluation implemented by UNICEF. Baseline data was collected in 2015 with endline data collected in 2018. Findings from this evaluation contribute to the growing evidence base regarding cash transfer programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Published on 7.8.2024 in Vol 26 (2024)

Exploring the Experiences of Community-Dwelling Older Adults on Using Wearable Monitoring Devices With Regular Support From Community Health Workers, Nurses, and Social Workers: Qualitative Descriptive Study

Authors of this article:

Original Paper

• Arkers Kwan Ching Wong 1 , PhD   ; 
• Jonathan Bayuo 1 , PhD   ; 
• Jing Jing Su 1 , PhD   ; 
• Karen Kit Sum Chow 2 , MSc   ; 
• Siu Man Wong 2 , MSc   ; 
• Bonnie Po Wong 2 , BSc   ; 
• Athena Yin Lam Lee 3 , BSc   ; 
• Frances Kam Yuet Wong 1 , PhD  

1 School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, China (Hong Kong)

2 Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, Kowloon, China (Hong Kong)

3 Department of Health, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Island, China (Hong Kong)

Corresponding Author:

Arkers Kwan Ching Wong, PhD

School of Nursing

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

China (Hong Kong)

Phone: 852 34003805

Email: [email protected]

Background: The use of wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), such as smartwatches, is advancing support and care for community-dwelling older adults across the globe. Despite existing evidence of the importance of WMDs in preventing problems and promoting health, significant concerns remain about the decline in use after a period of time, which warrant an understanding of how older adults experience the devices.

Objective: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of community-dwelling older adults after receiving our interventional program, which included the use of a smartwatch with support from a community health workers, nurses, and social workers, including the challenges that they experienced while using the device, the perceived benefits, and strategies to promote their sustained use of the device.

Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive approach in this study. Older adults who had taken part in an interventional study involving the use of smartwatches and who were receiving regular health and social support were invited to participate in focus group discussions at the end of the trial. Purposive sampling was used to recruit potential participants. Older adults who agreed to participate were assigned to focus groups based on their community. The focus group discussions were facilitated and moderated by 2 members of the research team. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the constant comparison analytical approach to analyze the focus group data.

Results: A total of 22 participants assigned to 6 focus groups participated in the study. The experiences of community-dwelling older adults emerged as (1) challenges associated with the use of WMDs, (2) the perceived benefits of using the WMDs, and (3) strategies to promote the use of WMDs. In addition, the findings also demonstrate a hierarchical pattern of health-seeking behaviors by older adults: seeking assistance first from older adult volunteers, then from social workers, and finally from nurses.

Conclusions: Ongoing use of the WMDs is potentially possible, but it is important to ensure the availability of technical support, maintain active professional follow-ups by nurses and social workers, and include older adult volunteers to support other older adults in such programs.

Introduction

Technological advancements have facilitated the self-management of chronic diseases among community-dwelling older adults. Wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), such as smartwatches, are among the common technological tools that assist older adults with health monitoring, physical and cognitive training, medication reminders, and fall prevention [ 1 , 2 ]. The literature shows that WMDs are effective at reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases [ 3 ], increasing the physical activity levels [ 4 ], and improving the quality of life [ 5 ] of older adults. However, despite the benefits and high adoption rate of these wearable devices, there is a lack of studies demonstrating the adherence rate of older adults in maintaining consistent use of WMDs [ 6 - 8 ]. A survey with a sample of >4000 Canadian adults revealed that 33% of the participants did not use WMDs to monitor their health on a regular basis [ 9 ]. Similarly, another survey conducted in Australia reported an abandonment rate of 29% for WMDs, without specifying the population [ 10 ]. Physical disability, a lack of knowledge about the functions of wearable devices, and technological anxiety were summarized as notable reasons for poor adherence to these devices among older adults [ 11 - 13 ].

