Touchstone Research

Who We Are

Founded in 1991, Touchstone Research is a tech-driven, full-service market research company that helps organizations make confident business decisions through qualitative, quantitative and UX research. We partner with clients as an extension of their team, designing and managing custom research programs that connect consumer behavior to strategic action. Our expertise spans the full research lifecycle, from early exploration and concept development to validation, optimization and ongoing measurement, delivered across the U.S. and more than 60 global markets.

Qualitative Research

We explore the motivations, emotions and behaviors behind decision making through focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic research, diary studies, discussion boards and hybrid approaches. Our researchers transform findings into strategic frameworks, decision roadmaps and actionable recommendations.

Quantitative Research

We provide statistically reliable measurement through custom surveys, tracking studies, segmentation, pricing research, concept and content testing, brand health measurement and advanced analytics. Every study is designed around the business decision being made and supported by active field management and comprehensive data validation.

UX Research

We help product, design and engineering teams understand how people interact with digital experiences across websites, applications and emerging technologies through usability testing, user interviews, journey mapping, prototype evaluation and rolling research programs that reduce launch risk. We also specialize in Generative AI UX research, evaluating AI assistants, copilots, chatbots and enterprise AI tools with a focus on trust, mental models, usability and responsible AI adoption.

Youth and Family Research

Touchstone is recognized for research with kids, Gen Alpha, teens, Gen Z, parents and families, combining more than 35 years of experience with youth-specialized researchers, age-appropriate methodologies, parental consent workflows and privacy-first research environments. Our expertise spans entertainment, technology, education, toys, gaming, consumer products and family-focused brands.

Global Research

We conduct research across more than 60 global markets, managing international studies through centralized project leadership, in-market moderators, localized materials and translation workflows, consistent screening criteria, unified reporting and cross-market synthesis that enables meaningful global comparisons while respecting local context.

Participant Recruitment and Fieldwork

Our dedicated in-house recruitment and fieldwork team manages participant recruitment as a quality process rather than a sourcing function. Every project includes structured multi-layer screening, automated validation, live participant verification, scheduling, fieldwork management, incentive administration and ongoing participant support. We recruit both general consumer and specialized audiences, including educators, creators, professionals and multicultural audiences.

Insight Communities and Online Panels

We design, build and manage insight communities and online panels that provide continuous access to customer feedback. From pop-up communities and branded insight communities to proprietary online panels and hybrid community panels, these long-term research ecosystems support qualitative, quantitative and UX research within a single managed environment. Panelpolls, our proprietary youth and family research panel, holds the kidSAFE+ COPPA Seal.

Conversational AI Surveys

We design adaptive, chat-based survey experiences that combine qualitative depth with quantitative structure, improving engagement and capturing richer feedback across domestic and global studies.

Proprietary Research Technology

Touchstone has developed proprietary technologies that expand what our research can do while protecting sensitive client information.

Secure Content Testing (SCT) is our proprietary content protection platform, safeguarding confidential media, advertising, concepts, prototypes and pre-release materials through dynamic user-level watermarking, invisible forensic watermarking, leak traceability and secure access controls. SCT integrates into virtually any study design, giving brands the confidence to test their most sensitive content.

Dial Tester is our proprietary dial testing platform, capturing second-by-second audience reactions to advertising, trailers, streaming content, podcasts and presentations. It pinpoints engagement peaks, emotional responses and drop-off moments through real-time audience feedback, across qualitative and quantitative studies and optimized for kids, teens and adults.

Flexible Engagement Models

Clients engage Touchstone in the way that best fits their organization. We provide fully managed end-to-end programs, flexible support for individual workstreams and Insight Advantage, our annual research partnership offering ongoing access to qualitative, quantitative, recruitment and UX research with dedicated teams, priority scheduling, transparent budget tracking and continuity across projects.

Data Quality, Privacy and Security

Every study is supported by a multi-layered quality framework combining thoughtful research design, automated fraud detection, manual review, active field management and oversight from our dedicated Data Quality Control Team. Touchstone is Sentry Certified, Imperium Trust Shield Certified and a member of the Insights Association Data Integrity Initiative Council. Our security and privacy program includes SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and CCPA compliance, participation in the Data Privacy Framework, role-based access controls and encrypted data storage and transfer.