1、Why qualitative wins:The future of human experience insights2/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.The growth trifecta:why qualitative research is growing so fastContents1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative researchIntroduction2.The modern qualitative research

2、 toolbox3.The five key future trends for qualitative research2.1 Remote video2.2 Online communities 2.3 Mobile diaries and journey mapping2.4 Qualitative analytics2.5 Human expertise1.1 Data overload1.2 Growing mistrust of data and metrics 1.3 The importance of storytelling 1.4 The growth of the exp

3、erience economy1.5 The rise of empathy in design and innovation3.1 Observation3.2 Automation 3.3 Integration3.4 Democratization3.5 CraftWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.3/37The growth trifecta:why qualitative research is growing so fastTell me more.And more.And more.

4、We want the full story.The colors,the shapes,the sounds,and the feelings.Its no longer enough to sift data,crunch numbers and plot charts.We want to investigate our customers hearts and minds,to see what lies beneath the surface and understand at a human level.We want to understand the human experie

5、nce.Introduction3/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.4/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.But how?We need a new approach to qualitative research,that sweeps away the clouds covering our understanding and uses modern tools that bring o

6、ut the best in each qualitative research method.In this eBook,we look at whats driving the exponential growth in the sector,what you can use to power up your qualitative research and most importantly examine whats coming next for the future of qualitative research.So you can be ready to make the mos

7、t of this new era.Great growth=great opportunityQualitative research is an essential method for developing rich,human-centered understanding of customers,users,and other audiences.It is also growing fast.Globally,the market research industry generates one hundred billion dollars in annual revenue,of

8、 which about 13 billion is qualitative research1.But although qualitative accounts for just 1 in every 7 research dollars spent,between 2019 and 2021 it grew almost 50%faster than the rest of the industry2.All Global ResearchQualitative Research$98.5 bn$13.3 bnIntroductionEBOOKIndexed global revenue

9、,2019=100.There is also strong growth in another signifjcant qualitative segment:UX or User Research.This is a relatively new discipline,and its not refmected in the ESOMAR data shown in the chart above.But industry experts estimate that advertised vacancies for UX researcher roles a rough proxy for

10、 category growth-are increasing at an annual rate of 20%3.Finally,qualitative research is a hotbed of technology innovation.You can see the breadth and volume of creativity in this sector in the market landscape for qualitative research technology4(ResTech)rendering below.20192021All Other ResearchQ

11、ualitative Research7Introduction5/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Global revenues for qualitative grew by 37%over these two years,while other market research categories(primarily quantitative research and reporting)grew by 26%.6/37Why qualitative wins F

12、orsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.As can be seen,“qualitative research“spans an enormous variety of difgerent software tools and products in categories such as video research,online focus groups,communities,mobile ethnography and more.Many of these software tools are relatively highly spec

13、ialized;some,such as Forsta,are present in multiple categories.But the overall picture is one of a healthy qualitative technology ecosystem with a mixture of both new startups and established players,and both niche application and broad capability.So what factors are behind the increasing demand,rev

14、enue growth and technology innovation in qualitative research?IntroductionQualitative research technology market landscape1The five key growth drivers for qualitative research1.1 Data overload1.2 Growing mistrust of data and metrics 1.3 The importance of storytelling 1.4 The growth of the experience

15、 economy1.5 The rise of empathy in design and innovation7/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.8/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.1.1 Data overloadThe availability of data is transforming the way organizations understand and communica

16、te with their audiences.Digital platforms,CRM systems,programmatic advertising:these and dozens of other sources have given marketing,experience,and customer support teams new insights to support their work.But there is a downside to all this abundant information.The sheer volume of data available c

17、an be paralyzing.Two-thirds of CMOs are overwhelmed by dataA major survey of 300 CMOs in North American and Europe5 revealed that two-thirds feel overwhelmed by the volume of data they deal with.The same survey showed that the average number of data sources used by marketing teams has more than doub

18、led in the space of two years.Its not just marketing teams who sufger from this three Vs phenomenon increasing volume,variety,and velocity of data.Customer experience,support and sales teams are also victims,which often leads to analysis paralysis within the team and the wider organization.There are

19、 many difgerent reasons for the increasing popularity of qualitative research.In this section,we highlight fjve of the most important:overload,mistrust,storytelling,experience,and empathy.1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research9/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Righ

