What Is Qualitative Research

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Today …

1. Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative

research?

2. What is qualitative? When to use qualitative?

3. Qualitative techniques
1. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and variations
2. In-depth interview
3. Ethnography

4. Common asked questions

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The academic definition

Qualitative research is a form of social inquiry that focuses on the

way people interpret and make sense of their experiences and the
world in which they live. A number of different approaches exist but
most of these have the same aim: to understand the social reality of
individuals, groups and cultures.

Researchers use qualitative approaches to explore the behavior,

perspectives and experiences of the people they study. The basis of
qualitative research lies in the interpretive approach to social reality

(Holloway, 1997, p.2)

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Qualitative And Quantitative Research

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Aims to produce objective

Aims to produce facts expressed as
subjective ideas, numbers and figures
opinions, feelings and where results can be
motivations using generalised to represent
exploratory discussions the entire group we are
interested in.

WHY? WHAT? HOW MANY?

HOW? WHEN? WHERE

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Qualitative And Quantitative – Friends, Not Enemies

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

ü Describes and understands the ü Tests and measures the

consumer as an individual consumer as a mass market

ü Uses small samples. Sampling is ü Uses large samples. Sampling

typical ‘judgmental’ to fit the is typical ‘objective and
requirement of the task random’ to represent.

ü Less structured and flexible (free ü Structured and fixed once

form of discussion) confirmed

ü Discussion guide ü Structured questionnaire

ü Response oriented ü Question oriented

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Qualitative: when to use… when not to use…

For exploration /discovery

For developing
For generating ideas
For a richer understanding about their
behaviour /reaction …

For measuring absolutes…

For making generalisations…
For validating
For making fact-based conclusion
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Small exercise: which one could be suitable for qualitative approach

1. You need to know what motivates the consumer to use a product or choose a brand

2. You have no idea how your consumer perceives your market/ your product/ your
brand and/ or your competitors.

3. You want to know why consumer prefer the old packaging to the recently new
launched packaging.

4. You have 2 new packaging designs and you want to decide which one to launch
based on consumer’s preference.

5. You are developing an advertisement / product concept and need feedback on what
elements consumers respond positively and negatively to.

6. You want to know the incident of electronic toothbrush.

7. When you want to understand consumer’s lifestyle, value and belief in order to
explore opportunities to launch a new product.

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Qualitative techniques

• The most common ways to conduct Qualitative

– Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
– In-depth Interviews (IDIs)
– Ethnography (or Ethnographic Observation)

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Variations

• Variations or hybrid approaches can be used

including:
– Paired discussions
– Triad group
– Mini-group
– Reconvened group
– Homework /Pre-task group
– Etc …

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Focus Group Discussions

How Pros & Cons

• Typically a group of 6 – 8 respondents
gathering to join a discussion led by a
well-trained moderator.
• Usually last or 2-3 hours max at a central
location with 2-way mirrored room.
• The group setting creates synergy
and snowballing of ideas.
• Allows good spread of ideas and
experiences
• Typically, generate ideas of ‘group’ ,
‘not individual’

• Respondents are recruited homogenously

(similar) in terms of demographics.
– Usually not a good idea to mixed
groups (eg. Men and women; old and
young; rich and poor) as the group
dynamics and responses become
distorted.

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Indepth Interview

How Pros & Cons

• One to one – Respondents to
Moderator.
• Can be in FGD room or at respondent's
comfortable venue
• Usually last or 1-1,5 hours max (less
stimulating than a discussion with
many).
• Respondents are recruited based on
specific criteria that fits into research
objective.
• Very good for coming up with ideas /
issues / problems from a particular
demographic that you may not have
thought of.
• Allows richer understanding of one
person as discussion is not shared
with others as in group.
• Costly and time consuming
When to use
• Can be useful for digging into
personal, sensitive or potentially
embarrassing issues (such as sexual
topics)
• Good for professional, high-level
executives who are very time
sensitive and hard to get in one place
at a time.

