Editor’s note: David Bradford is vice president of international sales and marketing of Itracks International, Inc., a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan online data collection company.

2003 marks the 10-year anniversary of the first online qualitative research study being conducted. As its second decade begins, online qualitative research has matured and been honed into a powerful and versatile tool. We now know a lot more about appropriate applications for the methodology, its true strengths, and the proper moderating techniques and recruiting practices to use with it.

The first documented online group took place in 1993, conducted by American Dialogue, which went on to become Cyber Dialogue. Mary Beth Solomon joined the firm in early 1994 and is now an independent qualitative consultant. She estimates that she has conducted approximately 1,600 online studies in the past nine years. “My experience has strengthened my belief that online methodologies can yield more data, and that the data is more insightful and closer to the truth. The respondent is situated in his own environment [home or office] and that impacts the way the respondent will communicate. The online environment fosters an honesty, openness and a willingness to give an opinion, without the concern for judgment that exists within any face-to-face environment.”

Most early online qualitative research was conducted using synchronous methods. These consisted mainly of live, real-time, moderated groups using a chat function as the means of communication, in a virtual replication of the structure of a traditional focus group, but lacking the respondents’ facial expressions and nonverbal communication. However, other types of communications do emerge, says qualitative researcher Pat Sabena. “I find respondents more apt to give each other explicit support about personal disclosures in the online environment than in the face-to-face group. It’s as if they are embarrassed to do this face-to-face but have no inhibitions online. A good example happened to me recently when a face-to-face respondent announced that her husband had died two weeks previously. Although I acknowledged her loss out loud, none of her fellow respondents said anything. But in a comparative situation online, everyone jumped in to express condolences and support.”

Asynchronous research

In the last five years, there has been a steady increase in the growth of asynchronous online research, which occurs over a period of time and uses posted comments within a moderated bulletin board communication format. This structure is quite different from most face-to-face qualitative methods, and as a result, it provides opportunities to conduct research that leverages the strengths of the Internet communication process. The asynchronous mode allows greater study design customization and flexibility, less impact on participants from technical issues (connection speeds, ISP reliability and typing proficiencies), and a greater variety of usage applications.

New debate

The asynchronous method for conducting online qualitative research is also much less challenging for moderators, since they are able to participate with fewer technical and typing skills. They appreciate that they can conduct these types of studies simultaneously with face-to-face or real-time online groups. Qualitative researcher Jeff Walkowski began online moderating over five years ago and has developed training programs for traditional focus group moderators interested in conducting online qualitative studies. “I know there’s been a lot of talk about the growth of online message board groups at the expense of online real-time groups, but deep down inside I see both methods coexisting since each serves a different purpose. Real-time is great for gut-level reactions [early stage concept evaluation, ad evaluations, picking up on consumer language for a quantitative study, etc.]. Message boards are great for lengthier, thought-out answers to questions that require more depth. Message boards are also great for B2B studies, where respondents very seldom, if ever, have two-hour blocks of time to spare but can easily commit to five to 10 15-minute blocks over the course of a week. I think that once the dust settles, both will be used equally. The desire to maximize spending by using online qualitative research methods to save on travel expenditures will always be there, especially in times like these of economic downturn.”

Emotional expression

An early misconception about online qualitative was that it didn’t allow respondents to fully express their emotions. While emotional expression may be different online, it can be just as powerful, says Susan Roth, who began her Internet research career at Greenfield Online and is now director of online qualitative research at TNS Intersearch. “Respondents tend to be very blunt online and if they feel strongly about something, they say it. This is extremely valuable when doing concept testing or customer satisfaction work. It is also useful when discussing more emotional topics. Respondent anonymity provides some emotional protection for the respondents and so they often open up quite a bit. There is a reason that online chat rooms and discussion forums have flourished: people have an inherent need to connect with others and express themselves on topics that are of importance to them. Online bulletin boards allow them adequate time to think through their responses and explain themselves thoughtfully as well as interact with other respondents. The results are often very revealing and insightful.”

Newer variations

In addition to the more familiar asynchronous and synchronous online group formats, several variations are emerging as more robust online research technology is developed. Asynchronous individual interviews allow researchers to conduct hundreds of simultaneous interviews and reinforce the importance of the opinion of individual respondents and clients, and allow for extensive probing opportunities.

“Using the interview mode, you can be sure that respondents’ answers are not being influenced by other participants,” says Lucy Edinborough, business manager at NFO Consumer Products in London. “That ensures that all participants have an equal share of voice and avoids the group-thinking that can occur in traditional qualitative groups. The asynchronous nature of bulletin boards is also beneficial in terms of client interaction. Clients can ensure that specific topics are covered, or they can ask the moderator to probe for more detail on new topics arising that they perhaps hadn’t considered before.”

Hybrid approaches

Another fairly recent variation is the hybrid study, which involve both qualitative and quantitative approaches within the same project. These types of studies can occur in either a synchronous or an asynchronous mode, and most involve larger numbers of respondents who are exposed to various types of stimuli including online surveys while they are being asked a series of open-ended questions. More powerful and specialized applications and tools are being developed as the interest in conducting these types of studies increases. Another hybrid variation is the use of existing Web technology along with telephone interviews, like those conducted by Jeremy Bromberg of Boston-based Eidetics in various types of medical research studies. “We have found online qualitative technology to be excellent for one-on-one telephone interviews involving stimulus materials. This approach leaves us in control of what respondents see, allows clients to participate in the interviews right along with us, and minimizes respondents’ opportunity to copy these materials,” Bromberg says.

Tools for the times

Online qualitative benefits from the fact that many people use text to communicate over the Internet each day, whether it’s via e-mail, discussion boards or chat rooms. As a result, most Internet users are extremely comfortable using typing to communicate their ideas and feelings.

In addition, busy respondents can be reached in their own environment at a time that is convenient for them. Discussion of sensitive issues that are difficult to address in face-to-face settings is another area where an online approach merits serious consideration. Online qualitative approaches also offer a quick way to get answers for many types of studies from geographically dispersed individuals in a time of growing concerns over travel due to economic woes, epidemics and terrorism.

Looking forward

As always, the researcher should choose the modality that will best accomplish the objectives of the research. After 10 years of online qualitative studies, a wealth of information now exists to help make an informed decision on how to incorporate an online approach. Those who will not consider an online approach could be missing important insights that can be gained through a powerful and versatile research tool. Based on what we now know, as researchers continue to use online qualitative methods in new and creative ways, it appears that we are about to enter a golden age for this type of qualitative research.