Have technology, will investigate

Editor’s note: Amy Savin is chief strategic thinker and insight gatherer at Wishful Thinking, a Chicago research firm.

The newest tools being offered in the online research world are a big improvement on the first platforms that emerged in the virtual world. Their breadth and depth are astonishing to qualitative research consultants (QRCs) and clients alike who are used to in-person qualitative or who rely on the original technologies that were developed for online research. The online platforms are constantly incorporating new features and improving the ones they have so there is always something fresh to try out.

To keep up to date with the most cutting-edge tools, many QRCs contact the various vendors periodically to hear about the new online features. Having just done that for a client project, I decided to share some of my findings by creating a list of some of my favorites. I am not arguing these are the best; they are just the ones that I find intriguing and that have direct applicability for the type of projects on which I work. You may have an entirely different list of favorites - and I’d love hear from you about them.

The first four tools that made my list of favorite things offer a seismic shift in the ability of a QRC to get reactions from a respondent at the optimal time and in the optimal place. They are a true alternative to on-location research and I believe these will soon become a common component of research projects. The next two tools are simply so engaging that respondents are too busy enjoying themselves to remember they are actually contributing to a research study. With such engagement comes deeper insight mining. The last tool I discuss gives the QRC easy-to-use features to create more memorable and compelling reports, ones that can enhance the reputation of QRCs with their clients. All of the tools can be deployed quite rapidly and can shorten the overall length of a project while increasing the quality of the work. So throw away your GPS and explore the ever-widening world of online research tools.

Text-message postings to discussion boards

A QRC poses a question via text message and respondents reply using their smartphone from wherever they might be. Imagine asking respondents what they are planning to make for dinner at five o’clock in the evening and then asking again at eight o’clock what actually happened and why it may have changed. Or asking a frequent headache sufferer to text at the onset of his next headache and describe where he is and what he does about it. In my opinion it’s the perfect tool to get in-the-moment reactions without following the respondent around all day or all week and intruding on the moment. Further, these texts tend to be very heartfelt and emotive and evoke great builds and reactions from the other respondents on the discussion board.

At least one of the commercially-available platforms has a setup such that the texts automatically populate an ongoing discussion board. Another has a stand-alone texting system that populates a spreadsheet that is e-mailed to the QRC twice daily.

The advantage of the first setup is an uninterrupted flow of the exchange among all respondents. They will frequently respond empathetically upon viewing a text from another participant and the reactions and comments that follow can be quite profound. The drawback is that this tool must be used in conjunction with a discussion board. The advantage of the second system is that the QRC can cut and paste relevant texts (and there may be many!) into an ongoing discussion board or simply use the texting tool on a stand-alone basis. The downsides here are the delay in receiving the messages and the effort required of the QRC to transfer the relevant comments.

In-situ narrations

A QRC poses a question via e-mail or text and the respondents answer by leaving recordings on an “answering machine.” One of the major commercially-available platforms has just launched this and I am really looking forward to trying it out. A respondent buying a jar of jam in a grocery store can pull out her cell phone and narrate her frustration about not being able to find the flavor she wants as she peers at the shelf set. Or a respondent test-driving a car can recount (hands-free of course) her feelings about her experience at the dealership. Another of the platforms has a similar product in test now. In that version, the platform “calls” the cell phone of the respondent at specified times and asks her questions (closed-ended or open-ended). She can push 1 to say she buys a certain product less than once a month or she can verbally describe why she decided to eat at Wendy’s rather than Burger King. This is another great way to get deep insights without intruding on the moment or spending huge amounts of time following the respondents, waiting for the behavior in question to occur. QRCs get the audiotape and can get a transcript. The audio clips capture the emotions in the respondent’s voice and can be a novel addition to any PowerPoint presentation. The drawback to this might only be the lack of a visual to accompany the audio.

Word-and-picture diaries

Respondents create online diaries in which they address a question or questions posed by the QRC at specified times. QRCs could ask respondents to diary when a certain event occurs or at the end of every day, for example. What has truly made these diaries vivid and compelling is the addition of photographs and video. In addition to describing how she feels over the course of a week as she tries a new home-cleaning product, she can also add before-and-after pictures of herself and the clean counter. And since her impressions of and experience with the product might change over time, the diary efficiently captures her evolving impressions. Alternatively, the entire diary can be video recordings for an even more personal touch.

