Qualitative research is a powerful tool, but it can be hard to figure out where, when and how to apply it to a given problem. We always start by considering the objective. Online qual is ideal for developing a hypothesis that can later be tested through quantitative means. It can also be a great way to identify needs, understand attitudes or complex behaviours, generate ideas, and even develop parameters. You may also consider flipping the typical qual to quant process, and instead use online qual to provide additional context to previous findings.

Common scenarios where online qual is typically deployed include: inspiring new product development, open explorations of key market segments, investigating the effects of current marketing strategies, understanding specific paths to purchase and behavioural journeys, and conducting research on complex topics such as politics, societal issues or psychological factors.

This very much depends on the chosen method and research design. However, as a rule of thumb, qualitative research usually takes longer than quantitative studies - especially in the fieldwork and analysis stages. This is because fieldwork and analysis require much more manual human input and judgement when compared with numerical measurements.

A diary study, long-term community or ethnographic project may take anywhere between a few weeks and multiple months, primarily determined by your research design. Focus groups and depth interviews, by contrast, can usually be completed in a matter of days. But it is important to also allow enough time to fully digest, interpret and report the data. A few days is often sufficient, but this can grow rapidly as the volume of data you collect increases. Online technologies, such as our InsightHub platform and VideoMR analysis tool are speeding up traditionally lengthy projects - but it is still vital that qualitative research is given the time it needs in order to produce rich, insightful data.

With roots in the field of clinical psychology, projective techniques are a form of questioning that help research participants articulate motivations and desires that they would otherwise have difficulty expressing, through an indirect means. They are particularly valuable to qualitative research as the objective of such studies is often to understand, analyse and report on the exact attitudes, opinions and beliefs that projective techniques help bring to the surface.

Projective techniques are most commonly used in focus groups or in-depth interviews. However, they can also be applied to other methodologies - such as becoming a recurring question in a diary study. Common projective techniques include word association, imagery association, choice ordering, guided fantasy and brand personifications.

The analysis of qualitative research poses more challenges than its quantitative counterpart. By definition, online qual cannot be analysed through statistical means or significance tests. Instead, techniques such as content analysis, grounded theory and thematic analysis should be employed. The process for each of these techniques is similar with a few distinguishing factors.

Thematic analysis is one of the most popular forms of analysing qualitative market research. This can be broken down into six simple steps. First, familiarise yourself with the data. This might involve narrative preparation or re-reading responses. Next, prepare a set of initial codes. Codes are ways of notating and categorising mentions of a word, theme or any other data structure you choose. After this, search for and then review themes. Often this means grouping codes together into larger structures, checking integrity and generating a map of the thematic content. Finally, before producing a report - ensure that you have strong working names and definitions for each identified theme. In compiling a report, select compelling and relevant examples from each theme and relate them each back to the initial research questions.