Navigating the online qualitative landscape

Editor’s note: Sonya Turner is a senior qualitative analyst with iModerate Research Technologies, Denver.

It was not long ago that online research was thought of as a new frontier. Promising, yes, but little understood and not yet proven. Those days seem like ancient history now, as online research has evolved into a mainstream, accepted practice that is seeing tremendous growth year over year.

Despite this growth, online qualitative research still represents a small piece of the overall online research spending pie. But over the past decade, a number of methods and solutions have emerged that marry qualitative with the online space, creating an ever-expanding array of options to meet researchers’ needs.

As a result, researchers are now trying to understand the latest online qualitative tools while evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each one so that they can select the best fit for their particular needs. And, as this sector of the industry continues to develop and innovate at breakneck speed, it is perhaps more critical than ever to weigh the options before making a decision.

So what is online qualitative research? At its core, qualitative research is based on the same fundamental principles and ideas, and designed to accomplish the same general goals, whether it is conducted using traditional methods or online. In a focus group facility in Atlanta or via a virtual bulletin board system, the purpose is still to hear feelings, reactions, opinions and emotions in people’s own words.

That said, the most familiar traditional models, and some entirely new ones as well, each offer a slightly different approach in the online sphere. Four of the most commonly used methods of conducting qualitative research online are online focus groups; online bulletin boards; online one-on-one interview sessions; and online communities.

While these are by no means the only ways to conduct qualitative research online, they represent the most widely-accepted and -utilized approaches. Each one will be discussed separately below.

Additionally, there are solutions available that incorporate elements of these distinct methodologies - such as real-time interaction, multimedia stimulus and online moderating - into a hybrid-type offering.

Power and relevance

In discussing online qualitative research, it is important to bear in mind that its power and relevance stem not just from its potential to substitute for traditional offline methods. It is also a way for companies to conduct qualitative research in situations that might not have been possible before, and with audiences that were previously harder to access.

Traditional qualitative studies are often ruled out as too expensive or time-consuming - factors that remain critical barriers in today’s faster-paced business community. However, the growing assortment of online qualitative tools has rendered many of these objections moot as the benefits become clear:

  • Speed. Studies can be deployed and completed in a matter of days, with transcripts instantly available for review.
  • Cost. Because moderators and clients do not need to travel to far-flung facilities, savings in both time and cost can be significant.
  • Geography. Diverse and wide-ranging groups of participants can be assembled for a single project easily and without requiring travel. Hard-to-recruit or low-incidence groups are less of a challenge as well.
  • Candor. Because the online setting affords participants a degree of privacy, they are often more comfortable discussing sensitive topics and sharing unpopular opinions than they would be in a traditional face-to-face setting.
  • Access. Clients are able to view sessions in real time, interact with the moderator and provide feedback.
  • Relevance. Many respondents are comfortable with interactive communication and may embrace the opportunity to participate in research using online techniques that seem less intrusive than traditional methods.

A note about recruiting: In discussing developments in online qualitative research it is critical to remember that each of them hinges on the same non-negotiable fact as offline qualitative research: The results will only be as good as the respondents involved. As unique as any one tool or methodology may be, the crux of the issue is making sure that you are talking to the right person in the first place.

Online focus groups

Online focus groups function much in the same way as traditional focus groups but are conducted in an online setting, typically a virtual focus group facility. Moderators and participants take part in the group remotely but in real time. Their typed questions and answers are visible to all participants in the group as well as clients who observe the sessions.

On the surface, online focus groups seem like a fairly literal translation of the traditional method into the online space - participants are recruited, a guide is developed, stimulus material may be provided and a moderator leads a discussion among eight to 15 individuals as clients observe and provide feedback. As with traditional focus groups, clients can observe an online group, pass questions to the moderator and otherwise participate in the session as it develops.

However, despite these superficial similarities, because of the subtle differences in factors such as the group dynamic, the role of the moderator and the experience of the participant, it would be inaccurate to describe an online focus group as a traditional group conducted via computer.

Strengths and weaknesses of online focus groups

It may seem counterintuitive to consider that both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of the online focus group methodology stem from the same thing - the fundamental difference in the group dynamic in online and offline settings.

In a traditional focus group, managing the interaction and direction of the group is among the moderator’s greatest challenges, and requires:

  • keeping dominant personalities in check;
  • drawing out reticent or bashful individuals;
  • encouraging side discussions but ensuring that they don’t devolve into tangents; and
  • pacing the conversation to ensure that the allotted time is maximized.