Wireless Webcams (with stopgap recording)

Respondents place a wireless Webcam in a location that captures the behavior being studied and the Webcam records and transmits whenever there is movement. Imagine a Webcam that captures footage every time a respondent uses her newly-purchased convection oven. The QRC could get invaluable information about how home cooks are adapting to this newer technology and be able to watch and listen as actual decisions about what to put in the oven and how to convert cooking times are being made. The camera will also capture culinary successes and failures and, at times, cursing by the respondent. All of this will happen much more naturally without a camera crew in her kitchen. I love that the Webcam can easily capture the participant herself in action. Her expressions are revealing and the QRC may also see the respondent taking actions which she might fail to describe in a written log. Standard Webcams (both wired and wireless) as well as handheld video cameras are good options too, depending on the project.

When using Webcams it is important to understand the physical setup of the respondents’ work spaces. A wireless Webcam too far from the computer (say in the garage of a large house) or in a city full of interference may not work sufficiently well. Consider recruiting respondents with laptops that can be moved to the desired location and/or using a wired Webcam (with a wire extender for extra mobility). Many of the commercially-available platforms offer this, and most will supply the cameras to the respondents and ensure they are set up and working before the QRC begins the project. QRCs should select a company that has experience doing this; experienced companies are more likely to give sound advice on methodology, to provide flawless Webcam or video camera fulfillment and testing and to recruit appropriately. Currently, using the Webcam and video camera as the incentive (in lieu of some or all of the usual cash) is a common practice. In the near future I suspect many respondents will have Webcams already and fulfillment and setup will be less of an issue.

Fun “mark-up” tools

It’s like giving respondents a set of magic markers and stickers and having them mark up concepts, print ads or other stimulus with likes, dislikes, comments or whatever. Only it’s virtual! And the respondents find it easy and fun. Several of the commercially-available platforms offer such a tool. And they provide an easy-to-use toolbar somewhat reminiscent of the drawing toolbars on Windows. By clicking on these toolbar respondents access markers, smiley faces, thumbs-up and -down and the like to “edit” or comment on whatever stimulus a QRC chooses to show. It’s highly engaging and a great tool for getting feedback on print or Internet ads. QRCs can control when and how respondents see each others’ responses as well to ensure unbiased thoughts without sacrificing group wisdom. This can be used as a valuable co-creation tool as well.

Virtual communities that are engaging to visit

A QRC creates a private virtual community (or social network) with a look and feel that is perfectly tailored to her specific project. And respondents join in and build personal pages with details about themselves and their experiences. I’ve seen them so inviting that the respondents spend huge amounts of time building their own profiles, visiting “friends” (fellow respondents) and pondering the study questions. Imagine recruiting new moms and having them get to know each other over the course of a year, posting pictures as their kids grow and talking about the joys and hardships of that first year of motherhood. Meanwhile, the QRC is gleaning detailed insight about how these moms select the food they feed their children and how their choices evolve over time. This is a powerful tool to grab the hearts and minds of the respondents and to make them feel such a strong sense of belonging that they stay engaged during long projects and those requiring multiple phases. Virtual communities are less suited for shorter projects, in my opinion, because of the time it takes the respondents to customize their pages and to bond with each other.

Simple video-editing tools

We all know that including video in a report is a nightmare, or at least it used to be. There are editing tools being offered now by some of the available platforms that make it simple to create compelling video clips to include in client presentations. Whether a QRC has pre-recorded videos of her questions and the respondents are recording their answers and uploading them asynchronously in response or the QRC is conducting a real-time synchronous video discussion with one or many respondents, the recording is readily available for use. With very little effort (and no artistic talent whatsoever) the summary video can look quite professional. And if that is not enough to overcome hesitation, in many cases the QRCs can mark relevant passages and, for a small fee, ask the platform provider to pull the clips together.

Deeper insights

As exciting as these tools are, they are only as good as the QRC who is using them. A great QRC will find ways to use these to design projects that get at deeper insights and more actionable findings for her clients. An average QRC might use them and still get average findings. One thing, though, is certain: No one gets lost on the way to the in-home interview!