American Families — a deep dive A central theme in this book is “the economy of dignity” whereby people earn peer respect by showing they know about things that matter within a subculture. This is especially true for younger people who are in the process of defining their identity. For example, school aged kids earn […]
Very shortly after September 11th, 2001 I had the option to go to Tel Aviv, or to get up in the middle of the night and listen by phone to the focus groups being conducted there. I opted to listen by phone given the jittery airport scenes I was seeing. They placed the old school […]
An occupational hazard for a researcher is exposing negative feedback about a client’s brand or a product. This can be especially dicey when talking with people in real time when clients are present. Tech-centric companies have a bad rep for blaming users and/or researchers when the developers watch people struggle to figure out how to […]
That idea that people distort the “truth” when telling you about themselves is nothing new to seasoned qualitative researchers. My first research job out of grad school involved interviewing jail detainees about their drug and unsafe sex behaviors. Being let out of their cell to talk to the lady with the clipboard and drink the […]
Qualitative research is practiced by a relatively small group of people seeking answers to questions about humans and our relationship to the world we inhabit. The sub-category known as qualitative market research is especially misunderstood. Perhaps this is because things change more rapidly in the business world than in the academic world. Whatever the reasons, […]
Energems was recently accepted as a member at the Council for Responsible Nutrition paving the way for a totally new product category: supplemented chocolates. We hear a lot about “disruption” of existing categories, but defining a whole new product category is equally innovative and requires a firm grasp on consumer attitudes and behavior to be […]
I was recently asked to answer this question about focus groups on Quora: What type of information do market research firms request from their clients to successfully conduct focus groups? What is the optimal format for this information? My answer may be useful for those of you who are considering conducting focus groups in the […]
Designing the best method for conducting qualitative research is an important first step in the process. Skipping this step can lead to madness. When I meet with a new client, I consult with them to determine the best method to uncover the insights they need. What kind of business decisions depend on these insights? What […]
SayWhat recently visited with Justin McCrary, Director of the UC Berkeley Social Sciences Data Lab, aka the D-Lab, to learn more about what they are doing. One of their goals is to build networks through which Berkeley researchers can connect with users of social science data in the off-campus world. The D-Lab is a sister […]
As we launch into a new year, you may be thinking about where qualitative research fits into your planning, and what you should expect from the process. In our discussions with new clients, certain questions come up fairly frequently, especially these: 1) How many questions can we ask participants? If you are asking this question, […]