We’re in difficult times at the moment. We all know that. But the insight business hasn’t stopped. It’s changed.
Obviously, some projects need to be postponed or cancelled. But others need to happen – and we’ve found that people are still very keen to take part in research.
We think it’s vital to talk to people using alternative, innovative approaches that work in the current environment.
Arguably, qual has been hit worse than quant – we have noticed very little impact on our quant business – but qual has had to switch to methodologies more suited to social distancing.
Here are three approaches we’ve found useful for new projects in the Coronavirus climate:
1 Video/Tele Groups
By using readily available technology we can conduct real-time groups where we can see respondents’ faces and show stimulus material.
The big benefits
- Video groups are as close as we can get to face to face. The human face and voice, even through a screen, is hugely revealing
- In the current environment people welcome any form of contact and even this improvised, novel approach. Cooperation is high
The watch-outs
- The main watch-out is the technology. Although we’ve been using the kit for years, most respondents haven’t and can be self-conscious and/or unable to use it!
- And video conferencing systems are being put under a lot of strain – they can crack under the pressure
- So sometimes we use tele-groups instead – where people dial in to a central phone number and the moderator simply shares their screen to show stimulus material
When to use
- Works well for advertising and marketing communications, and high-level NPD
2 Bulletin Boards
Longitudinal, web-based text discussions between a small panel of respondents.
The big benefits
- Tasks take place over a few days, giving respondents time to consider and reflect on issues (and features)
- And we can flexibly ‘talk’ to everyone or just individuals one at a time to explore interesting themes
The watch-outs
- Depth and quality of insight is dependent on participants being self-motivated to leave detailed written feedback – which works better for some topics than others
- Participant feedback can be too considered sometimes. You lose some of the spontaneity
When to use
- If you need a large sample (qual at scale)
- For issues where you want to evolve concepts or ideas over time, enabling reflection and evolution
3 WhatsApp
Fully automated, cost effective, qualitative research via WhatsApp – generally longitudinal.
The big benefits
- In-the-moment insights, images and video that can be used to share compelling customer stories and really understand behaviour
- Automated video transcription, sentiment analysis and incentive payments make it a cost effective alternative
- Plus – it’s in the world of the consumer. No need to download a new app or URL
The watch-outs
- Works best with individuals – not groups. So less effective for discursive or creative projects
When to use
- Particularly useful for behavioural diaries, buyer journeys, beta testing and event experience research
- A complementary lens alongside interviews, groups or regular community platforms interviews
If you’re not sure what to use, or if the subject matter is appropriate, or if you are wondering whether to research at all, we’re happy to help – even if you just want to talk something through.
Please contact your main contact, or email us on info@jigsaw-research.co.uk.
Best regards
The Jigsaw Team