20、ts Reserved.VolumeVelocityAnalysis ParalysisVariety1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research10/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Set against this data and metrics overload,qualitative research provides tangible,accessible and understandable human insigh

21、ts.Many organizations are increasing their investment in”small data”as both an antidote and a complement to their“big data”sources.1.2 Growing mistrust of data and metricsPeople are overwhelmed by large volumes of data;and increasingly,they wonder whether they should believe data at all.Digital data

22、 particularly where it relates to programmatic advertising-is increasingly polluted and unreliable.Up to 88%of clicks on digital ads are potentially fraudulent6,and one study concluded that nearly half of the reviews on A were fake7.By 2025,digital ad fraud could be worth$150 billion globally.1.The

23、five key growth drivers for qualitative research11/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Up to 88%of clicks on digital ads are potentially fraudulentQuantitative survey data is also susceptible to fraud.Research technology,data and service providers constantly invest in

24、 countering this threat-but in some surveys,as many as 30 to 50%of responses can be bogus:a combination of active fraud,inattentive respondents and bots or click farms that automatically answer surveys8.If you use quantitative data sources like these for insights into brands,consumer preferences or

25、online user behavior,you may feel increasingly skeptical about how valid your conclusions actually are.But when it comes to insights based on qualitative research,“seeing is believing.”Interviews and observations with participants whether in person or online supply the tangibility,human depth,and tr

26、ustworthiness that large data sets can lack.1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research11/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.12/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.1.4 The growth of the experience economyThe fourth of our fj

27、ve factors driving growth in qualitative research is the Experience Economy.This term was coined in the late nineties in a Harvard Business Review article that identifjes experience management as the most highly difgerentiated and premium strategy for companies to adopt:1.3 The importance of storyte

28、llingIn recent years,an enormous number of business books about storytelling have been published.Building a Story Brand,Stories that Stick,Brand Storytelling and dozens of other titles refmect the recognition that narrative is an essential part of marketing,sales,and experience management.Human stor

29、ies serve to illustrate hard numbers and enhance the impact of data-driven evidence.From a neuroscience perspective,stories are a highly efgective mechanism for triggering emotion,encoding memory,and driving action.These are all elements that help to persuade audiences in marketing communications;en

30、gage customers in experiences;and infmuence colleagues and decision-makers inside organizations.And what is one of the richest sources of human stories?Qualitative research,of course.DifgerentiatedCompetitive PositionUndifgerentiatedMarketPricingPremiumThe progression of economic valueMake goodsDeli

31、ver servicesStage experiencesExtract commodities1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research13/37EBOOKWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.In the early 2020s,experience management is a core strategy for organizations as they seek to attract users,customers,and

32、employees.Customer Experience(CX)management and Voice of Customer(VoC)programs are fjrmly established in many companies.User Experience(UX)is now core to the design of services,digital interfaces and increasingly physical products.And Employee Experience(EX)programs and Voice of Employee(VoE)trackin

33、g are also commonplace in larger organizations.But where do the rich,human insights come from to help inform these experiences?More and more,the answers come from qualitative research.It is a foundational element of UX research and design,and modern experience tracking programs include qualitative”d

34、eep dive”components that enrich the insights from survey metrics.1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research13/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.14/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.1.5 The rise of empathy in design and i

35、nnovationFinally,and closely related to experience management,is the rise of empathy in design,innovation,and product creation.The design thinking framework10 increasingly underpins the innovation process for services,digital experiences,and physical products.Interaction Design Foundation interactio

36、n-design.orgDesign thinking:A 5-stage processEmpathizeDefjneIdeatePrototypeTest1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research15/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.The design thinking framework starts with empathy:deep understanding of a target users context,n

37、eeds and behaviors.Empathy is the very fjrst step,and precedes all other steps:problem defjnition,idea generation,prototyping or testing.And where does empathy originate?Research to understand users is an overwhelmingly qualitative activity.Both attitudinal and behavioral research methods are needed

38、:observations to identify natural behaviors and interviews to understand users perceptions.But the core methodology is almost always qualitative.1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative researchWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.15/37So far,we have highlighted fjv

