Qualitative Research
The purpose of qualitative research is to reveal why people act in a certain way, or feel the way that they do. All the quantitative research that we offer can easily identify what and even how people act, but for a business to really understand their customers, and how to improve their services, it is sometimes necessary to probe a little deeper into people’s beliefs and motivations.
Qualitative research is conducted in one of two main ways:
- Focus Groups
- Depth interviews
In reality, many research projects require a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods; all our research staff are able to advise on the best combination of methodologies to meet your individual objectives.
Focus Groups - When clients are considering new concepts for their products or services a focus group is often the best way of discovering how potential customers or users will respond. A focus group discussion usually consists of gathering 8 - 10 people together and with gentle guidance from a group moderator encouraging them to discuss their attitudes and experiences on a particular topic.
Depth Interviews - Unlike a conventional quantitative interview, this type of interview does not consist of an interviewer working through a rigid questionnaire offering a list of pre-determined options. Usually they involve a semi-structured format with the interviewer following a basic topic guide and probably including a few classifying questions. Within this structure respondents are prompted to talk generally about their experiences, preferences and the alternatives they might like to see supplied. This type of research is a particularly useful tool when conducting qualitative research amongst business people. Focus groups can be inappropriate for this audience because of the difficulty of gathering all respondents together in one place, along with the possibility of respondents being reluctant to talk freely in front of their competitors.
Benefits
- Can include product demo’s, visuals, and food service
- Good idea generator (brain storming)
Testimonials
Client: Carmarthenshire City Council
“Getting tenants views on the Welsh Housing Quality was an important part of our Housing Strategy and Service Improvement Plan. With the excellent work undertaken by RMG and the valuable information gained from our tenants, we now know what standards our tenants expect. With this information we can confidently take informed decisions about the future of Council Housing in Carmarthenshire.”
Adrian Young, Housing Investment Manager, Carmarthenshire County Council
