top of page
Search

Qualitative research in lockdown.

liziriehl

Updated: Jul 13, 2021

With every challenge comes and opportunity. Social distancing and lockdown regulations have naturally put the kibosh on traditional focus group research that springs to mind when we think of qualitative research. However I'm really excited about how the 'Zoom revolution' across every demographic and age-group has opened up new possibilities for remote research.


For a recent project, I was astounded by some of the benefits I discovered conducting consumer and stakeholder interviews remotely:


- 100% ATTENDANCE RATE

A hygiene factor, but a really useful one. Across 30 interviews I conducted remotely for a client, we had a 100% attendance rate - no wasted meeting room fees, travelling times, or shifted interview dynamics. It kept us on track in terms of project deliverables and minimised the logistical challenges of organising research sessions.


- ACCESS TO HARD TO REACH DEMOGRAPHICS

When speaking to upmarket or time poor consumers, it can be a challenge to provide them with the right motivation to join your research. The ability to easily connect from home reduces the burden on the respondents which I believe opens up audiences who would otherwise not commit to taking part in research programmes. Previously I would have been concerned about the inherent skew from running online only research, but the proliferation of Zoom access has changed everything here.


- CONTEXT

Talking to consumers about their kitchen renovation projects, what better place for them to sit than in said kitchen! I've had people walking around showing me their door handles and worktops, explaining which walls were knocked down and why. It's the ultimate ice-breaker and worked beautifully for those few respondents who find it easier to 'show' than 'tell', enabling the interview moderators to then probe appropriately.


- EFFICIENCY & COST

This goes without saying. No room bookings, two way screens, travel times etc, both for moderators and respondents. Of course, this benefit extends also to the diversity of respondents who we can recruit nationally with no additional financial implications.


- FAMILY DYNAMICS

Well, this was an unexpected benefit which in some ways has completely turned interviews on their head! Wives chipping in to set their husbands straight on the brands they researched, couples joining interviews together and perfectly playing out their buyer roles, the sound of children in the background emphasising the family dynamics at play. Interviewing consumers in their home absolutely brings the 'keeping it real' factor and has the power to add another layer of insight.


- RICH PLAY BACKS

With all of the appropriate consents in place, recorded Zoom conversations enable full transcriptions but also video playbacks of the interviews. I've found this is an impactful way of bringing the customer voice to life and demonstrating many of our learnings. There's nothing quite like hearing customer feedback first hand. By grouping these clips into themed edits, a research debrief can become a very engaging piece of content for internal stakeholders. This is my favourite benefit of conducting research in this way.



If you have a research project in mind, or even if you have a few questions in your mind, please reach out and we can talk ideas! I have lots of learnings to share, in terms of logistics but also aspects such as interviewing lost leads - a quick and powerful exercise! Email lizi@liziriehlconsulting.com

10 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


  • LinkedIn

©2021 by Lizi Riehl Marketing. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page