39、e key factors that are driving demand for qualitative research:data overload,mistrust of metrics,the growth of storytelling,the rise of experience management and the increasing importance of empathy in product and service design.But historically,qualitative research had some signifjcant constraints

40、because it relied largely almost exclusively on in-person fjeldwork.Despite the availability of online qualitative tools and the rapid online migration of other research methods many research practitioners and clients preferred the richness of face-to-face research.This meant that planning,conductin

41、g,and analyzing results was time-consuming.Compared to other research methods such as surveys,it could appear high cost to budget-holders.And accessing target audiences in difgerent geographic locations required signifjcant resources.COVID lockdowns,however,forced a signifjcant re-think for many qua

42、litative researchers.Online methods were suddenly the only choice at a time when understanding consumer needs was of paramount importance.Digital qualitative tools saw exponential growth in adoption during 2020,and researchers found new and creative ways to generate human insights.But now,in the pos

43、t pandemic era,which of these digital research methods will endure?And what will the future of qualitative research look like?1.The five key growth drivers for qualitative research16/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.17/372The modern qualitative research toolboxWhy

44、qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.2.1 Remote video2.2 Online communities 2.3 Mobile diaries and journey mapping2.4 Qualitative analytics2.5 Human expertise18/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.2.1 Remote videoRemote video has multiple appl

45、ications for qualitative research,including interviews and focus groups,online communities,and mobile diaries and journey mapping.Interviews and focus groupsOne-to-one interviews and group discussions are the most common use cases.But this type of remote video research has two distinct fmavors.1.Ful

46、ly online:all participants are in difgerent locations.2.Live-streamed:a focus group or interview takes place in-person;remote video technology allows colleagues,observers,or co-moderators to watch or take part even if they are not physically present with participants.As in the offmine world,online r

47、esearch can involve dozens of niche methods,tools,and frameworks.In this section,we explore fjve foundational components of modern qualitative research:remote video,online communities,mobile diaries,qualitative analytics,and human experts.2.The modern qualitative research toolbox19/37Why qualitative

48、 wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Focus groups and interviews are very familiar from the offmine world of research and are efgective ways to explore issues and generate ideas.The distinctive value in modern,remote video methods is in bringing human stories to life across difgerent l

49、ocations,at greater speed and lower cost than offmine approaches.Generic online meeting platforms can be suitable for remote interviews and group discussions.They are widely available,familiar to many people and low cost or even free in some cases.However,they will not be suitable in many situations

50、.Specialist online platforms have advanced features such privacy participant and compliance management;hiding observers in virtual backrooms;and in-built analytics capabilities.As we saw earlier,User Experience(UX)or User Research is a rapidly growing capability in many organizations.Remote UX testi

51、ng is a common method of evaluating live and prototype websites and digital applications.A typical test will involve setting tasks for a participant to achieve whilst navigating a website or app,and optionally responding to a series of interview questions.Tests may be moderated by an interview or un

52、moderated(fully automated).Video is a core element of the process:the users screen activity is recorded to capture navigation,clicks,and pauses;and their front-facing camera and microphone are activated to record video of their facial expressions and verbal comments as they interact.This approach ca

53、ptures both attitudinal feedback(to interview questions)and behavioral feedback(task completion,unspoken responses in facial expressions)to uncover opportunities and challenges in the UX design.2.The modern qualitative research toolboxForsta InterVu Untangle yourself from tech and focus on research

54、with our dedicated online focus groups tool.Learn more“In most presentations,youre forced to help bring to life the voice of the customer through text and pictures but with this new approach,you can bring the customer into the room with you to tell their story.”Case studyeBay uses remote video resea

55、rch for deeper understanding of buyers and sellers.11Forsta customer eBay used online video insights to enhance the metrics captured in survey-based experience feedback.eBay wanted to capture tangible human insights from sellers and buyers on the platform.Participants,who were identifjed and recruit

56、ed in the experience tracking survey,took part in a series of remote digital interviews.The results from this qualitative phase helped bring key insights to life and enhance both the seller and buyer propositions.Following the research,selected videos were used to embed key stories across the eBay o

57、rganization and bring to life insights that were not apparent from the survey research alone.2.The modern qualitative research toolbox20/37Sam Harami Director of Global Customer Loyalty,eBayWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Read the full case study21/37Why qualitative