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Ethnography study or immersion
How
• Often involves watching the behaviour
of a respondent in natural
environment and recording their
patterns.
– Eg. What products do they pick up and
smell, where in their house do they keep
their medicine, how do they cook daily
meals, etc …
• Conducted in the nature environment
– in-home, whilst shopping, at café,
during a drinking session, etc …
Pros & Cons
• More of a personal look at an
individual or individuals.
• Aims to create the best sense of
empathy and understanding. To see is
to understand (We want to pretend
we are that person and start to think
like them)
• But very time consuming and high-
cost set-up
When to use
• When the objective requires focuses
on respondent habits, patterns,
thought process (e.g. shopping
pattern, usage pattern) more than
respondent opinion and behaviour
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Sampling in Qualitative

How many groups / interviews are

enough ?

• This depends on two important elements:

– Your budget
– The different groups you wish to include

• Quick and small scale study may only have 2 – 3 groups. This
number of groups should only be used if you have only one or two
very focused objectives with one demographic profile.
• Standard projects are between 6 to 8 groups. This will allow 2
research locations as well as 2 to 3 different target segments (eg.
Old and young, rich and poor).
• Large projects are 8 groups and up. Broad information needs, many
target groups or concept development / changes between groups.

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Confused with qualitative data?

How can I make a decision based on

the views of only 20 people?

• There is usually a similar patterns of response you hear

from the four or six groups.

• An experienced moderator can tell how typical such

responses are.

• Qualitative research is not about testing or measuring

significance – that’s for quantitative research.

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After or before quantitative?

Should I do qualitative research before

or after quantitative?

It depends on your objectives and

decisions to make.

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When ‘before’

• Before – If you know very little about the market,

how the consumer views it / describes it & how they
use the product.
– The pre-qual step will help you to design your
questionnaire more relevant and accurate
– The issues that come up can then be quantified or
validated in a quantitative survey.

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When ‘after’

• After – If you feel secure in your understanding of

the key issues, the language consumers use, go
straight into quantitative
– Then afterwards, you may find yourself asking ‘why’ when
you are looking at the figures.
– Or the data indicates some ‘confused’ finding and you
really want to understand ‘why’ (for e.g. the quantitative
data shows that Brand A trial user have a tendency to stop
using it after 3 months trial, etc …)

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 How do a Qualitative Project Look like?

Writing proposal - Moderate FGDs

- Identify objectives /IDIs
- Design methodology - Download findings
- Design sample size or debrief after
- Other logistics (time and each session
cost)

SET UP AND ANALYSE

PLAN FIELDWORK
RECRUITMENT DATA

- Write the Recruitment Guide - Analyze data

- Brief FW team /QC team for - Writing report
recruitment
- FW team to recruit respondents
- Write DG
- Prepare stimuli
- Prepare other logistic (room,
viewing facilities, etc …) 18
Key characters of Qualitative

• Flexible and semi-structured; can easily build on ideas,

change direction, explore new ideas or important
issues.

• Dynamic in that it allows groups of people to expand

on each other’s ideas, suggestions, preferences.

• Rich in terms of the emotions, feelings, motivations,

expression that can be obtained.

• Directional in terms of finding (by nature)

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Key characters of Qualitative: stimulus is needed to gain deeper
understanding
• Many qualitative projects involve presenting something to respondents
and listening to the ideas and feedback.
– Storyboard testing
– Finished TVC testing
– Packaging testing
– New product development
– Promotion event testing
– Etc …

Golden Rule:
• Provide as much relevant stimuli as possible
• Make it as high quality as possible
• Give the respondent points of comparison like two creative
routes or competitor propositions.

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Avoid some common traps

• Don’t leave all the ‘imagination’ up to the consumer (they are

not marketing executives – give them options to chose
between).

• Don’t leave all the ‘thinking’ to the consumer either (give

them stimulus to get them talking or thinking).

• Do not overload the research with too much stimulus or too

many questions.

• Try not ask the consumer to evaluate (like / dislike). Ask them
to give their thoughts, feelings, impressions.

• Sometime, also use & trust (& rely on) your ‘instinct’ – you
are not just listening to the words, you are picking up on the
feel of what people are saying.
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