Almost a decade ago the field of research was disrupted when surveys began to be completed over the internet instead of by phone and post. The ensuing revelation meant that faster, cost-effective and more innovative survey-based research could be conducted.
Those companies that were quick to test and adopt the new online method enjoyed a business advantage over their competition who were still doing research the slow and expensive way.
Now a second revolution is underway. Qualitative research – such as focus groups, depth interviews and observation – is increasingly being conducted online. And, as we’ve witnessed with online surveys, early adopters of these methods are conducting more research, faster research, and more innovative research.
So if you are thinking about making the change from offline to online qualitative research and are interested in the latest and cutting edge methods – or if you haven’t done any qualitative research before and are interested in the potential – then this is for you.
Why is now the right time to do qualitative research online?
The rapid uptake of social media over the past years has led to a new category of consumer. People have been increasingly blogging, writing emails, playing videogames, navigating websites, using forums, taking part in social media conversations etc. This has created a new digital skillset that researchers are able to tap into, and a whole host of tools to engage with research participants.
Furthermore, people are online constantly throughout the day – whether they are at their desks at work, on a laptop on the sofa, or using a mobile during their commute. This means that participants are able to take part in research discussions at a moment’s notice.
It is our view that research should be participant-led. It should take place where they feel comfortable, and increasingly this place is online.
What are the methods of conducting qualitative research online?
OnePoll develop and use platforms for speaking to people over the internet that are specifically designed for research objectives. The following is a basic summary of the major approaches to online qualitative research:
Asynchronous discussion groups: these are online groups that take place over a period of days or weeks and are similar in style to an internet forum. A researcher posts up a question and then participants leave their replies underneath. The moderation team can reply to/probe these comments for further feedback.
User diaries/blogs: participants are set a task – such as recording their behaviour or thoughts – and they login to an online platform to make blog posts/diary entries. These can either be public, so that other participants can view and comment, or made private.
Live chats: this is similar to instant messaging. A chat-room is set up and participants login and answer the questions. This is a very dynamic and fast paced method of qualitative research.
Video focus-groups: using a group of participants with webcams, you can have a conference over the internet and capture video footage. You can also collect a stream from their monitor of how they are using their computer.
Insight communities: these are typically longer than a one-off group, and run for weeks or months. They can take advantage of many other benefits and can utilise many different platform features and engagement strategies (please read the Insight Communities eBook for a detailed analysis of this research approach).
All of the above approaches can make full use of video and images as either stimulus or as participant replies.
What about using social media platforms like Facebook?
We think that it is an online qualitative researcher’s responsibility to keep up to date with the latest web platforms and social networks.
A task of today’s qualitative researcher is to stay abreast of changes in the digital landscape, understand what tools consumers are using, and provide advice on how best to leverage them to a client’s research needs.
Good research is all about developing great engagement with the participants – and every successful new platform offers new engagement opportunities.
Why not use a Pinterest page to collect visual data from participants? Or set up a WhatsApp group to regularly communicate with a group of teenagers? Or ask participants to submit task based short videos to Vine? Or use Instagram tags to take participants through a scenario?
The possibilities are endless.
However, it is important to understand that the data collected on these platforms is often not private, it is not owned by you, and the platform could change at a moments notice.
With a thorough knowledge of the opportunities and limitations of social media sites, it is possible to decide when to use them and when to use a specialist market research platform.
At OnePoll we build platforms that can integrate with social media and use dedicated software.
Is online really the right environment to speak to consumers?
Below are three setbacks with traditional in-person focus groups:
Focus group facilities could easily be considered slightly hostile and unnatural. Research participants have to get ready to go out, travel to a location, meet a group of strangers and then sit in a room and talk about their attitudes and feelings.
They can also be quite biased. The problem of ‘groupthink’ refers to an individual agreeing with a group instead of expressing their own opinions in order to not stand out. Some academic researchers think that focus groups are so biased that they dispense with them entirely.
Only one participant can speak at a time, and confident members of a group can dominate a conversation at the expense of quieter members.
Although good moderation can lessen the impact of these problems, an online approach removes them entirely:
Participants take part in discussions in the comfort of their own home, and often at a time that suits them. They are able to use an avatar instead of their real identity, thus allowing them to truly express their feelings.
Online focus group software eliminates bias by only allowing participants to see the answers of others after they have submitted their first answer. It can go one step further by never allowing participants to see the answers of others, effectively turning a focus group into a series of in-depth interviews.
With online focus group software, every participant answers every question and can answer simultaneously.
With so much data, how do you report online qualitative research?
The amount of data from online qualitative research projects can often be a deluge. If you are running a week long group with daily activity with 30 participants – then you are collecting a lot of data every day.
Our preferred method is to report as we go. The research community manager provides a daily executive summary of the discussion highlighting the main areas with illustrative quotations.
This method means that a good feedback loop is established between the client and the research team allowing for iterations and changes to the discussion plan.
After the project is finished, we provide our clients with a full report and a transcript with all the discussion data and profiles of the participants.
What are the cost savings?
One of the biggest costs for offline focus groups is the running of multiple groups across the country.
It is important to run different groups with different types of participants to help eliminate any bias from the research findings.
A ballpark cost for running a focus group project is around £12-£18k (figures from the Association for Qualitative Research). This includes all the participant costs, venues, research design, filming moderation, reports etc.
The equivalent cost for conducting this type of project online is significantly less.
This is because an online method means that you only really need one group that you can compose of different segments. You are also saving on venue hire, moderation time, and travel expenses.
How quick can this type of research be?
If a client is presented with a research question or problem in the morning which needs qualitative investigation, we can get a group of research participants online talking by lunch.
We do this by finding the right participants from our highly engaged research panel who are profiled on hundreds of different data points (such as car ownership, hobbies, family size etc). We feed these participants into easy to use software that is setup and ready to go.
A traditional focus group would naturally take significantly longer. You would need to arrange venues, find participants that are available at the same time, and you could only do one group at a time. You would also have to wait for the transcript of the discussion.
This instantaneity allows businesses to integrate qualitative research deeper into their structure. Knowing that you can explore and develop ideas affordably, and at a moment’s notice, with your customers means that you begin to rely less on gut feelings and more on evidence.
How can I find out more?
Glad you asked! We are running a series of workshops where we will come down to your office and have a discussion about all things relating to online research. We can brainstorm your business objectives and answer any questions you might have.
Give us a call on 020 7138 3053, or send us an email to book one today.