58、 wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.2.2 Online communitiesOnline communities also known as insight communities,customer advisory boards,private panels or market research online communities(MROCs)involve recruiting participants who agree to take part in research over a certain time.Com

59、munities can theoretically include thousands of participants over several years or,more commonly for qualitative research,dozens of people over several weeks or months.Qualitative communities ofger the ability to conduct a wide range of activities on a variety of topics with an engaged group of part

60、icipants.This can always be achieved in separate projects but there are three distinct advantages with communities:1.Immediacy:participants are available and willing to take part at short notice 2.Cost efgectiveness:an on-demand pool of participants reduces on-going recruitment costs and project ove

61、rheads3.Iteration:research topics can be explored repeatedly over time.Communities are particularly efgective for co-creation activities,complex research briefs and rapidly validating ideas.They almost always need specialist technology,as these platforms support the full range of capabilities.These

62、include email communications,participant database,privacy and compliance tools,incentives,reporting and a wide variety of research activity types to meet difgerent research briefs and keep engagement:real time or asynchronous group discussions;video feedback;polls;whiteboards and brainstorming tasks

63、;and many others.2.The modern qualitative research toolboxDigital diaries and communities Getting priceless insights is easy with our specialized diaries and community toolLearn more22/37Case studyThe Family Room explores modern families with online community research.12Forsta customer The Family Ro

64、om is a specialist research agency based in the United States with a core focus on cross cultural insights into families.Using the Forsta platform,The Family Room conducted a qualitative research community to understand what modern families look like across Hispanic,Black,and White communities and t

65、o understand how they make decisions.An initial large-scale survey was used to gather quantitative insights and recruit families to participate in the community.Over several weeks,members took part in a variety of activities:video testimonials,letter writing,photo upload,projective exercises,and oth

66、ers.This creative approach helped reveal key insights into difgerent family dynamics and surface opportunities for brands to connect better with these audiences.22/372.The modern qualitative research toolboxWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.“When we set out to do this

67、 study,we wanted to provide entire families with the tools to tell us how they think,feel and act in the moment.With the Forsta platform,we were able to engage multiple family members in their own environment.”George Carey Founder and CEO of The Family RoomRead the full case study23/37Why qualitativ

68、e wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.2.3 Mobile diaries and journey mappingSmartphones have revolutionized qualitative research.Mobile devices support both the remote video and online community applications covered earlier.Here,we explore the mobile-specifjc capabilities of diaries co

69、llecting longitudinal feedback-and the related aspect of journey mapping.For both types of projects,participants are recruited,opt in,and download a smartphone app through which they interact over time.They complete tasks set by a researcher such as self-ethnography(documenting habits and behaviors)

70、,uploading images or videos,providing text-based feedback and other activities.Tasks can be set manually or triggered automatically at certain times,locations or even in response to specifjed on-device behaviors.Participants receive push notifjcations directly on their device that may prompt them to

71、 complete virtual or in-person missions:visiting a store,preparing a meal,or documenting daily habits.Mobile diary applications are particularly helpful in capturing in-the-moment insights from retail point of purchase,in-venue experience,or other activities;and gathering insights over time from rou

72、tines such as applying makeup,consuming media,or caring for children.The same underlying technology helps to document journeys.Journey mapping can help to reveal key insights into user,customer,or patient experiences;and to document path-to-purchase behaviors for prepare for major investments such a

73、s vacation planning,home renovations or buying a new car.2.The modern qualitative research toolboxCustomer journey mapping Join the dots on your customer journey with our comprehensive mapping tool and specialist technicians Learn moreCase studyNetpop uses digital diaries to get inside the heads of

74、developers.Netpop is a leading research and strategy consultancy based in San Francisco.Netpops client,a leading technology fjrm wanted to understand how app developers make purchase decisions.Using the Forsta Digital Diaries solution,Netpop was able to capture in-the-moment insights:the websites th

75、at developers use,the specifjc content they read and the questions they try to answer on their path to purchase.The week-long study gathered feedback from participants in seven countries in difgerent languages with multiple international moderators.Results helped to inform a major re-design of the c

76、lients website.24/372.The modern qualitative research toolboxWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Read the full case study“What I loved about using Forsta for this study was that we were able to get into developers brains in a very difgerent way.The topic is very technic