Self-determination theory has highlighted that long-term behavioral change is determined by one’s intrinsic motivation, which is defined as one’s action driven by the enjoyment and interest in the activity itself and is affected by 3 factors: competence, autonomy, and relatedness [ 14 ]. When an individual has a sense of competence and autonomy in adopting a new behavior and has someone who is socially and psychologically connected (relatedness) to support the behavior, they are more likely to adhere to, and maintain, the behavior over the long term. Recent studies have focused on providing training sessions to help older adults familiarize themselves with the functions of WMDs and enhance their competence and autonomy. However, the results showed no difference in adherence between the participants who received the training sessions and those who did not [ 15 , 16 ]. Older adults have expressed in a qualitative study that 1 preintervention training session is not sufficient to enhance their knowledge of WMDs or resolve their technological anxiety [ 17 ]. It was suggested that nursing or peer support, with the simultaneous provision of social support, might be necessary throughout the health program to increase the intrinsic motivation of older adults to adopt WMDs [ 15 ]. However, there have been limited studies on the offering of nursing or peer support for older adults in the use of WMDs. In the study by Farivar et al [ 11 ], nursing feedback was provided to older adults when their real-time step counts, which were displayed on the WMDs, were unsatisfactory. The program was found to be feasible and acceptable to older adults, but it encountered challenges such as infrequent updates of the WMDs and low engagement and retention rates. Another study, which designed a similar program that provided nursing support to older adults when abnormal vital signs were detected in the WMDs, demonstrated a high dropout rate of 21% and short-term adherence to the WMDs [ 18 ]. Recent studies emphasize the importance of implementing a clear nursing service model, such as a case management model, that encompasses problem identification, goal setting, and regular follow-up. This model aims to enhance the intrinsic motivation of older adults to consistently use new technologies, such as mobile health apps and WMDs [ 7 , 19 ], rather than relying solely on providing training sessions to them or intervening only when abnormalities in vital signs are detected through WMDs by the older adults.

Because of the perception that they might be causing trouble to others, older adults tended not to actively seek help from health care professionals and peers even when they faced technical problems or when they did not comprehend the medical jargon displayed on the device [ 11 , 13 ]. They were also concerned about their health data being transferred from WMDs to health care professionals but not receiving regular feedback [ 20 ]. In view of this, this study was to have a nurse case manager (NCM) work with the older adults to identify factors that could facilitate or hinder their use of a smartwatch and recommended that the older adults use those features of the smartwatch that are linked with their health and social problems, provided suggestions on the duration and frequency of the use of the smartwatch, and provided instructions on how to use these features in their daily routines during the 3-month intervention period. Older adults had the autonomy to adjust or modify their own schedules to ensure that they could use the features of the smartwatch efficiently and effectively. The NCM also encouraged the family members or primary caregivers of the older adults to participate and provide feedback and support. This paper describes the perceptions and experiences of community-dwelling older adults after receiving our interventional program. More specifically, we explored the challenges that they experienced during their use of the WMD, the benefits of using the WMD, and suggestions on how to promote their sustained use of the WMD. The results may provide useful insights for developing a program that can promote the continued adoption of WMDs and, in turn, improve the long-term benefits of the WMDs on health self-management among older adults.

Study Design

A qualitative descriptive design was adopted for this study [ 21 ]. This approach is not associated with any philosophical or theoretical orientation but draws on naturalistic inquiry to understand and describe how people experience a phenomenon [ 21 ]. The qualitative descriptive study is the method of choice when straight descriptions of phenomena are desired, which made it appropriate for this study. This study is reported according to the SRQR (Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist [ 22 ].

Setting and Participants

This study was conducted between June 2022 and March 2023 in collaboration with 5 community centers run by a local nongovernmental organization in Hong Kong. Using a purposive sampling approach, the members of these community centers who were interested in this program were screened and recruited into this study if they (1) were aged ≥60 years [ 23 ], (2) owned a smartphone, (3) were able to communicate in Cantonese or Mandarin, and (4) had internet access. They were excluded if they (1) had been diagnosed with cognitive impairment, (2) were bedbound, (3) owned a smartwatch, and (4) were involved in other studies using WMDs.

Recruitment Process

Staff working at the collaborating community centers invited their members to join the program using Facebook Live. Those who were interested provided their name to the staff, and trained research assistants screened them via telephone. Eligible members were invited to meet the research assistants at the community centers to receive an explanation of the details of the study and to give their written consent to take part in it. All participants received a health monitoring package that included a smartwatch with an alarm setting, a prepaid SIM card, a blood pressure monitor, and a pulse oximeter.

Interventional Program

Before the program, a 1-hour web-based training session and a practical test were delivered to all participants to explain the basic operation of the WMD. The number of a telephone manned during office hours by staff of the community center was provided to participants to call should they face any technical problems during use.

The participants were provided with a package that included a WMD (ProVista Care smartwatch), a prepaid SIM card, a blood pressure monitor, and a pulse oximeter. ProVista Care was selected as the WMD for this study due to its validated performance, affordability, and comparable functionality to other similar devices. These functions encompass fall detection; location and activity tracking; blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation monitoring; medication and appointment reminders; and calls to preset numbers and SOS calls. This selection enhances the applicability of the study’s findings to real-world implementation. Data collected from ProVista Care can be synchronized and transferred to the server via the ProVista Care app installed on participants’ personal smartphones. The WMD was designed to be worn on the wrist, securely fastened with an elastic band. Participants were instructed to wear the WMD as frequently and for as long as possible throughout the study duration.

