Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is performed by businesses that acknowledge the human condition and want to learn more about it. Some of the key characteristics of qualitative research that enable practitioners to perform qualitative inquiry comprise small data, the absence of definitive truth, the importance of context, the researcher’s skills and are of interests.

Aspect	Explanation
Qualitative Research	Qualitative research is an exploratory and contextual approach to research that focuses on understanding the meaning and interpretation of experiences, behaviors, and phenomena. It aims to provide in-depth insights into complex social and human phenomena.
Data Collection Methods	Open-Ended Interviews: Qualitative researchers often conduct open-ended interviews to collect data from participants. These interviews allow for flexibility, probing, and rich narratives. Researchers build rapport with participants to encourage candid responses.
	Participant Observation: Researchers may engage in participant observation, immersing themselves in the environment or culture being studied. They observe and interact with participants to gain insights into their behaviors and experiences.
	Focus Groups: Focus groups involve bringing together a small group of participants to discuss a specific topic or issue. Researchers facilitate discussions to capture a range of perspectives and generate insights.
Qualitative Data	Qualitative research focuses on non-numerical data, including text, narratives, visuals, and audio recordings. This data is often rich in detail and provides a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Small and Purposeful Samples	Qualitative studies typically involve small and purposeful samples rather than large, random samples. Researchers seek participants who can provide in-depth information and insights relevant to the research questions.
Thematic Analysis	Thematic analysis is a common approach to analyzing qualitative data. Researchers identify themes, patterns, and recurring ideas in the data to uncover underlying meanings and interpretations.
Contextual Understanding	Qualitative research seeks to understand phenomena within their context. It explores the social, cultural, and historical aspects that influence behaviors and experiences. Researchers examine the “why” and “how” behind observed actions and beliefs.
Subjective and Interpretive	Qualitative research acknowledges the subjective nature of human experiences and interpretations. It values the researcher’s interpretation and recognizes that multiple interpretations may be valid.
Emergent Design	Qualitative research often employs an emergent design, allowing the research process to evolve based on early findings. Researchers may adjust their questions or methods as they gain deeper insights and explore new avenues of inquiry.
Rich Descriptions	Qualitative researchers aim to provide rich and detailed descriptions of their findings, often using quotes and anecdotes from participants to illustrate key points. This enhances the credibility and authenticity of the research.
Holistic Approach	A holistic approach in qualitative research means considering the entire context and interconnectedness of factors. It allows researchers to explore complex phenomena from multiple angles and capture the nuances of the subject matter.
Ethnography and Case Studies	Ethnographic research and case studies are common in qualitative research. Ethnography involves immersion in a culture or community, while case studies delve deeply into a specific instance or situation to gain comprehensive insights.
Inductive Reasoning	Qualitative research often employs inductive reasoning, where theories and frameworks emerge from the data itself rather than being applied beforehand. It allows for the discovery of new concepts and perspectives.
Conclusion	Qualitative research is characterized by its emphasis on meaning-making, contextual understanding, and interpretation. It is well-suited for exploring complex and multifaceted topics, providing depth and insight into human experiences and behaviors.

Absence of a definitive truth

One of the most obvious characteristics of qualitative research is the lack of definitive truth.

Unlike quantitative data, which is clinical, logical, and deals in absolutes, qualitative data is collected by researchers who simply want to know more about the subject at hand.

Note that qualitative data collection does not occur in a vacuum and is context-dependent.

Data are the result of various situational factors that vary from one person to the next, and it is for this reason that qualitative researchers tend to worry about whether the data are reasonably probable as opposed to factual.

This plausibility can be increased by ensuring the data collection process is as accurate as practicable.

Importance of context

Further to the point above is the importance of context. Since qualitative research is performed to better understand real-world problems, the research must consider the natural contexts in which individuals exist.

Context depends on the individual and their social, cultural, or historical background or experience.

In this way, qualitative research provides an accurate account of how people feel, what forces shape their lives, and other less tangible factors that quantitative data may fail to capture or explain.

Understanding what test subjects think and feel can make the solutions more empathic, equitable, effective, and efficient.

Researcher centrism and skills

In qualitative research, the researcher who designs the test is also the instrument by which data are collected.

Since the researcher is close to the research participants, they can understand context and meaning in detail and better interpret study outcomes.

In some cases, however, this level of intimacy can threaten the ability of the researcher to collect data that is unbiased and objective.

To avoid this scenario, researchers are encouraged to think carefully about qualitative research design.

For example, it’s important to use the funnel approach to interview development which enables the interviewer to incorporate the issues that will play a role in reaching study objectives.

Individuals conducting the study should also focus on building rapport with their subjects, practice active listening, avoid inconsistencies, and note any contradictions.

Areas of interest and subject matter

Qualitative research is best suited to areas of interest or subject matter that may be difficult to learn more about via more structured research designs.

