Qualitative Research

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Qualitative Research

• Chapter 9

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Objectives

• Describe the appropriate uses of qualitative
  research.
• Identify the characteristics, advantages, and
  disadvantages of the most common qualitative
  research techniques in-depth interviews, focus
  groups, and minigroups.
• Describe the techniques used to conduct
  qualitative interviews.

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Needs of qualitative research

• To help develop a better understanding of why
  individuals act as they do rather than developing
  numeric descriptions of what people do.
• Thus, qualitative research focuses on the nature
  or structure of attitudes and motivations rather
  than their frequency or distribution.

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Research Insights

• Qualitative research is use to discover what
  sensory feelings are important for customers.
• Several examples show how identifying consumers
  sensory feelings are crucial in designing
  products.

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Research Insights Feelings, Nothing More
Than
Feelings
IBM focused on a new button in the middle of the
keyboard that was to replace the mouse. Because
people spend hours working on a computer,
comfort for the finger used to touch the button
was crucial. It took them nine years to create
the perfect cushion for a finger.
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Research Insights
Whirlpool launched a new refrigerator, a quieter
one. However, customer had the impression that
the new refrigerator was the noisiest they had
ever heard, when it was actually the quietest
ever manufactured.
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Research Insights
Estee Lauder changed the shape of its blue
compact so it appeals more to the customer. The
shape was redesigned by rounding the edges to
make it softer and thus create a link with the
round shape of the female body.
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The appropriate uses

• Insights information
• Provide opportunity to get close to the data
• Draw insights and explanations from respondents
  themselves
• Quicker and less costly
• More flexible

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Limitation

• Generalizations are limited.
• Prevent the numeric description of findings.
• Interpretation of qualitative research data is
  more subjective

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Types of qualitative research

• Personal interviews
• Focus groups
• Minigroups

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Personal Interviews

• 30-60 minutes
• 5-15 individuals
• Free-flowing structured
• Suit for extensive, detailed probing of
  attitudes, behaviors, motivations, or need is
  required.

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Why personal interviews is moreappropriate?

• Subject matter is seen as highly confidential,
  emotionally, embarrassing.
• Antitrust restrictions prohibited group
  discussion.
• Group pressure or the presence of others.

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Why personal interviews is moreappropriate?

• Acquire detail or step-by-step understanding of
  complicated behavior decision-making patterns.
• Longer amount of time.

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Focus Groups and Minigroups

• Focused discussion of a group of individuals led
  by a trained moderator.
• For new product idea generation, product
  positioning and perceptions, creative, product
  package screening, and explorations of consumers
  attitude, beliefs, motivation.

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Focus Groups and Minigroups

• One, one and a half or two hours.
• Focus group 8-12 respondents
• Minigroup 3-6 respondents

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Focus Groups and Minigroups

• Advantage
• Interactive in nature.
• More stimulating and exciting.
• More spontaneous.
• Quicker to conduct
• Cost less

• Disadvantages
• Dominate the discussion
• Moderator-introduced bias
• Group pressure
• Data represents group-not individual data.

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Obtaining Qualitative Insights

• The probability of obtaining these insights is
• Increased when the interviewer
• adequately prepared
• Uses appropriate questioning and projective
  techniques, and
• proper environment

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Preparing for the Qualitative interview for focus
group

• See prepare and interview guide p. 201

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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Direct and Factual
• Structural
• Grand tour
• Idealization
• Contrast
• Hypothetical-interaction
• Third-person

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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Direct and Factual Questions

Example What are the names of all the brands
of beer your have consumed
within the past week?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Structural Questions

Example What are all different ways that you
discuss the taste of
different beers with your
friends?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Grand Tour Questions

Example Your mentioned that you purchased
a new VCR within the past month. Tell me about
the events that led up to the purchase of VCR.
Tell me what you did and what you thoughts were
from the time you decided you needed a new VCR to
the time of the actual purchase?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Idealization Questions

Example Describe the ideal dish washing
detergent
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Contrast Questions

Example In what ways is a Honda different
from a Toyota
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Hypothetical-Interaction Questions

Example Imagine that the director and
creator of Calvin Kleins jeans advertising were
sitting across the table from you, what types of
questions might you ask these people?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Verbal
questioning Techniques

• Third-Person Questions

Example Several people said that price and
economy were really far less important than
leaving hair shiny and manageable, what do you
think about this point of view?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Techniques that use verbal stimuli and responses
  (word association, sentence completion,and story
  completion)
• Techniques that require the use of imagination or
  scenarios (personification, anthropomorphism,
  role playing and shopping lists)
• Techniques that use pictures as stimuli (picture
  projection, picture sorts, and picture collage)

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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Word Association

Example Test of tagline Best in the sky
On time, every time
Your friend in the sky
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Sentence and Story Completions

Example The type of people who really like
to eat reduced calorie ice cream are
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Personification and Anthropomorphism

Example If Jeep were turn into a celebrity
or other famous person, who would it be? If a
Volvo were to turn into a celebrity or other
famous person, who would it be?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Personification and Anthropomorphism

Example If Land Rover were to turn
into an animal, what type of animal would it be?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Role-Playing

Example What would you neighbor
think? How do you think the average person
would react?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Shopping Lists

• Example
• 1st List
• Meji Milk
• Nescfe instant coffee
• Farm House bread
• Oreo snack

• Example
• 2nd List
• Meji Milk
• Maxwell House drip
• grind coffee
• Farm House bread
• Oreo snack

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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Picture Projection

Example
Mom and her daughter are talking about
breakfast. What type of breakfast do you think
they are considering? Why? Whats brand?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Picture Sorts ( magazine )

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• Picture Sorts ( magazine )

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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Picture Sorts

Example On what basis did you sort the
object? How are the objects in this pile alike
and different from object in other piles?
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Eliciting Qualitative insights Projective
Techniques

• Collage

- Small pictures to create a collage.
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The Environment for Qualitative Research

• Nonjudgement Manner
• Rapport