Ten trained community health workers (CHWs), NCMs, and social workers were the interventionists in this 3-month program. The participants in the intervention group received a home visit by a CHW and the NCM in the first month and biweekly telephone calls by the CHW from the 3rd to the 12th weeks. In the first home visit, using the Omaha System, the NCM explored the features of the smartwatch that each participant might find beneficial. The Omaha System is a comprehensive assessment-intervention-evaluation instrument for community-based practice [ 24 ]. There were 21 health and social problems listed in the Omaha System that were relevant to the features of the smartwatch used in this study; for example, the feature of fall detection in the smartwatch might help participants with musculoskeletal problems or lower limb weakness. The NCM empowered the participants to set goals and action plans in the first meeting, while the CHWs followed up, recalling the goals and action plans with the participants and, in subsequent telephone calls, motivating the participants to regularly use the smartwatch. The NCM also monitored the vital signs of the participants that were automatically uploaded by the smartwatches at the backend. When abnormal vital signs were detected by the smartwatch, the NCM would call the participants via telephone and provide appropriate interventions, such as a referral to a social worker, based on the validated protocols.

Data Collection

A total of 6 in-depth focus group discussions with 22 participants were conducted at the end of this program. In-depth focus group interviews are conducted to evaluate participants’ experiences after an intervention through group interactions [ 25 ]. For studies using focus group discussions, it has been suggested that groups ranging from 2 to 40 may be adequate to attain data saturation depending on the phenomenon under investigation [ 25 ]. Thus, 6 groups were considered adequate for this study to attain data saturation. All discussions were conducted with a guide developed by the research team. The focus group interviews were conducted in Cantonese and each session lasted for 25 to 65 minutes. All interviews were audio recorded with the consent of the participants. Interview transcripts were written up by members of the research team. To ensure the consistency of coding and interpretation of data, an audit trail was conducted, and all discrepancies were resolved through discussion and consensus.

Data Analysis

All data collected from the focus group discussions were analyzed inductively using the approach to constant comparison analysis formulated by Maykut and Morehouse [ 26 ], who proposed a 4-step approach to the constant comparison of focus group data: inductive categorization, refinement of categories, exploring relationships across the categories, and integration of data [ 26 ]. In inductive categorization, AKCW and JB read and reread the interview transcripts in both English (JB) and Cantonese (AKCW) to identify recurring concepts independently. Next, overlapping concepts across the groups were categorized and combined by the 2 independent coders (AKCW and JB) to formulate provisional codes. In the second stage, that is, refining the categories of codes, the provisional list of codes was concurrently examined alongside a review of the interview transcripts. The process of categorization was undertaken through discussion with the wider research group to attain consensus. Subsequently, similar codes were grouped to formulate categories for each group. The emerging categories were then concurrently compared across the groups, with recurring categories further refined and grouped. For the third stage, we further refined the categories by grouping them under a distinct umbrella. Categories with common elements were grouped to make broader groups or emerging themes. With these themes, we worked through each group and the associated categories to attain a complete understanding and create patterns of meaning from the data.

Methodological Rigor and Trustworthiness

The trustworthiness of this study was evaluated according to four criteria: (1) credibility, (2) dependability, (3) confirmability, and (4) transferability [ 27 ]. To enhance credibility and dependability, the summarized results were sent to those participants who had agreed to check them for further clarification and to give feedback on the researchers’ interpretation. Audit trails and peer debriefings were also conducted during the analysis of data to ensure the consistency of the interpreted data to achieve confirmability. A thick description was ensured in reporting the study to enhance transferability. To attain analytical rigor, we ensured that analyses were undertaken in both Cantonese and English and compared to ensure consistency. The authors responsible for this section were fluent in Cantonese and English. The iterative approach to analysis also ensured consistent coding, with an audit trail on the decisions on coding and categorization. In addition, the constant comparison approach ensured that our focus was not only on individual-level analyses but also on analyses within and across the groups.

Ethical Considerations

This study was conducted under the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the ethics committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HSEARS20220429001). All eligible participants were given the right to refuse participation and the right to withdraw from the interview at any time. Written informed consent was collected from all participants. To protect the participants’ privacy, all data collected from this program were kept confidential and anonymized and were only accessible to the members of the research team.

Sociodemographic Data

A total of 22 community-dwelling older adults were involved in 6 focus group discussions. Of these, 5 (23%) were male, and 17 (77%) were female, with ages ranging from 62 to 78 years. Only 1 (5%) participant had experience in using a smartwatch before inclusion in the study. A total of 17 (77%) had a primary level of education, and 5 (23%) had a secondary level of education or higher. The clinical characteristics of the participants have been reported in a previous study [ 19 ].

Emerging Themes and Categories

Three themes and 7 categories emerged from the focus group data, as shown in Textbox 1 .

