It doesn’t always have to be face-to-face
5 methods to obtain qualitative user insights without travelling
Qualitative and hybrid methods of online research make it possible to dive deep into the world of users any time, any place. From the large number of tools at our disposal, we have selected five which our clients commonly like to use.
01 - Mobile Ethnography
Mobile Ethnography is the capturing of everyday events with the smartphone. This method allows you to see the world through the respondents’ eyes. It lets you take a “live” look at everyday experiences and hence gain a deeper understanding of people’s daily lives – no matter where and when. Mobile ethnography gives insights into usage habits, rituals, pain points or unmet needs form the basis for improving products or services, exploiting new market potential or bringing innovations to market.
02 - Market Research Online Communities (MROCs, IN|SPIARY)
Online communities like IN|SPIARY allow you to stay in close contact with your target group for days, weeks or even months. They can be used for an almost unlimited range of target groups and research topics. This method is an ideal complement to agile projects such as design thinking. Advantage: online communities are available day and night, and can be integrated in the iteration process at any time.
03 – Web-Assisted TDIs
Conducting in-depth interviews by phone makes it possible to cover a wider geographical area without having to sacrifice the use of creative methods. The respondent and the moderator meet in a virtual room. Thanks to digital solutions, our proven tools for systemic constellation, for brand personality or ideation research clearly illustrate the respondents’ emotional world. A special benefit: high flexibility for the respondent, high willingness to participate, and fascinating insights for our clients.
04 - Social Media Research
Social Media Research helps us to understand users because it gives us access to openly shared opinions. Generating insights, which go beyond the counting of likes, sentiment analyses or dashboards, primarily requires human intelligence and experience in addition to the technology. By combining these two factors, SMR offers a fascinating look at the users’ world. It allows the investigation of attitudes, the understanding of motivations and the identification of needs. As a result, various facets of a topic are covered exceptionally well through the interaction with other users rather than just collecting individual comments.
05 - Hybrid Insight Research (BRAND|VIEW, BRAND|GRAPH, VAL|LERY)
Online research provides exciting possibilities to understand people’s wishes and attitudes, and to dive deeper into the users’ world. These new methods allow the respondents to act in an intuitive and playful way. Instead of answering scale-based questions, the respondents prepare collages, engage in role play or visualise systemic relationships. The highlight: the results can even be statistically analysed and extrapolated.