In an online focus group, a moderator must work harder to create and maintain a robust group experience. In the absence of eye contact, body language and other visual cues, eliciting feedback and expansive answers can require constant probing. Moderating online focus groups can pose a challenge for some, who find that the fast pace and technical elements of managing a session can interfere with their ability to keep the content on track.

However, the added degree of separation afforded by the virtual setting is also a tool that can add candor to responses. Because participants are protected by the virtual divide and feel less pressure to impress or please the group, their response is often more direct and unvarnished.

On the flip side, because online participants are typing rather than speaking, and typically craft their responses to a question quickly but without necessarily hearing what their colleagues in the group have said, feedback can require more effort to move past the basic and get to the real meat of an issue. In a traditional focus group, participants build off each other’s comments, but this may not happen as smoothly in an online group.

Applications

Fundamentally, online focus groups are appropriate for the same types of research needs as traditional focus groups, including brainstorming, ideation or concept and ad testing.

Therefore, the decision to incorporate online focus groups into the research toolbox is often made when it is simply not feasible or necessary to conduct traditional groups. Moreover, online groups can, in certain situations, be the more appealing option as they can be planned and executed quickly - days and hours rather than weeks and months. Because there are few, if any, geographic limitations, the need to travel is eliminated, saving time, expense and, not insignificantly, hassle.

Online bulletin boards

Online bulletin board is the research-specific term for what many of us know as message boards. Very similar in principle to a focus group, online bulletin boards allow a group of 10 to 20 participants to engage in an asynchronous, ongoing discussion by posting answers to questions posed by a moderator over the course of a few days to a few weeks.

The basic structure of setting up an online bulletin board (sometimes referred to as an online bulletin board focus group) is quite similar to that of a focus group, with recruiting, screening and guide development happening in much the same way. The format also makes it simple for moderators to post images or other stimulus material on a virtual whiteboard for participants to review, mark up and otherwise comment on.

A bulletin board project begins with a moderator posting an opening question, along with ground rules and procedures, which participants then log in and respond to. Over the course of the project, the moderator repeatedly logs back in, reviews responses and posts follow-up questions to individual respondents as well as to the entire group. In some cases, group members converse with each other, posting responses to what their fellow groups members have said.

Strengths and weaknesses of online bulletin boards

Because online bulletin boards take place over a relatively extended period of time, feedback from such sessions often tends to be more robust than that gleaned from online focus groups. Moderators can take the time to thoroughly review responses and probe as needed, while respondents can structure thoughtful answers to individual questions. The lack of real-time pressure (from either the moderator or fellow participants) can also encourage participants to be forthcoming on sensitive or uncomfortable topics.

This means that topics can often be more thoroughly explored than in the fast-paced, real-time environment of a focus group (traditional or online). Without the time constraints, moderators can be diligent in their follow-up questions and can tease out detailed responses from individuals who might otherwise dash off “quickie” answers.

The end client often finds the online bulletin board format helpful because the extended time frame allows them to monitor the discussion, confer with the moderator and adjust questions and objectives in a more relaxed manner.

On the other hand, because participants are answering questions without the real-time involvement, observation and coaching of the moderator, it is even more critical that the questions be precisely crafted to eliminate any danger of confusion. It is also essential that a moderator check in and prod respondents along during the course the project, otherwise the discussion can stagnate as participants lose focus and interest.

While this format can yield very rich feedback due to the amount of time respondents have to craft their answers, it also means that the cumulative effect of an ongoing, building, evolving conversation is harder to achieve.

Applications

Online bulletin boards are a compelling research methodology when a company requires in-depth information, wants to be able to explore topics and let discussion evolve slowly and, perhaps most importantly, when it has the luxury of time. This methodology can result in comprehensive, even exhaustive discussion, which translates to detailed and broad-reaching transcripts.

While bulletin boards are a productive tool for many of the project types outlined above, including product and package tests or brainstorming, their extended time frame also allows clients to use them for ongoing journal-type research chronicling, for example, experience using a product.

Online one-on-one interview sessions

Online one-on-ones are interviews conducted using instant message-based technology. A single respondent is paired with a moderator and participates in a real-time conversation that follows a discussion thread designed to accomplish predetermined objectives. This conversation is embedded into a quantitative study and on average lasts between 13-17 minutes.

One of the newer online qualitative methodologies, online one-on-one interview sessions adapt the fundamental idea of a one-on-one conversation to the specific context of online research. The purpose of these sessions is to incorporate qualitative feedback into online survey findings to add clarity and color to the statistics. Using a platform similar to instant messaging, moderators accomplish this objective by intercepting participants during the course of an online quantitative study and engaging them in a real-time, one-on-one discussion.

As with online focus groups and bulletin boards, participants can be exposed to various stimulus material, such as ad concepts, video and audio clips and Web pages.

