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Qualitative Research

Qualitative research offers the opportunity to understand thought processes, capture reactions, and discover the “why’s” underlying opinions and behaviors. It can be an end in itself or a precursor or follow-up to quantitative research. CMI’s qualitative staff members have strong research backgrounds and offer years of experience using techniques such as:

Our researchers are skilled at employing a variety of methods:

In-Depth Interviews

In-depth interviews are an excellent tool for exploratory research. Their success relies upon the experience of the interviewer and his/her ability to probe effectively to elicit insights without leading the respondent. CMI frequently employs in-depth interviewing in both consumer and business segments with great success.

Case Study:  Consumer In-Depth Interviews

Case Study:  Business In-Depth Interviews

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Focus groups

For situations in which the interaction of a larger group of respondents is desirable, CMI utilizes focus groups. CMI has conducted innumerable focus groups, representing a wide variety of respondent types, ranging from consumers to CEO’s, and covering objectives such as:

• Understanding customer needs,
• Providing background for a product category or reactions to new product concepts,
• Generating/refining ideas for new products, services, and creative concepts,
• Understanding decision-makers’ purchase decision process (both business and consumer),
• Gaining insight into customers’ perceptions of a marketer’s image, beliefs about the competition, and general sense of the marketplace,
• Evaluating the effectiveness of communications tools,
• Generating hypotheses for quantitative testing,
• Providing input for structured questionnaires, and
• Providing additional information for interpreting quantitative data.

Case Study:  Equipment Manufacturer Product Development

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Dyads/Triads

Interviewing two or three participants at the same time offers a different dynamic than a larger group. Useful for learning about individual behaviors and motivations, dyads and triads also provide the benefit of more concentrated dialogue among participants.

Dyad participants can include spouses or partners to learn their collective approach to a process or product, a user and a non-user of a certain product to understand the pros and cons of the product more clearly, or even two users of competitive brands to understand product attributes head-to-head.

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Case Studies

Using a combination of one-on-one in-depth interviews, CMI explores the perspectives of various individuals within a single organization – representing different departments, levels of decision-making, and roles. For example, the decision-making process can be examined from a number of perspectives within an organization, uncovering the perceptions of direct decision-makers as well as decision-influencers. Those who are ultimately affected by these decisions (either inside or outside the organization) can also be included in the research.

Case Study: Purchase Decision

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Ethnographic/Observational Research

CMI can help you get to know your customers up close and personal - their frustrations, habits, emotions, motivations and needs – through a variety of observation-based methods, each tailored to your specific customer base and situation.

iSight^SM

iSight leverages technology to capture “in-the-moment” experiences that are not otherwise easily or practically observed first-hand.  Think low-involvement categories, infrequently occurring behavior, or stimulus-based behavior. Technology acts as a portal through which “unseeable” behavior can be observed as it happens, providing a deep understanding of the customer context.  The various phases of the process are structured to:

• Enlist participation and build rapport among participants—and between the ethnographer and participants,
 
• Utilize mechanisms for indirect observation  through technology windows such as email, voicemail, blogs, etc., combined with creative assignments designed to further illuminate the customer’s context,
 
• Foster a deeply introspective posture, and
 
• Share observations and themes and explore collective insight and emotional linkages. 

The result is powerful connection with customers and their world that goes beyond knowing what they do and think, to understanding why -- the foundation for competitive advantage.

In-Person Observation

Observing consumer behavior in-home, in-office, or at the point of purchase reveals what respondents actually do – instead of what they say they do. This process examines customers’ behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets in context, useful for understanding processes that are hard for respondents to reconstruct.

This process allows you to see current products and services in use, understand avenues for improvement – whether within the purchase environment or improvements to the product/service itself – and identify opportunities for new product development.

Case Study:  Understanding Gen-X and Millenials

Case Study:  Product Usage and Purchase Decision Process

Case Study:  Shopping Behavior

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Usability Research

From in-store kiosks to websites -- any human-computer interaction -- usability research investigates the elements that determine a successful experience or a frustrating one. Moderators explore ergonomics, heuristic guidelines, and other human factors.

In the case of website usability, respondents can be assigned specific tasks or navigate on their own – providing a context for the discussion of previously unrecognized needs and drawing out additional feedback. Moderators combine observation of the end-users’ interaction with the system with their verbal responses to probing questions to analyze the users’ experience, identify any areas of difficulty or need, and make recommendations for improvement.

Case Study:  Telecommunications Website Usability

Case Study:  Online Shopping Usability

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Ideation

Part of a multi-phase process, ideation sessions generate ideas for just about anything – new products or services, the development of new brands, line extensions, promotions, packaging, or brand building. The content of the sessions (exercises, stimuli, and the composition of participants) is tailored to meet the specific objectives of each research effort. Ideation sessions are often conducted after an initial needs assessment, providing platforms from which to generate ideas. The typical output is a list of concept outlines that present each concept’s description, the need that it addresses, its key benefits and potential names.

Case Study:  Equipment Manufacturer Product Development

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Facilitation

CMI’s qualitative researchers generalize and adapt their skills to a number of applications and settings. Facilitation sessions can take many forms, from strategic planning sessions with senior management to half-day sessions with your most valued customers to better understand their needs. Because the facilitator has no vested interest, his/her impartiality enhances the processes, and therefore the outcome.

Case Study:  Meter Equipment Manufacturer Product Development

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