A qualitative line of inquiry can be used to tackle sensitive or intricate topics like sexual dysfunction or those that involved one’s personal life history.

Alternatively, it can be used to collate meaningful information from populations that are hard to reach or underserved, such as children from certain subcultures or groups.

In terms of issues that affect both business and society, qualitative research can provide insight into more nebulous topics such as:

How social media use is affecting physical social engagement among teens in cities.
The importance of mental health education in a high-school curriculum.
The benefits of immunization in poor, rural areas.
Understanding the factors that cause food insecurity and scarcity in a given region, and
The importance of establishing positive client-customer relationships.

Participant-researcher relationship

The nature of the participant-researcher relationship is an essential aspect of qualitative research.

In this type of research, the facilitator often interacts closely with participants and collects data via methods such as interviews, observations, and focus groups.

Note that there is a clear link between the quality of the data collected and the quality of the relationship between the researcher and participants.

One of the key drivers of data quality is trust. Participants must trust the researcher to maintain confidentiality and accurately represent their experiences and perspectives.

The researcher must demonstrate their commitment to these ethical principles and establish a rapport with the participants that makes them feel comfortable.

Only then will the participant be more inclined to share accurate information or exhibit authentic behavior whilst under observation.

Since the relationship often involves a power dynamic, the researcher must also use their power responsibly. In other words, they should ensure that participants understand their rights and that they can dictate their level of involvement in the study.

Online and mobile research

Online and mobile qualitative research methods involve the collection of data via platforms such as online forums, video conferencing, and mobile apps.

These methods have become popular in recent years due to their convenience, cost-effectiveness, and ability to reach a diverse range of participants.

Mobile qualitative research, as the name suggests, involves collecting data from mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. This approach is particularly useful in real-time and natural settings.

Some specific approaches are listed below.

Mobile surveys

Consider a retail company that wants to collect qualitative data on customer experience in their stores.

The survey could be distributed to customers via email or mobile app with open-ended questions about store layout, product selection, and customer service, for example.

SurveyMonkey is one example of a company that provides a tailored mobile survey platform for this very purpose.

Mobile ethnography

Mobile ethnography – sometimes referred to as mobile self-ethnography – is an approach where data is collected from participant observation and experience via photos, video, and audio.

Mobile ethnography takes advantage of the tendency for people to document every aspect of their lives and has been used by Coca-Cola, Mondelez, and Mastercard, among others.

Mobile diaries

Here, participants record their experiences, thoughts, and behaviors in real-time using a mobile device. Individuals are typically asked to record such experiences at specific intervals across the day or in response to prompts from the researcher.

Mobile diaries are well suited to complex or sensitive topics that may be difficult to capture through other qualitative research methods.

Unilever conducted a mobile diary-based qualitative research study to monitor the real-time cooking behavior of 300 people across 13 African cities.

Primarily, the company wanted to understand whether there was a preference for home-cooked meals across lunch and dinner over other meal types across time.

The results were then used to help the company identify the correct target audience and their specific path-to-purchase in preparation for the launch of a new meal-kit product.

Other benefits of online and mobile qualitative research

While there are obvious benefits for both parties in online and mobile research, the digital approach has also shifted the balance of power from the researcher to the study participants.

This has occurred because the participant is afforded more control of the research process via increased flexibility and convenience. They can also respond to research questions in greater detail and depth when compared to some offline techniques.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

characteristics-of-quantitative-research-characteristics-of-quantitative-research — The characteristics of quantitative research contribute to methods that use statistics as the basis for making generalizations about something. These generalizations are constructed from data that is used to find patterns and averages and test causal relationships.

Quantitative data can be extremely powerful in enhancing an organization’s business processes.

However, balancing it with qualitative understanding is critical.

Indeed, the qualitative side makes the data values in the first place.

In fact, with qualitative understanding, you can clean, curate, and validate the data which goes into the quantitative model.

While on the other hand, you can also balance out your judgment of quantitative methods, as they are skewed toward what can be measured and toward short-term optimization vs. long-term thinking.

That is why it’s critical to imbue a second-order thinking mindset to balance out the adverse effects of quantitative data, build a solid validation funnel, and make the best of both quantitative and qualitative data!

Qualitative research and understanding, therefore, are critical for long-term decision-making, which moves beyond the short-term consequences.

In that logic, to understand the difference between:

Frist vs. second-order effect.
Short-term optimizations vs. long-term innovation bets.
Efficiency vs. efficacy.

Thus, qualitative understanding helps first-order balance thinking with second-order thinking and effects.

It helps to balance out short-term optimizations with long-term innovation bets.

And it helps to understand when efficiency is worth undertaking vs. when instead efficacy is needed.

Qualitative research examples and methods comprise:

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data in Entrepreneurship

Jeff Bezos is among the people that have led the Internet Revolution.