Challenges associated with the use of the wearable monitoring device (WMD)

• Individual-related challenges
• System-related challenges

Perceived benefits of using the WMD

• Self-monitoring and health promotion

Convenience

Strategies to promote use of the WMD

• Availability of technical support
• Ongoing follow-up professional support
• Peer and family support

Emerging Theme 1: Challenges Associated With the Use of the WMD

This theme describes challenges and concerns that affected the participants’ use of the smartwatch. The emerging categories were (1) individual-related challenges and (2) system-related or technical challenges.

Individual-Related Challenges

Participants across all groups emphasized that they were slow in learning to use the WMD and required a great deal of face-to-face instruction to be fully oriented to the device and its functionalities before being able to use it effectively. This issue particularly resonated with those who were using such a device for the first time. Some of the older adults either could not understand the instructions or needed more time to assimilate them. It took weeks to months for the older adults to become familiar with the device:

This is my first time wearing a smartwatch. When you wear the watch for the first time, you will definitely not know how to use all the functions. So, I wanted to ask everyone if they have experienced this situation before. [Participant 1]

Well...at first, it was difficult to use. But after using it for a while, it was basically okay, and we can use it on our own.... Hmm yes, actually, if someone teaches you face-to-face, you can learn it clearly first. [Participant 15]

How much time? I think three to four months to learn to use it well. [Participant 20]

For me, at first, it took a long time to use it. Sometimes, I just could not get it to work. But after a while, it became much better. For example, measuring blood oxygen and blood pressure readings became much easier for me with time. [Participant 4]

The first time I tried, I did not know how to turn on the device or turn it off. It was difficult at first. [Participant 7]

The participants also highlighted the issue of forgetfulness, which affected how well they used the device. They noted that with their increasing age, forgetfulness was a common occurrence. Some of the participants mentioned forgetting how to operate the device and the functions available during the initial period of use, although over time they were able to become better at using the device consistently:

I’m so dumb sometimes that I forget what I am doing. I sometimes cannot even figure out how to wrap a scarf around my head, not to mention how to use the watch. [Participant 13]

I am already in my late years. If you even ask me what I ate yesterday, I cannot remember. [Participant 2]

System-Related or Technical Challenges

System-related or technical challenges were encountered across all groups. The size of the WMD was considered an issue. Participants described the WMD as big, which made it difficult to wear regularly. Occasionally, the size of the watch was considered a source of ridicule. Despite the potential for being ridiculed, some of the older adults noted that they were more concerned about the functionality and capacity of the watch than its size. In addition, the smooth, glass surface of the watch’s touchscreen became slippery and unresponsive when used by the older adults in cold weather, creating usability issues:

The watch can measure blood pressure and blood oxygen levels. Your watch looks much better and looks great. Our watches are big, like big turtles, and sometimes people make fun of it. [Participant 9]

You can see that your watch is smaller than ours. Our watch is bigger, and it obstructs a lot. But even if it’s still bulky and unattractive, I think we can still wear it because it will help us. [Participant 20]

It feels really troublesome to use during cold weather. There is no problem in hot weather. [Participant 7]

The power capacity of the WMD presented a significant challenge for the participants. Participants wanted to use the WMD, but the need for frequent charging made it rather inconvenient to do so. In some cases when they wanted to use it when going out, they noticed that the WMD was low on battery. Coupled with the previously mentioned issue of forgetfulness, this meant that they missed the opportunity to charge it before going out. The participants also reported that the need to frequently charge the WMD prevented them from using it for a longer period throughout the day. This issue deterred some of the older adults from using the WMD altogether on some occasions:

Hmmm, if you know everything, the main problem with the watch is the frequent charging. That battery needs to be charged frequently—like every day. If you don’t charge it, it will just run down fast. Yes, it is so fast and when there is no electricity, things will become difficult. The need to charge is too frequent for us. [Participant 5]

Oh, so you realize that the battery is down when you wear it and then you must put it back to charge for a while. Yes, that’s right. It is very troublesome to do this every day before going out. The battery runs out quickly all the time. [Participant 9]

Another technical issue that was identified was the fact that some of the participants felt that the WMD had several functions they did not know how to use. Interestingly, other older adults still struggled to navigate through even the few functions that they were taught to use, and they occasionally experienced digital fatigue after constant use:

There may be some functions we cannot use. The watch seems to have many functions, but we do not know them all and also don’t know how to use them all. [Participant 16]

But, I realized there are so many functions on that watch that we cannot use them all. Also, some functions that were possible to use before, people found it annoying to continue to use them. That is why we do not use them frequently anymore. [Participant 9]