77、al and one that developers naturally approach logically but we were able to access a much deeper,more emotional side.Left brain really met right brain and it was brilliant.”Cate Riegner Co-founder and Vice President,Netpop Research25/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserve

78、d.2.4 Qualitative analyticsData data everywhere,and not a byte to eat.Qualitative research can generate large volumes of messy data in diverse formats:transcripts,videos,images,whiteboards,concept feedback,diary submissions,long and short form text inputs content analysis is typically painstaking,ti

79、me consuming and relies heavily on experts.So the fourth key component in our modern digital qualitative toolbox is qualitative analytics.Automation and technology dont replace human expertise;but it helps make life easier for qualitative researchers by conducting the“heavy lifting”and freeing them

80、to identify insights,patterns,and connections that only human minds can fjnd.Examples of qualitative analytics include:a.Text analysisAt its most basic,this involves simply counting the number of mentions of terms and presenting the results in tabular or word cloud form.But modern qualitative platfo

81、rms go well beyond this,and now include thematic analysis,rich visualisations,affjnity mapping to identify relationships between concepts and some even automatically summarize large blocks of text from interview transcripts or other sources.Text analytics Turn text into insight and bring order to ch

82、aos with our intuitive text analysis tool Learn more2.The modern qualitative research toolbox26/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.b.Concept feedbackOnline focus groups and community tasks often involve feedback on visual stimulus or concepts.Participants may highlig

83、ht or pin positive or negative areas of an image.Concept analysis tools aggregate this pinned feedback to create heatmap reports that quickly reveal key results.c.Image analysis For simple reporting,images can be clustered into groups based on descriptive tags created by participants or by a researc

84、her.In more advanced solutions,AI-based visual analytics can identify the content of images automatically and classify according to naturally emerging or pre-defjned topics.d.Video analysis The most common video analytics for qualitative research involve automatic transcription of audio.This allows

85、researchers to see summaries of the most frequently mentioned terms;search for video clips using specifjc keywords;or select all videos that mention a certain topic or brand.Advanced tools allow users to create video showreels by simply selecting text from transcripts;and some use the same machine l

86、earning features highlighted above to identify visual content in clips.e.Research repositoriesResearch repositories are storage and knowledge management solutions.Videos,interview transcripts,images and all other project outputs can be stored in a centralized platform to help surface deeper insights

87、 over time,conduct cross-project meta-analysis and provide a source of continuous learning.These are particularly valuable for in-house research departments and insights teams.Video insights and highlight reels Our insight tool unlocks insights with a click of a button,so you can see the people behi

88、nd the datapoints.Learn more2.The modern qualitative research toolbox27/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.2.5 Human expertiseIn a world where tools and technology play an increasing role in the qualitative research process,we need to recognize the paramount importan

89、ce of human expertise.No matter how much automation we have,expert support from experts is needed difgerent stages of the research process.Professional services,technical support or customer success teams help with research platform setup and maintenance.Project management teams help with participan

90、t recruitment,multilingual projects that require simultaneous translation,or even preparing outputs to make life easier for researchers.And,of course,experts in qualitative research design,moderation and analysis will always be needed to choose the right methods,engage participants efgectively and a

91、nalyze results using appropriate frameworks.Niche experts will be needed for methodologies such as ethnography,semiotics,or cultural insights;or to help understand audiences in new categories,countries or ethnic groups.Technology is never just technology:its rather a part of a human process,part of

92、the symbiotic relationship between people and software.The modern digital toolbox may include game-changing innovations in remote video,online communities,mobile diaries,and qualitative analytics;but none of these add value without the essential skills of the people who use them.Forsta ServicesEnjoy

93、 expert support,every step of the way with our services ofgering.Learn more2.The modern qualitative research toolbox3The five key future trends for qualitative research28/373.1 Observation3.2 Automation 3.3 Integration3.4 Democratization3.5 CraftWhy qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Righ

94、ts Reserved.29/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.3.1 ObservationAsking questions in interviews,focus groups,communities or even through mobile apps is a long-established research technique.But these methods all sufger to some extent from bias14 and recall issues.Peo

95、ple forget the details of experiences;they want to answer questions correctly or in pleasing ways;or the question ordering can encourage certain answers.Observational research,on the other hand,helps to capture peoples natural behaviors and surface unanticipated insights.But relying on this approach