Strengths and weaknesses of online one-on-one interviews

A key distinction between online one-on-ones and the other online qualitative methodologies discussed here is that each interview is a direct conversation between the moderator and the participant.

This private setting means that respondents do not experience the pressure or influence that can be created by the group dynamic that exists in a focus group, bulletin board or online community. From their position of virtual isolation and anonymity, participants feel a degree of freedom to speak their mind on difficult or sensitive topics.

However, the absence of a group dynamic can mean that the discussion does not build upon itself as organically, making it more challenging for a moderator to pull out as much detailed information as might emerge from a group setting.

Because respondents are participating in a more at-will fashion in an online one-on-one, and due to the fact that the sessions are embedded within a survey, moderators tend to keep the sessions fairly short - less than half an hour, as opposed to 60 to 90 minutes for a traditional one-on-one. This time frame maximizes response while minimizing boredom for the participant.

Although the shorter duration means that the interviews can glean less information than traditional methods, they are typically conducted with more than one moderator and many more respondents (anywhere from 40 to 200 participants might be interviewed in a one- or two-day period), resulting in broad feedback.

Applications

Online one-on-one interviews are commonly used when clients are seeking qualitative insight to shed further light on a quantitative study. Rather than serving as a standalone tool like focus groups or online bulletin boards, online one-on-ones often provide a qualitative complement to more traditional online quantitative research.

Additionally, completing a series of online one-on-ones - from screener to deliverable - can be faster and less expensive than other online qualitative methodologies, leading companies to choose this option when their research schedule and/or budget does not allow for more comprehensive focus groups or bulletin boards or when their research objectives require a snapshot more than an exhaustive review.

Online communities

In the context of marketing research, the term “online communities” refers to professionally-created, private social networking communities that connect businesses and their customers. A group of several hundred individuals are invited together in a password-protected, virtual community where they share their thoughts, opinions and ideas on a key topic - for example, a brand or product - over an extended period of time (in some cases years).

Online communities are fundamentally different from the other forms of online qualitative research discussed in this article. By their very nature, focus groups, one-on-one interviews and bulletin boards tend to be objective-based and structured as finite projects.

Online communities, on the other hand, function more as ongoing, long-term relationships between a company and its customers. Designed to provide continuing access to the voice of the consumer rather than answers to a specific, project-based question, these communities serve as a touchstone as much as a tool of measurement.

Although many organically-occurring online communities function entirely independently, the typical research-focused, “created” online community is managed and guided by a facilitator. Not to be confused with a moderator, who asks questions and directs discussion, the facilitator of an online community performs a more subtle and behind-the-scenes task. As community members share ideas, anecdotes and advice, a facilitator ensures that the conversation does not wander too far off course.

Strengths and weaknesses of online communities

Because online communities need time to grow and develop, and because their power lies in giving companies an opportunity to see what the group reveals rather than simply how they answer specific questions, they are seldom a solution for short-term or urgent questions.

While virtually anything can be explored or tested using an online community, the methodology stands out in its ability to allow companies to develop a true relationship with its customers. Perhaps more than any of the other online qualitative methodologies, online communities provide unvarnished access into the mind of the customer. The information these individuals generate comes forth much more naturally than is possible from a typical question-and-answer session. While the emotion, desire and needs are slower to emerge, they may provide the truest read on how customers feel. That relationship and the respondent’s personal stake in the process can often translate into higher participation rates. However, the base size can be limited.

For many researchers, the cost and effort of building and maintaining an online community is simply unrealistic or may be overkill for their more straightforward needs. Additionally, the time frame and free-form nature can seem at odds with the outcome-driven focus of many business decisions.

Applications

As noted earlier, online communities fall outside the norm of fast-turn, project-based, online qualitative and quantitative research. Rather, they provide ongoing insight into the minds of customers, making them a powerful tool for companies to use to unobtrusively observe and understand the customer experience.

They can serve as sounding boards for companies wanting to float a new idea, learn about the impact a competitor’s innovation is having on customers or simply understand the reality of how their brand is perceived by a particular group.

Dynamic and evolving

As we have seen, the online qualitative research landscape is dynamic and evolving. Consumers are rapidly embracing a broad array of online communication tools such as instant messaging, message boards and social networking sites. The growing popularity - and in some sectors, ubiquity - of such methods offers researchers exciting new ways to access these individuals.

The solutions discussed here illustrate how the online qualitative space has expanded to meet varying research needs. While no one solution is right for all situations, these approaches promise unprecedented access to emotionally rich qualitative findings quickly and, in many cases, at a lower cost than traditional qualitative research methods.