And while many today give Amazon for granted, it’s worth highlighting that many of the things, products, and business models the company has built over the years, didn’t exist before.

In other words, Amazon has led the way in building and shaping the business playbook of the Internet.

From that standpoint, the company has been an incredible “optimizer,” thus leveraging data to make business processes (from inventory management to delivery) much more efficient.

It’s also the same company that has obsessed over customers with its customer obsession approach, which is a combination of iterative loops.

But also discovery, through data and intuition, to launch and build products that people might not know they want yet.

Another example of that is Apple’s playbook.

Indeed, while also here, Apple uses data to drive many of its short-term decisions.

The company has also made bold bets based on intuition and building something for which there is no market yet.

What we know as a Blue Ocean.

blue-ocean-strategy — A blue ocean is a strategy where the boundaries of existing markets are redefined, and new uncontested markets are created. At its core, there is value innovation, for which uncontested markets are created, where competition is made irrelevant. And the cost-value trade-off is broken. Thus, companies following a blue ocean strategy offer much more value at a lower cost for the end customers.

Now, with a quantitative approach alone, would you be able to build a product that creates a new market or a blue ocean?

Chances are, you won’t. Why?

Well, because there is no data or reliable data to look at when it comes to new markets.

There, what matters is human intuition and the ability to have a vision that can imagine a future that does not exist yet!

In all these cases, you might want to move away from quantitative research and focus on sharpening your intuition.

Of course, quantitative data might help in assessing the development of a trend via market research.

Take the story of how Jeff Bezos, before starting Amazon, was doing market research about the Internet, only to discover its staggering pace of growth.

Thus, he made the decision to start an online business.

As he would have regretted missing it (he recalls making the decision through a regret minimization framework).

Yet, also there, he didn’t know what it would have made sense to build on top of the nascent internet, as there was no mature market yet!

So, he decided to test the market by building a bookstore, which he used as a transitional business model to test the new developing Internet while building a business that would be viable at a small scale first, then at a larger and larger scale!

That is the essence of how entrepreneurs understand when to use data, and quantitative research, when to use intuition, and when to combine both!

Qualitative research examples

Here are some examples of companies that rely on qualitative research.

Starbucks

Starbucks is the most successful coffeehouse chain in the world. While its superior customer service and vertically integrated supply chain are important, Starbucks also relies on the qualitative data it collects from customers.

In 2008 the company launched MyStarbucksIdea.com, a website where customers could submit their innovative ideas, read the ideas of others, or see those that were implemented by the company.

The site offered an open and collaborative environment where consumers could share their views and take an active part in shaping the famous Starbucks experience.

This afforded Starbucks a free and vast source of qualitative information that reflected current social, cultural, and consumer trends.

Five years later, in 2013, some 277 ideas had been implemented from a total list of 150,000. Implemented ideas included:

Splash sticks that are inserted into coffee cup lids to protect employee and customer clothes from spills.
New coffee flavors such as Mocha Coconut Frappuccino, Hazelnut Macchiato, and Pumpkin Spice.
Mobile payment option for drive-thru services.

Apple

While now defunct, the Apple Customer Pulse website was launched in 2011 to collect qualitative feedback from twice-monthly customer surveys. Similar to MyStarbucksIdea.com, Apple Customer Pulse served as an online community where product users could offer input on subjects and issues concerning the company.

Today, Apple continues to collect this data but in different ways. The company emails questionnaires to customers immediately after purchase and asks questions about their overall experience.

Consumers are also asked in-store to rate their experience at the point of sale. In both cases, Apple collects quick, accurate feedback whilst still fresh in the consumer’s mind.

One metric the company has relied on for some time is NPS. For example, Apple measured customer satisfaction of the new Apple Watch to determine that it was a hit with customers just three months after launch.

In one earnings report, CEO Tim Cook noted that the market research “measured a 97 percent customer satisfaction rate for Apple Watch and we hear from people every day about the impact it’s having on their health, their daily routines, and how they communicate.”

LEGO

In the mid-2000s, LEGO was in financial dire straits and hired external consultants to audit its business.

They argued that the company’s brick-based products were obsolete and that it should expand its product range to survive and compete with main rival Mattel.

LEGO products were traditionally intended for boys, and with only 9% of LEGO users female, the company wondered whether it should offer more products that appealed to young girls.

In 2007, the company embarked on a four-year study involving 3,500 girls and their mothers.

Researchers observed the playing habits of participants and conducted focus groups and interviews to determine what would make Lego toys more interesting to girls.

Among other things, the participants noted that they preferred more vibrant, feminine-colored bricks and instead of fire trucks and mines, they wanted construction sets for houses and bakeries.

The Lego Friends line of construction toys for girls was released in 2012 which featured eight main characters represented by detailed and realistic Lego minifigures.

