The web makes collecting data on our users easy. We can know everything from which pages they visited, to exactly what they clicked on and even where their cursor hovered. However, the data is not enough. We need to introduce a variety of types of qualitative research too.
Why Qualitative Research Matters
Quantitive research is excellent for understanding what users are doing. However, it is much weaker at explaining why they are doing it. That is where using different types of qualitative research can help.
Qualitative research can be invaluable at understanding user’s pain points, goals and reluctance to act. Not only is that invaluable for conversion rate optimisation, but it also helps to understand their world view and match their mental models.
Qualitative research can inform everything from design decisions to content tone of voice and information architecture.
Why People Are Reluctant to Adopt Qualitative Research
The perceived problem with the different types of qualitative research is that they are time-consuming to implement. The argument goes that this makes them costly and have the potential to delay a project. However, in reality, this is not true.
For a start, qualitative research can save hours of arguing over the best approach. It is far cheaper to ask users than it is to gather various stakeholders in a room to discuss the way to proceed.
Then there are the savings that you can make in both time and money by being confident you are building the right thing. A failure to do some type of qualitative research turns a project into a gamble. It often leads to building functionality or creating messaging that does not resonate with the intended audience.
Qualitative research even performs well when compared to quantitive research. Yes, qualitative research takes more effort to gather. But it takes considerable time and expertise to get real value from quantitive research.
By contrast, anybody can get value from qualitative research, and the insights are immediately evident in most cases.
So with that in mind, let’s look at five types of qualitative research that can be easily implemented by anybody.
1. Objection Surveying
Surveys can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they provide valuable insights into a user’s motivation. However, on the other hand, only a particular type of person completes a survey.
That said, there is one particular survey I run because it is simple for users to complete, quick to do and easy to understand. However, best of all, it provides valuable insights into user motivations.
I show it when a user goes to leave a website (known as exit intent), and it asks a single question.
If you chose not to act today, it would be helpful to know why.
I then display a list of possible objections or concerns that the user can select. I also provide an open field for users who choose ‘other’.
This simple, one-question survey can provide more insights into improvements than you can find from scouring Google Analytics for hours.
Of course, sometimes you need a broader understanding of your audience than just their objections. That is when taking to social media can help.
2. Social Media Research
Social media can be an excellent way of learning background information about your audience. A simple search can quickly turn up people who have expressed some form of interest or question relating to your product. From there you can find all kinds of valuable information.
Once you have identified your audience on social media, you can find out about their likes and dislikes. You can discover what influences them, their context (personal and work-life) as well as so much more.
Best of all, you can see what they are saying relating to your product. What are users asking? What are they telling others? What do they like and what do they hate? It is all laid out on social media if you spend a bit of time looking.
3. Unfacilitated Usability Testing
Next up, we have unfacilitated usability testing. Many of us are aware of usability testing, but consider it too time-consuming and expensive to run.
However, that doesn’t need to be the case, especially if you adopt unfacilitated testing.
The easiest way to carry out unfacilitated testing is to use a third-party service like User Brain. These applications will arrange recruitment (to your specifications) and allow you to set up tasks that users can then complete.
Once you have set up the test, you can sit back, relax and watch the results come in. Often you get results in under an hour.
The results come in the form of videos where participants complete your task and talk through their experience. That means you not only get to see what they do; you also get to hear their impressions of the experience.
4. Remote User Interviews
Surveys, social media research and unfacilitated testing are useful, but nothing beats speaking to users if you want to really understand them. That is why user interviews are so valuable.
By carrying out these interviews using a tool like Zoom or Skype, you can make things considerably more straightforward than having in-person meetings. You will also find people more will participate if they don’t have to travel.
You can make the process even easier by using an app like Calendly, which allows people to find empty slots in your calendar and book their interview. That can save endless back and forth, trying to find a time to speak.
5. A Single Day In-Field Studies
Finally, we come to in-field studies. Now I will be honest, this one takes a bit of effort, so it probably isn’t something you will do regularly. However, it is worth doing if only once.
An in-field study involves carrying out a user interview or usability test session in person and at the user’s home (or place of work).
It gives you a chance to see the person’s environment, which will provide you with some incredible insights into the reality of using your website.
For example, the first time I ever tried this approach, I saw three people in a single day. One person was using a PC so old it took 10 minutes to start up, the second person had post-it notes on their monitor that covered up the shopping cart icon, and the third person had a cat that liked to walk over her keyboard.
It drives home how messy the real world is and the need to make things as simple as possible.
Yes, it does mean a day out of the office, but I promise you that you will not regret it. By the end of that day, you will have a much more personal relationship with your users that will make writing copy and designing a site so much easier.
Types of Qualitative Research for the Majority
This post is not a comprehensive list of qualitative research methods. Neither have I outlined best practice. However, that wasn’t my aim.
Too many of the posts you see on qualitative research focus on techniques that the likes of Facebook or Amazon use. However, few of us work in those kinds of environments. Instead, we have to fight to be allowed to do any user research at all.
When it comes to qualitative research, I suggest that doing something is better than nothing. Even the smallest start is worth it.
Also, don’t feel you need to talk to a statistically significant number of people. Five or six people is adequate to see emerging trends. You always have your quantitative research if you are looking for scale.
What you must avoid is giving up on qualitative research entirely. If you only lean on quantitive, you quickly lose sight of the people behind those numbers and stray into the realm of dark patterns in an attempt to improve the numbers at any cost.
