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    Online Qualitative Research

As I've written elsewhere, qualitative research is about talking to people, having a conversation that attempts to better understand a certain topic, behavioral or otherwise. The most immediate and intimate form of data gathering within qualitative research (other than ethnography), is the 1-1 interview. In person...not online.

However, even though I'm of the old school (yes, chronologically old, but also I'd rather be able to gain those non-verbal cues when talking to someone, and that usually means being near them), one must admit that there are certain positives one can gain through online qualitative research. As people become more used to communication that is non-verbal (e.g., typing), the techniques associated with online qualitative research become more viable.

Furthermore, online research is becoming the vehicle of choice for many corporations. This is especially true for quantitative research, where the pace of online surveys is increasing dramatically over other forms, in spite of continued concerns over sampling, bias and respondent participation. Why not continue this trend into qualitative research? Why not, indeed.

Below, let us explore the various methods available and the good and bad for each.

What online qualitative research tools are available?

First, a disclaimer. We are not going to discuss certain types of "remote" interview techniques, of which the online tools can be classified. For example, a 1-1 interview can be carried out via the telephone. Group or single person interviews can be carried out remotely using video or teleconferencing, or even desktop video conferencing. We will instead concentrate on those methods that require the communication happen through the use of a keyboard and mouse.

This leaves us with the following:  Chat Groups and Bulletin Boards. The difference between the two is that the former is conducted in real time and the latter is not.

Chat Groups

I like chat groups. They most closely resemble a focus group in that everyone involved is participating within the same timeframe, synchronously, at the same time. There are some problems with this right away, of course.

By having everyone be online at once it requires that those who participate be committed to the activity at hand. When in a focus group room the activity is immediate, and unless the moderator and/or topic is a complete boor, the group participants are engaged. Try doing a 2-hour focus group sitting in front of your computer, alone. It takes concentration and dedication. That's why many chat sessions are less than 2-hours in length, and thus sometimes cannot cover as much ground a s might be covered in a 2-hour focus group.

In addition, those participating must be good typists to keep up, must be able to balance the fact that they might be typing about something that is soon to be answered by someone else (I've noticed a certain amount of hurried behavior leading to frustration during these sessions), and that they must be available when the event is happening.

But often the good outweighs the bad. If your topic is tight, that is to say, if you are looking for specific answers to a set of well defined questions, then these work great. In fact, a combination of qualitative and quantitative is very useful, for the quantitative side gives respondents a focused task, thereby "waking" them up!

However, if your research is in a searching mode, where extensive probing or concept creation is needed, then the real time nature of the Chat Group may not be what you want. It may be that the online Bulletin Board is more suitable.

Bulletin Boards

Whereas chat groups are synchronous, everyone participating at the same time, Bulletin Boards are not. They are asynchronous and thus people can come participate when their schedule permits. This also means that the number of participants can be far greater since the moderator does not have to react as quickly. Some BB's carry 25 or more participants easily, interacting with the moderator through question and answers, as well as with each other doing the same. These sessions often last for days.

As one can readily see, the BB is good for idea or concept development, whereas the Chat Group is not. In fact, the BB can be very effective for concept development because it gives the participants a chance to think through their answers. In addition, there is no pressure to perform, as there often is in a focus group setting where a certain amount of social posturing is inevitable.

The downside to BB's, and this goes for any online research, is that you are never sure that the person answering is actually who you think it is. I've known several IT personnel go online under the same name and password over a week long BB and provide statements that were often in conflict with one another. Yet, even with such integrity issues out there, the fact that you can have busy professionals and executives join a conversation while working or traveling is well worth the small chance of deceit

Are they worth it?

In a word, yes! Even if you feel a bit nervous about the loss of verbal and physical cues, there is one thing that online qualitative research gives you, and that is speed. There is no need to transcribe a session. It has already been completed. It may need editing, but the client can have access to the transcripts almost immediately. Second, since there is a wealth of data, usually, there is more of an opportunity for the researcher to provide an analysis that is more complete, more inclusive of all the diversity that normally exists in the world of human behavior.

In short, put these two online qualitative techniques in your consideration set.