All participants were enthusiastic about the ability of the device to count their steps as they walked about. However, the older adults mentioned that the device gave them incorrect step counts. In 1 group, the participants mentioned that the step count function also did not display correctly. Occasionally, they used their mobile phones to obtain correct step counts. In addition to this challenge, some of the participants reported occasional challenges with uploading or transmitting data on their vital parameters:

The pedometer was malfunctioning and gave incorrect figures. When you count how many steps you take yourself and then check the watch, it doesn’t match at all. The watch and the phone both have incorrect counts all the time. [Participant 8]

It shows only a few steps, even though I walked quite a lot. Yes, our watches cannot measure many steps. My phone shows 10,000 steps, but my watch shows 2000 or 3000 steps. To be honest, the watch is not accurate when it comes to the step count. The step count displayed on my phone is not the same as the one on my phone. Yes, that is how it is. There are some differences, yes. [Participant 1]

Actually the step count is important, but it is not accurate at all. I often check it myself. Usually, I check how many steps I have taken, especially since I sit in an office for most of the day. But it is not correct when I check the watch and the phone. [Participant 16]

I tell him about my blood pressure on that day. I tell him about my blood pressure and how many steps I took that day. Sometimes, the watch cannot display the values correctly. [Participant 9]

Some of the participants also found the device to be extremely sensitive, which occasionally caused discomfort because the alarm went off immediately when it sensed a slight movement:

But the watch is too sensitive. Sometimes when I move my hands or feet, it shakes and triggers the alarm. And then it keeps telling me how long it has been and what to do. [Participant 5]

Emerging Theme 2: Perceived Benefits of Using the WMD

Regardless of the notable challenges, participants highlighted the benefits of using the WMD. These were (1) self-monitoring and health promotion and (2) convenience.

Self-Monitoring and Health Promotion

Participants across all groups stated that the WMDs offered them an opportunity to self-monitor some vital parameters, such as blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels. The older adults found this feature to be particularly helpful because it helped them to record their parameters, track them, and share them with health care professionals and to ascertain whether they were maintaining a good health status. Indeed, the use of the device boosted the confidence of older adults across all groups in their ability to actively participate in self-management, particularly because the NCM actively followed up to enable them to attain their health goals:

Um, measure blood pressure and blood oxygen levels at the same time. Well, we know now. We know our blood pressure and blood oxygen levels. It helps us to maintain our health by making us aware of the condition of our body and whether it is normal or not.... At night, I have a blood pressure machine and I can measure my blood pressure every night. [Participant 2]

Also, it gives a different perspective on managing your health with more information available to you. For instance, I know how much I walked today. [Participant 8]

Yes, definitely. Using the watch gave me a lot of confidence. I wear it at home and when I go out. The nurse also reminded me to walk a certain amount of time every day, and even though I forget, I still try my best to walk more. The most important thing is to try and walk more. [Participant 4]

And at home, I don’t know how high or low the blood sugar is. If I know, I can control it by myself at home. If it is high, I will eat less. It is good to be clear about the blood sugar. For the nurses, it would be helpful if they could find my place and remind me of something regularly. [Participant 14]

The best function would be to be able to monitor your health and detect any potential illnesses. [Participant 19]

The participants expressed a desire for more regular follow-ups by the nurses and an option to monitor their blood glucose levels in addition to blood pressure and blood oxygen levels:

I just think it would have been helpful if the device can also help you to monitor your blood sugar levels just like it helps to monitor blood pressure and blood oxygen levels. [Participant 5]

Oh, she sometimes follows up on us with home visits and phone interviews. Yes, but what about the rest of the time? If the nurse does not contact you, you won’t actively look for her, right? Besides, the nurse does not come to the center every day. The nurse is also busy with her work, so where would she have the time? So, in some instances, if you are not feeling better, you go and see a doctor. [Participant 13]

Although the step count feature of the WMD was described as inaccurate, the participants felt that it was still helpful to know how many steps they had taken because that motivated them to go out more often rather than stay at home. Being able to compare their step counts with others gave them a sense of accomplishment, especially if they found them to be higher than those of their colleagues:

But I don’t really care so much about how many steps I take in a day. However, it can still calculate something for you. For example, if the doctor tells you how many steps you need to take in a day, the watch can help you to keep track of it. Maybe we don’t really need it because our phones can also count the steps. [Participant 2]

I take so many steps every day. Many people can vouch for me. I am the best here; I take so many steps. After finishing my chores at home, I come down and do some healthy dancing, and walk around the center. According to them, I am the best. [Participant 14]

Because you can show off to others, like the person you are exercising with, and say, look I have burned this much fat, right? [Participant 9]

Participants also mentioned that the device helped them to not only record their vital parameters but also to view these records regularly. Regarding the promotion of health, the participants noted that the device helped them to participate in regular exercises and to build the confidence they need to meet health-related goals:

So, wearing a watch can make you want to do more exercise, right? Because when you wear a watch, you want to see how many steps you have taken, which makes you want to move more. [Participant 6]

For participants across the groups in this study, the WMD offered a sense of convenience in being able to monitor their vital parameters, record the values, track them, and share them with the nurse if required. The notion of convenience was also noted to be related to the ease with which the older adults navigated the device to inform their self-management strategies. In addition, that they did not have to be in a hospital to assess these basic vital parameters was something the older adults considered very convenient. In fact, they could monitor the basic vital parameters from the comfort of their home and even when moving about in the community:

With the watch, there is a guide, and I am afraid to be lazy about moving around and not walking around. But when I think about the watch, I have the confidence to do it. In the past, I just sat at home all day, talking on the mobile phone about how many thousands of steps I have to walk, and now I just go out and do it myself. [Participant 10]

In addition, the aspect of being able to reach out and interact with a nurse or having a nurse follow up on an older adult whose parameters were outside the normal range was considered to be convenient. This may be related to the fact that the participants felt that they were not only using the device but also being professionally supported by a nurse:

Yes, if the nurse thinks the blood oxygen is low, she will remind you to do it before and again. Then if something happens to you, you will know to see a doctor. [Participant 5]

At least, the blood pressure can be seen by the nurse. And the blood oxygen levels can be seen with a press of the finger. However, the step count is not accurate. [Participant 15]

The social aspect of the watch, such as being able to take pictures and share these with families and friends, was considered helpful and made life more convenient for the older adults. In other words, it added a bit of fun to using the device:

I discovered a new function or new feature. It is completely possible to use the watch to take a photo and share. Yes, so it is so much more convenient. [Participant 3]

It is best if there is nothing wrong with it. The best thing to do is to take a photo of that watch and the stick together after we finish the test, and it will be the most accurate. It is comfortable and makes life more convenient, I think. [Participant 5]

Another source of convenience was noted to be related to the fact that the wearable devices afforded older adults or their families a unique opportunity to track their whereabouts. The older adults found this feature particularly helpful because they considered themselves to be forgetful on occasion, and this feature helped them to retrace their steps to their original location or helped others to know where they were:

The best feature of the device is the tracking. Some people have a poor memory, or they may not be able to find their way home. In that case, their family members can locate them using the tracking feature. [Participant 21]

Mr Choi once tracked us. I got lost and could not find my way home. I got scared and started sweating. Mr Choi tracked my watch and found me at the Che Kung Temple. [Participant 2]

This is where technology has advanced. The most useful thing is when someone is lost. If he wears the watch, you can find him and track where he has been. Then you can find him using the tracking function. [Participant 14]

Sometimes when I go somewhere far, I don’t know where I am, and I cannot see clearly due to my glaucoma. One time, I had to go to the other side for the lunar new year, but I took the wrong bus and did not know where I was. Luckily, I was able to use the watch to track my way. [Participant 6]

Emerging Theme 3: Strategies to Promote Use of the WMD

This emerging theme discusses approaches observed in the data that highlight strategies to sustain continual use of the device. The following categories were captured: (1) availability of technical support, (2) ongoing follow-up professional support, and (3) peer and family support.

Availability of Technical Support

The plethora of technical issues emerging from the use of the device warrants ongoing availability of technical support. This great need was mentioned by participants in all groups and was particularly felt when the device developed a fault or broke down, or the participants needed more assistance in navigating through the functions:

The watch broke down and we did not know how to fix it. Someone at the center said he knew how to turn it back on. We tried for a while, but it still did not work. So, I said forget it. I did not wear it. I only wore it for ten days before, and just for measuring blood pressure at home. [Participant 14]

Although some of the participants sought assistance from the social workers, most older adults hesitated to disturb the personnel and therefore avoided seeking assistance altogether, regardless of the technical challenges that they were facing:

So, it is changed. Actually, you also changed and regarded it as a planned situation, and I did not dare to worry the nurse or the supervisor. So, if there is a problem with the watch, I must handle it on my own. [Participant 10]

In addition, the participants mentioned that they needed more technical support to access other functions on the watch because they found it difficult to perform this task:

And I don’t understand why so many functions need to be locked, except the panic button. I wondered if there was help for us to unlock these functions on the watch. [Participant 7]

We tried to figure it out but could not do it and we needed lots of help. In the end, it suddenly made a sound, and we could not figure out how long it had been, it just happened. [Participant 16]

There are too many things to handle. If you suddenly introduce ten functions for us to use, how can we remember them? You are not teaching a class, you won’t be able to remember them either. [Participant 11]