96、 alone isnt enough.So qualitative research will increasingly be about watching people as well as asking questions to ensure that insights are as complete as they can be.Combining both methods helps to narrow the“say-do gap”between what people say in research and what they do in practice.Remote user

97、testing,described above,is a good example of observational research combined with feedback.This approach is now being extended beyond digital testing into the realm of physical products:using remote video to capture usage of a test product or unboxing experiences to inform packaging design.So where

98、does qualitative research go from here?In this fjnal section,we pick fjve key trends that will feature heavily in the future evolution of this category.The trends are observation,automation,integration,democratization,and craft.3.The five key future trends for qualitative research30/37Why qualitativ

99、e wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Newer applications of this principle are in the use of virtual reality-based research for high value or niche applications.Examples include virtual car clinics to test new automotive models digitally rather than shipping confjdential prototype vehi

100、cles around the world at high cost for in-person feedback.Simulated retail environments help to understand how people behave when choosing products at point-of-sale.And complex B2B research into highly technical products or industrial designs has also been completed using virtual reality headsets.Ex

101、tending this further is research in the metaverse:understanding how children behave in environments such as Roblox,or research to understanding behavior and emotion amongst gamers.Qualitative research using virtual reality headsets and in the metaverse is still very niche and new.But the underlying

102、principles of combining observation with feedback is far broader and will continue to grow.3.The five key future trends for qualitative research30/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.31/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.3.2 Automation

103、Automation using AI(or,more accurately,machine learning)is a feature of many existing qualitative research methods explored earlier in this white paper.One example is text analytics applied to posts in online communities.But in this section,we will focus specifjcally on one advanced feature of autom

104、ation:large language models.These models are based in machine learning and use advanced Natural Language Processing techniques trained on billions of inputs typically online conversations,social media posts,transcripts,digitized books,news articles and many other sources.The most well-known of these

105、 models are OpenAIs GPT315 and Googles LaMDA16.These advanced technologies are not used directly by qualitative researchers;instead,builders of qualitative research tools will increasingly use these models as inputs to software applications with a range of uses,for example:Chatbot interviews with gr

106、eater fmexibility than structured surveys Reporting tools that summarize the content of qualitative interviews automatically Avatar-based moderators for interview or focus groups capable of simulating empathy,intuition,and inductive reasoningEven further applications build on the language models to

107、generate images or video content.The most well-known is DALL-E17 which uses text-based input to create images.In the future,such tools may play a role in co-creation,projective exercises,or concept development as part of a qualitative research project.3.The five key future trends for qualitative res

108、earch32/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.3.3 IntegrationIntegration has many aspects,but here we consider deepening the connections between qualitative and quantitative research.This is already happening in creative ways at a project level.Surveys are used to profj

109、le and recruit participants for qualitative communities.Video feedback question types can be embedded directly into a survey.Voice of Customer tracking programs have regular deep dive qualitative activities to explore specifjc issues.Organization design is also starting to refmect the need to combin

110、e“big data”with“small data”from qualitative research.UX researchers frequently work alongside digital analytics experts to combine qualitative observations and feedback with quantifjed measurement of product behaviors.Consumer insights teams increasingly feature both primary market research and data

111、 science experts.In the future,this trend will continue with improved software features,smarter project designs and more hybrid team structures to ensure that qualitative research is better connected to larger scale data sources.One high potential area is conversational AI,which uses the large langu

112、age models covered earlier.These approaches blur the boundaries between qualitative and quantitative research.3.The five key future trends for qualitative researchCase studyFifth Dimension uses conversational AI to engage with hundreds of B2B leaders18.Fifth Dimension is one of the leading strategic

113、 insight consultancies in Australia.Its client,a major insurance provider,wanted a small number of face-to-face depth interviews with business leaders to understand their pressures and specifjc needs for emergency business cover.The brief was re-framed as a much larger scale exercise using a custom

114、chatbot moderator built with Forsta technology all within the same original budget.700 interviews were completed using this hybrid approach,which combined the reach of a quantitative survey with the adaptability and depth of qualitative interviews.The chatbot probed deeply and focused on specifjc to

115、pics that were relevant to each participant to extract rich insights.3.The five key future trends for qualitative research33/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Read the full case study“Our philosophy is to push the boundaries of whats possible in meeting the real nee

