Do you have the information you need to make the important decisions you face? How helpful was your most recent research project with helping you understand the context for your deliberations and evaluating your alternative courses of action with fact-based information? If your answer is “No!” and “It wasn’t helpful at all!” then it’s time…
Why Asking Members What They Want Doesn’t Work “What product or service can the Widget Association provide that would make a significant difference to you and your work?” What a great question, right? Associations want to give members what they want, so let’s just ask them! Unfortunately, the responses to this type of question are rarely, if…
“Probe” is such a weird word. It sounds so…medical. So invasive. Space aliens use probes. But probes are also important in interviews and focus groups. The first response you get from an interview or focus group participant is hardly ever 1) unfiltered and true 2) clear 3) thorough and detailed 4) meaningful. Probes are needed…
I was at one of those massive conferences recently and happened sit down at lunch in the trade show next to a fellow researcher. I didn’t know her so we traded topline credentials and demographic information–location, typical clients, specialties–by way of introduction. Then, as often happens these days, our conversation turned to the economy. So…
We are happy to announce that The Wedewer Group has launched its new veterinarian research panel, VetMedResearch.com, already one of the largest veterinary research panels in the U.S. This proprietary veterinary research panel was developed to help animal health companies get fast, cost-effective and reliable data from veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary hospital managers. Our panel…
This seems to be the season for conducting in-depth telephone interviews, probably because so many people are trying to figure out what the heck is going to happen now that businesses are struggling back to their knees following the knock-down economic punch of 2009. So I’ve been talking with business owners and consultants quite a…
I recently had the opportunity to observe a fairly new focus group moderator. The group participants were everyday consumers talking about a financial product that they had purchased. As the group progressed, it was painfully clear that many of the people were having difficulty expressing their ideas and making themselves understood. The moderator attempted to…
What is a bulletin board focus group? A bulletin board focus group (BBFG) is an asynchronous, threaded discussion typically involving dozens of participants per group over extended periods of time. The participants log in to the software at a URL with a user name and a password to answer questions that are posted and monitored…
Improved technology and software applications have made online qualitative research an option that can save time, increase flexibility and cut costs. Should your next focus group be conducted online? Here are frequently asked questions about online focus groups and bulletin board focus groups.’
What are the advantages of online qualitative research methods?
Online qualitative research allows the researcher to do studies that would be impossible or impractical to do using traditional methods. Since the methods do not try to replicate or, necessarily, imitate a face-to-face group, it also takes the research into new directions that leverage the power and unique nature of the Internet.…