Ongoing Follow-Up Professional Support

Although the device was helpful in various ways, the older adults still preferred to have nurses follow up actively with them. For the participants across all groups, this form of support was generally limited, and they wished that they had interacted more with the nurses to be able to interpret the values that they obtained and to seek more health-related information. Perhaps the nurse support centered on following up on older adults with abnormal readings. Thus, those who maintained readings within normal ranges had limited contact with the nurses. The participants also felt that the limited support that they received from the nurses might have affected how well they met their health-related goals:

They [the nurses] do a good job when they call or visit you. With the watch, you set a goal with the nurse, which motivates you to do more. But they are not always there. It is helpful if they can find my place so that they can remind me of something I don’t know. [Participant 19]

Aside from ongoing professional support from nurses to keep the participants motivated in meeting their health-related goals, support from social workers is equally important to promote their continued use of the devices. Social workers played critical roles in promoting the use of the device by offering troubleshooting support, helping the participants to navigate through the device, and offering encouragement. In fact, it seemed as though the older adults who participated in the study trusted the social workers more than they did the nurses and were willing to always seek assistance from them. The older adults seem to have built a strong relationship with the social workers, which made it easier for them to seek assistance from them if required:

They do help us a lot and encourage us. Whenever there is a problem, we always look for him to help us out. He is the most reliable. He is very responsible, and he is always willing to help us. [Participant 5]

I did not even know how to turn off my phone. He said to turn off my phone, do it this way. He really taught us a lot of things. [Participant 10]

Peer and Family Support

Peer support from the CHWs also emerged as a critical factor to sustain the ongoing use of the WMD. These older adult volunteers or older adult ambassadors often offered encouragement to the participants to continue to use the device, record their values, and work toward meeting their health-related goals. Participants across the groups highlighted that it was occasionally difficult to gain access to a nurse; thus, the older adult volunteers or older adult ambassadors became the first point of call for assistance before reaching out to the social workers:

It is not so easy to find or see a nurse on some days. The volunteers have done this before, so we can reach out to them. There are days when you will forget to write the values, and they will remind you to do so. [Participant 16]

Aside from peer support, family support was also observed to be helpful in encouraging the older adults to use the WMD as required. Thus, older adults who resided alone with limited or no family support found it difficult to monitor and continually use the device to promote health:

They said that I fall frequently and have fallen several times before. I must be careful now that I am getting older. If anything happens to me, it would be troublesome because I live alone. [FG2]

Principal Findings

Emerging technologies such as wearable devices are advancing care and support for older adults in communities across the globe. Despite the plethora of literature highlighting the importance of wearable devices, significant concerns remain about the decline in use after a period of time. The world’s aging population is booming, but only a limited amount of work has been done to unearth the experiences of older adults regarding the use of wearable devices. This critical gap informed this study, which was part of a large trial program. The findings bring to the fore the challenges experienced by older adults regarding the use of wearable devices, which were identified as individual- and system-related challenges. The findings of the study further highlight the perceived benefits of the devices, particularly in the areas of self-monitoring, health promotion, and convenience. In addition, the study identified a hierarchical pattern of health-seeking behaviors of older adults when using the devices. Put together, the findings highlight that ongoing use of the devices is possible, although there is a critical need to ensure the availability of technical support and ongoing active professional follow-up by the health care team (notably nurses and social workers) and to include older adult volunteers to support other older adults in such programs.

Previous studies have uncovered various technical issues associated with using wearable devices. In a recent study, the authors identified interoperability, battery issues, the bulky nature of the device, a lack of personalization, and a lack of support as key issues that affected the use of the device [ 28 ]. Similar to this finding, our study also noted similar technical issues that affected the use of the devices. By contrast, however, it was noted in our study that regardless of these issues, older adults were willing to continue using the device because they believed that doing so was to their benefit. Despite this, we observed that issues related to individuals can also affect the use of wearable devices among older adults. For most of the older adults included in this study, this was the first time they had to use a wearable device, and they needed more time to become acquainted with it. Although issues such as forgetfulness may be considered part of the aging process, these findings suggest that aside from intensive training on how to use the device, there is still a need for ongoing technical support to boost its use. In addition, instruction manuals need to be more user-friendly and easily comprehensible for older adults. Comprehensibility is essential; we observed in this study that the user manuals were unclear, which may have had an impact on how well the participants made use of the WMD.