Lego Friends remains one of the company’s most successful launches to this day. Upon release, it doubled the company’s sales expectations and significantly widened its customer base within the girls’ market segment.

Key takeaways

Qualitative research is performed by businesses that acknowledge the human condition and want to learn more about it.
One of the most obvious characteristics of qualitative research is the lack of definitive truth. Researchers perform this type of research to learn more about a topic that is often nebulous and hard to define.
Other characteristics of qualitative research include researcher centrism, researcher skills, and the importance of context in determining how participants think and feel while they interact with their environment.

Additional Case Studies

Understanding Consumer Preferences
- Product Packaging Design: Businesses can use qualitative research methods like focus groups to understand which packaging designs resonate most with consumers and why.
- Flavor Testing: Food businesses can gather a group of potential consumers to test new flavors and get detailed feedback on taste, texture, and overall experience.
Exploring Brand Perceptions
- Luxury Brand Image: Luxury brands can conduct in-depth interviews to understand what aspects of their brand give it a luxurious image in the eyes of consumers.
- Consumer Trust in Banking: Financial institutions can use qualitative methods to explore reasons behind trust or distrust among their customers.
Assessing Marketing Campaign Impact
- Ad Feedback: Before releasing a new ad campaign, businesses can hold focus groups to gauge consumer reactions and adjust the campaign based on feedback.
- Social Media Reactions: Brands can conduct one-on-one interviews with consumers to understand deeper sentiments behind their social media comments or reactions.
Exploring Online Shopping Behavior
- Website Navigation: E-commerce platforms can engage users in a usability study, observing how they navigate the site and where they face difficulties.
- Cart Abandonment: Online retailers can interview shoppers to understand reasons for abandoning a shopping cart without completing the purchase.
Delving into Employee Satisfaction
- Work Environment: Companies can hold group discussions with employees to understand factors affecting their comfort and productivity at work.
- Training Needs: Businesses can engage with new hires to get qualitative feedback on orientation programs and identify areas for improvement.
Understanding B2B Relationships
- Supplier Feedback: Large manufacturers can conduct interviews with their suppliers to understand challenges in the supply chain and explore opportunities for collaboration.
- Feedback on Prototypes: Before launching a new product, businesses can give prototypes to potential B2B clients and gather detailed feedback on improvements.
Exploring Retail Experiences
- In-store Experience: Retail businesses can observe shoppers in-store or interview them post-purchase to understand their shopping journey, what they liked, and areas of friction.
- Loyalty Program Feedback: Retailers can hold discussions with members of their loyalty programs to understand what rewards or features they value the most.

Key Highlights:

Qualitative Research Defined: Qualitative research is a human-centered process that seeks to understand complex and nuanced aspects of a subject. It delves into areas that may not be quantifiable and aims to provide rich insights into the human experience.
Absence of Definitive Truth: Qualitative research does not seek definitive truths like quantitative data does. Instead, it aims to explore and understand the subject matter in depth, acknowledging that human behavior and experiences are often multifaceted and context-dependent.
Importance of Context: Context is a crucial element in qualitative research. Researchers must consider the social, cultural, historical, and personal backgrounds of individuals to gain a comprehensive understanding of their thoughts and behaviors.
Researcher’s Role and Skills: Qualitative research often involves the researcher as a key instrument for data collection. This proximity allows researchers to understand the context and meaning of participants’ experiences. However, it also requires researchers to be aware of their biases and strive for objectivity.
Areas of Interest and Subject Matter: Qualitative research is well-suited for exploring intricate and sensitive topics that may not be effectively studied through other methods. It allows researchers to gain insight into personal experiences, social phenomena, and human behaviors that quantitative data might overlook.
Participant-Researcher Relationship: The nature of the relationship between the researcher and participants is crucial in qualitative research. Trust and rapport play a significant role in data quality, and researchers must establish an environment in which participants feel comfortable sharing authentic information.
Online and Mobile Research: Online and mobile research methods have gained popularity due to their convenience and ability to reach a diverse range of participants. Mobile surveys, ethnography, and mobile diaries are examples of such methods that leverage technology for data collection.
Balancing Quantitative and Qualitative: While quantitative data is valuable for optimizing processes and making informed decisions, qualitative understanding is essential for long-term decision-making, innovation, and addressing topics that lack established data.
Qualitative Research Examples: Companies like Starbucks, Apple, and LEGO have effectively utilized qualitative research to gain insights from their customers. Examples include Starbucks’ MyStarbucksIdea platform, Apple’s customer feedback collection, and LEGO’s research into designing products for girls.
Key Takeaways: Qualitative research goes beyond quantifiable data to explore the depth of human experiences. It offers insights into context, emotions, and behaviors, making it a valuable tool for understanding complex subjects and making well-rounded business decisions.