Editor's note: Kelly Hancock handles communications for the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. This case study was presented at the 2011 QRCA Symposium on Excellence in Qualitative Research.

When you hear about AARP, you probably think of information and resources for the 50-and-over crowd. But recently, AARP has added a younger demographic – 25-to-34-year-olds – to its target audience.

Studies were showing that a majority of retirement-age workers felt they waited too long to begin saving for retirement, says Jean Koppen, senior research advisor for AARP. “People always wish they started earlier. They wished they knew at 20 what they know at 50 or 60. We realized we needed to reach people earlier to help them.”

Preliminary market research identified that AARP could make the greatest impact with an online initiative that would offer financial guidance to young people – before they made common financial mistakes. That’s where AARP’s LifeTuner enters the conversation.

LifeTuner is a Web site specifically designed to help young people set financial goals, budget their money, manage debt and save for a better future. But targeting a brand new audience raised a lot of questions in the design and look and feel of the site. AARP turned to qualitative researcher Kristin Schwitzer, president of Annapolis, Md.-based Beacon Research and a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, to navigate the design of the LifeTuner site. Schwitzer guided the organization through three phases of qualitative research to test various design options, logo placements and new tools.

In the first phase of research, AARP wanted validation of what the early research suggested: that the concept had merit and the name LifeTuner would resonate with the younger audience. It also wanted to test preliminary versions of the site layout and design. “The initial request was to conduct research near W...