The inclusion of professional and peer support in this study is particularly noteworthy. An existing study showed that it might be necessary to provide nursing or peer support throughout the duration of the health program to increase the intrinsic motivation of older adults to adapt to WMDs and to provide social support at the same time [ 17 ]. In our study, which combined both professional and peer support, we observed that older adults did not want to disturb the nurses. Rather, they felt more comfortable consulting the older adult volunteers first, before reaching out to the social workers and, last of all, to the nurses if necessary. This hierarchical pattern of health-seeking behaviors may be an indication that older adults viewed the older adult volunteers as peers sharing similar experiences and conditions, which made it easier to relate to them than to the professionals. Nurses were perceived by older adults to be busy professionals. Thus, the participants would rather resort to seeking support from social workers, although they wished they had more interactions with the nurses. Put together, the findings suggest that nurses may need to take an active role in reaching out to older adults and being available when needed, regardless of whether they are using the wearable device. The concept of peer support also needs to be promoted further by engaging other older adults as volunteers to support older adults who are transitioning to using wearable devices. A recent study has shown that peer-to-peer support for community-dwelling older adults has the potential to not only promote adherence to therapeutic regimens but also to improve their quality of life, which warrants further exploration [ 29 ].

Furthermore, we observed that the ongoing availability of technical support and family support is also essential to promoting the use of wearable devices. It is possible that technical support may be available but unknown to the older adults or that they may not want to disturb others. Thus, older adults need to be encouraged to seek help if needed and should know where to obtain this help. Regarding family support, it remains a major cornerstone of support for older adults [ 30 ]. The absence of this form of critical support may lead to loneliness, which can exacerbate health issues and interfere with therapeutic regimens, including the use of wearable devices [ 31 ]. Undoubtedly, expanding on the notion of family support is beyond the scope of this study, but it is possible to recommend that older adults with limited or no family support need to be identified and appropriate strategies devised to assist them.

Moreover, we identified both individual- and system-related issues that can adversely impact the use of WMDs. Individual-related factors such as slow learning patterns and forgetfulness were highlighted by the participants as impacting how they initially navigated the WMD. Undoubtedly, aging is not a disease, although it can be associated with forgetfulness, which can impact activities of daily living [ 32 ]. Forgetfulness coupled with the slow learning patterns emphasize the need for continuous, gradual education to enable older adults to use WMDs effectively [ 33 ]. System-related challenges such as the size of the WMD and its limited power capacity are concerns that need to be addressed in subsequent design studies. In addition, concerns regarding the WMD generating incorrect readings also emerged as a system-related challenge. Previous studies have reported that a common problem with wearable devices is the likelihood of experiencing automatic loss of synchronization, making it difficult or impossible to update data or resulting in an incorrect report [ 34 , 35 ]. Although loss of synchronization was not examined in this study, it may have potentially contributed to the incorrect readings observed by the older adults in this study.

Strengths and Limitations

The strength of this study lies in the use of a rigorous approach to collecting and analyzing data with a focus on individual, within-group, and across-group variations to attain a thick description of what it means to experience the use of a wearable device. This strength notwithstanding, some limitations are noteworthy. First, the experiences of the participants are related to the use of a particular wearable device with distinct features. Thus, the findings may not necessarily be transferable to all wearable devices, although they may offer a useful resource on how older adults are likely to experience using the devices. Second, the study was undertaken in a region with distinct sociocultural features. The findings should therefore be interpreted taking these unique features into consideration. In addition, the nature of the program was such that the older adults were required to have some technological abilities. Thus, the findings may not be transferable to older adults who find it difficult to use technological applications.

Conclusions

Emerging technologies, such as wearable devices, for supporting community-dwelling older adults warrant more work on how users are experiencing these devices. The findings from this study bring to the fore the barriers and benefits of wearable devices and offer insight into strategies that can be considered to improve use. Because of issues that might emerge, it may be helpful to consider the availability of ongoing technical support, professional follow-up support, peer support, and family support. In fact, a personalized approach is needed to promote the use of wearable devices among older adults.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service for providing the smartwatches and participating in and contributing to this study. The study was funded by the Departmental General Research Fund, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (G-UAQ2).

Data Availability

The data sets generated and analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Authors' Contributions

AKCW and FKYW conceptualized the interventional program. AKCW, JB, JJS, FKYW, KKSC, BPW, SMW, and AYLL provided intellectual input on the study design, methodology, and evaluation. AKCW and JB drafted the manuscript. AKCW analyzed the data. All authors contributed to, reviewed, and approved the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

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Abbreviations

Edited by T de Azevedo Cardoso; submitted 27.05.23; peer-reviewed by M Keivani, I Madujibeya, A AL-Asadi; comments to author 06.12.23; revised version received 14.01.24; accepted 24.05.24; published 07.08.24.

©Arkers Kwan Ching Wong, Jonathan Bayuo, Jing Jing Su, Karen Kit Sum Chow, Siu Man Wong, Bonnie Po Wong, Athena Yin Lam Lee, Frances Kam Yuet Wong. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 07.08.2024.

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