Next Level Research - Online Qualitative

Online Qualitative

Online qualitative research typically involves individual interviews or groups that take place on special websites designed for this specific purpose. They are secure and password-protected, so only invited respondents can participate. Clients can observe the proceedings without respondents knowing and can provide feedback to the moderator, just like in a traditional focus facility.

The most common benefits and key features of online qualitative research include:

¨	Hard-to-reach respondents — online techniques can be more successful at gaining participation from difficult-to-reach decision makers such as high-level executives, physicians, frequent travelers, outside sales forces, nursing mothers, people with certain medical conditions, etc. Participants can join in the discussion from the convenience of their own home or office and, in some cases, at any time day or night convenient for them.
¨	Geographic diversity — to include different geographic areas, instead of traveling to multiple markets like with traditional focus groups, online qualitative research can include respondents from all over the country, even from all over the world, in the same group.
¨	Low-density populations — online techniques allow qualitative research to be conducted from among extremely small populations that cannot be convened in one physical location for a traditional focus group because there may be only a handful in any given market. Likewise, a company that provides a high-level business-to-business product or service may have only a short list of client companies and can use online techniques to conduct qualitative research among clients.
¨	High response rates — online qualitative research often yields good response rates, even as telephone response rates continue to decline.
¨	Respondent balance — traditional focus groups can present the challenge of getting equitable participation from all respondents, with some tending towards a dominant stance and more shy respondents hesitating to contribute. While these personality differences can be dealt with effectively in person by a skilled moderator, online qualitative techniques make it more difficult for dominators to assert themselves so strongly and also affords a sense of anonymity that can allow timid respondents to feel more comfortable and forthcoming.
¨	More thoughtful responses — although online qualitative often has less respondent interaction than with traditional face-to-face methods, participants can put more thought into their comments since they must type their remarks, often going into greater detail and explanation.
¨	Instant feedback — clients receive feedback instantly by observing the discussion online. During the session, clients can send and receive private messages online to each other and with the moderator, without interrupting the group dynamic. In addition, transcripts are immediately available.
¨	Multimedia respondent feedback — online qualitative opens up new possibilities for the way respondents express their views. Besides text discussions, online qualitative allows the potential for the moderator and respondents to see and hear each other in a multi-way videoconference. In addition, respondents can be directed to post photos and/or videos that expand online qualitative’s applications, allowing clients to benefit from weblogs, video diaries, online ethnographies, multimedia collages, and much more.
¨	Respondent engagement — Respondents can be engaged in a variety of exercises and response methods to keep them interested in the research process. Online qualitative is fun for them! In addition to opportunities to use their own multimedia feedback, respondents can be further engaged with card-sorting exercises, dial-test or slider bar evaluations, mark-up tools, and more.
¨	Cost and time savings — clients can save travel costs and time commitments from traveling required to observe traditional qualitative research, logging in to the online research while remaining productive and focused on other responsibilities the rest of the day.


	Qualitative Research In General		Online Quantitative

Types of Online Qualitative

There are two general types of online qualitative, real-time and asynchronous. Either can be used for individual interviews or for groups.

Real-time online qualitative, as the name suggests, is conducted live, with a moderator and one or more respondents interacting in real time. As an analogy, think of an online "chat" room.

Asynchronous online qualitative, on the other hand, is conducted over an extended period of time, with respondents able to log on to a bulletin board format and post comments at times convenient for them. As an analogy, think of an online forum, blog, or social network.

Each type of online qualitative has its distinct uses and advantages:

Real-Time Online Qualitative

Asynchronous Online Qualitative

¨	More like an in-person focus group, just conducted online	¨	More of a new methodology designed from the ground up based on the features and benefits of the online environment
¨	Conducted in real time	¨	Respondents log in to participate at their convenience, not necessarily at the same time
¨	Like a live chat room	¨	Like an online forum or discussion board
¨	Occurs at a set start time with a set end time	¨	Occurs usually over several days but can be over weeks or even months
¨	More fast-paced, quicker turnaround time	¨	Extended timeframe allows respondents to participate at their own pace
¨	Good for generating top-of-mind feedback, first impressions, gut reactions	¨	Good for generating depth and detail of answers, thoughtful and thorough, as respondents have time to reflect on their answers
¨	Mostly text, voice, and/or live video feedback	¨	More feedback options including text, voice, live video, pre-recorded photo and video, and other multimedia and social networking methods