116、ds of our clients in this case,Forsta was the only platform with the fmexibility and customisation to deliver against our vision.”Lyndall Spooner CEO,Fifth Dimension Research&Consulting34/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.3.4 DemocratizationMore people in more depar

117、tments want to do their own research with users,customers,employees,suppliers,and consumers.This trend towards greater democratization of research supported by technology is already underway in many organizations.PWDR People Who Do Research is increasingly used as a blanket term to describe the broa

118、der research community of designers,product managers,HR teams,CX teams and marketers who conduct their own qualitative research.These lay researchers have distinct needs and are rarely experts in qualitative methodology or analysis.They need good software tools,clear process and coaching from expert

119、 researchers.But theres tension in this trend.On one hand,there is a risk that teams who are not research experts may conduct fmawed research or interpret results incorrectly.On the other,research teams can benefjt by supporting other departments to conduct some of their own research and amplify the

120、ir own efgectiveness.This debate is in its early stages.But democratization of qualitative research will only increase.The job of expert researchers is to ensure that it happens in the most efgective way.3.The five key future trends for qualitative research3.5 CraftThe fjnal trend in our collection

121、is craft.Alongside increased tech-led automation and democratization of research,there will continue to be a strong role for human experts who provide value with deep qualitative expertise.Advanced software,large language models and integrated analytics are important features of the future;but quali

122、tative research will remain a deeply human activity.Consultants,planners,and strategic advisors will be needed to connect qualitative insight with action and advice to stakeholders.Experts in difgerent audience groups,categories and geographies will be in increasing demand as companies search for ne

123、w sources of growth in increasingly competitive markets.And practitioners of advanced methods such as ethnography,psychology or semiotics will keep their status as niche experts.3.The five key future trends for qualitative research35/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserve

124、d.ConclusionIf you want the full story its yours for the taking.Weve seen how the roaring appetite for qualitative research is growing.Thats because of the overwhelming tsunami of data washing through organizations combined with the growing mistrust of data and metrics.Changing organizational cultur

125、es play a key role too,as professionals in all business areas demand a more human experience when it comes to customer narratives.Theres also the growth of the experience economy where companies realize that to difgerentiate,they must deliver exceptional experiences,across the board.And perhaps most

126、 compelling,is the rise of empathy as a core value for developing,designing,and delivering products and services.Luckily,we are living in a new era.One where new technology bolstered by human expertise ofgers an unprecedented opportunity to understand each person in your audience,intimately.These te

127、chnology tools are the foundation of modern qualitative research.Combined with quantitative methods and tools you can amplify your research and experience programs to uncover insights from both broad patterns and personal pictures.Your customers human experience is waiting for you to understand it.3

128、.The five key future trends for qualitative research36/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.37/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.SOURCES10Source:Interaction Design Foundation,Design Thinking11Full Case Study:https:/ Case Study:https:/

129、types of research bias and how to avoid them,Rebecca Sarniak,August 201515https:/ Case Study:https:/ Global Market Research Report,Sept 2022;industry revenue data for 20212Source:ESOMAR Global Market Research Report,Sept 2022;industry revenue data for 20213“User experience researcher,UX designer,and

130、 product man-ager are some of the fastest growing roles in tech,growing 20%YoY.”Andreessen Horowitz,The Market for User Research Platforms4Source:Insight Platforms,Qualitative Research Software Market Landscape5Source:Adverity Survey of 300 CMOs in US&Europe,April 20226Source:Scott Galloway,No Mercy

131、/No Malice Oct 8 20217New York Magazine,July 22 20228Source:CloudResearch,The Truth About Online Data Quality;see more:Insight Platforms,Interviews with Fraudsters9Source:Everise,adapted from Welcome to the Experience Economy(Harvard Business Review,July 1998)38/37EBOOKWhy qualitative wins Forsta eb

132、ook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.38/37Why qualitative wins Forsta ebook Forsta,2022.All Rights Reserved.Growing Smarter TogetherVisit us at 515 Madison Ave.,Suite 8112,New York,NY,US 10022 t.+1 212 660 1800 is the worlds leading provider of Experience&Research Technology,working together with our clients to help them discover,understand,and share human-centered insights packed with real action potential.EB-0036