Presented at the MRSS conference in Singapore 2009

1. Losing Control in
Qualitative Research
(and why it’s really not so bad)

2. Today we’re going to talk
about giving up control,
for the reward of deeper,
richer research insights

3. Control
As qualitative researchers, we’re used to being in control
We ‘run’ groups and interviews
We ask the questions
We tell our client the answers
To exercise restraint or direction over;
To hold in check, curb;
To eliminate or prevent the flourishing or spread
verb:

4. If we’re serious about it, we
need to recognise how
they’re communicating, what
they’re saying and give them
more of our attention
Everyone’s talking about getting to
know the consumer better

5. The new way in research is a
reflection of broader societal
changes, especially in the way
we communicate

6. Giving over control to the consumer makes us
better listeners
Our proposition:

7. “Ironically it’s by surrendering the
illusion of control over others that
one really gains power in life”
Geoff Livingston

8. Social media has transformed our lives
& this is just the tip of the iceberg

9. 625,000,000 internet
users worldwide
Internet Penetration
62.8% Malaysia
67.4% Singapore
80.6% Australia

10. The greatest growth
comes from sharing &
communication activities

11. User
Generated
Content
opinion blogs review photos video editorial ideas comment audio chat opinion blogs review photos video ideas
comment audio chat opinion blogs review photos video editorial ideas comment audio chat opinion blogs review
photos video editorial ideas comment audio chat opinion blogs review photos video editorial ideas comment audio

12. Everybody is
talking online
about everything

13. The big question:
What does this all
mean for research?

14. The evolution of research

15. From content delivery to content creation and generation
Web 2.0 is fundamentally about change

16. From researcher in control, to actively
collaborating and co-creating with participants
Research 2.0 is fundamentally about
change in market research

17. A seismic shift in our
thinking is crucial for the
industry to remain relevant

18. We know where we’re going and how we are going to get there
Current research practice is
more structured

19. We have to wait to see what bubbles to the service
Web 2.0 is a more fluid approach

20. Research 2.0 is not just about qual
going online
Online Focus Groups
Similar research behaviour &
skills, different environment
Researcher in control
Online Bulletin Boards
Deep individual responses to
structured questions
Researcher in control
Online Research Communities
Researcher & member generated
discussion – known / unknown
topics
Community in control
For the first time, market research is being
influenced by social media, rather than by
research industry practices

21. “The researcher of the future will need to master traditional
research skills, but they will also need to be able to cede
control to customers and respondents, and to work in
collaboration with the forces of the marketplace. In terms
of a sporting metaphor the future will be less like speed
boat racing and more like surfing, less like flying a jet and
more like flying a glider”
Ray Poynter, The Future Place 2006

22. Understanding what we gain
when we give up control
A comparison of methodologies

23. Won’t I miss out on valuable non-verbal cues?
Will participants stick to the topic?
What happens if I end up with a lot of irrelevant information?
How can I meet my client’s objectives if I’m not in control?
What, if any, extra value do we get out of it?
Is it worth the effort?
First, are you thinking…

24. Bulletin Boards
Online Research Communities
In focus

25. Two sets of participants, using two online qualitative methods
The Study
Research 1.0 approach – Bulletin Board
(a ‘traditional online qualitative platform’)
Research 2.0 approach – Social Networking Platform
(online community)
Contrasting the outputs of each approach highlighted
what is gained and/or lost in adopting different online
qualitative platforms and approaches

26. Q&A approach
Limited between participant interaction
Participants respond but do not initiate discussion
Mostly text based
Other people’s responses can be hidden until the individual responds
Can stagger question
Moderator is in control
Bulletin Board Platform

27. Less structured, more interactive, open
Participants create profiles, avatars, upload
content
Participants choose what to be involved in
Discussions initiated by moderator (against
client objectives) and initiated by participants
(spontaneous)
Participants in control
Social Network / Online Community Platform

28. Branded / Customised for the client
Look and feel suits the target audience
Creates greater engagement with the brand
Online Community Features

29. Member Pages:
Customised to represent their personality and mood
Online Community Features

30. Forum Discussions:
Members and moderators create discussions and reply
Discussions are threaded so members and moderators
can comment on each others’ replies
Online Community Features

31. Blogs:
Provide members with the opportunity to reveal
more about themselves
They can choose to reveal as much or as little as
they want – which provides us with more insight into
their lives
Online Community Features

32. Disclosure
Group behaviour
Engagement
The differences between Bulletin
Boards and Online Research
communities are significant
We can still recognise you
…if you want us to
How does the anonymity of the internet
impact on levels of?:

33. The comparison
Research 1.0 Research 2.0
Tool Bulletin Board site Social Networking site
Foundation Topic based Community based
Process Moderator posts questions, waits for
responses, probes where necessary
Community generated to discuss
topic, moderator seeds discussion
topics/activities, listens, observes and
probes where necessary
Topics posted by Moderator Moderator or participants
Information controlled by Moderator All
Information is Mostly text based Combination of text, photos, images,
videos, blogs, activities
Access Private, password protected, allow
only invited participants
Private, password protected, allow
only invited participants
All topics answered Yes No
Level of moderator control High Medium - Low

34. The comparison
Research 1.0
Moderator in control
Research 2.0
Participant in control

35. It takes time
…so sit back and let it evolve

36. Complexity
Giving participants more control means a greater level of complexity and messiness that we need
to embrace

37. Dinner party conversations
It is the value of listening to the broader
conversation that leads to insight

38. …depth versus breadth
A question of detail

39. See beyond
Open up the dialogue and allow user generated questions

40. …that’s the real insight
It’s the unexpected

41. The challenge
is significant
Opening up research to true two-way
dialogue, giving over control to
participants, and running communities
rather than discussions is NOT an easy
adjustment – for researchers or for clients

42. People are just people.
Social by nature; whether offline or online
Technology is merely an enabler.
In the end…

43. Case study
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Hypothesis: Choice of treatment centre is
based on reputation. Therefore public
recognition of a centre’s expertise is important
Research question: How do you decide where
to go?
Source: Communispace

44. By really listening…
NCCN learnt:
Focus on communicating with doctors, not ‘public’ recognition
Cancer centres must have an internet strategy
Patient experience defines perceptions of the brand, not just its leadership/expertise
Researchers learnt:
By letting the community direct and initiate their own discussions greater insights were
generated than if a structure set of topics was followed
For this community, there was added value in the social engagement between cancer
patients who felt they had a peer group to talk to
Source: Communispace

45. Ongoing, long term relationships
between the company and its customers
Rather than answers to specific project
based questions
Continuous access to the customer

46. Online Research Communities
Create, manage, converse

47. Creating a community is complex,
requires careful consideration, and a
willingness to ‘let go’ once it gets going
90% of the hard
work is out of sight

48. Key components
Platform
creation
Members Moderation Management Analysis
Set up the right environment, with the right people

49. Branding
Look and Feel
Features
Access Levels
Community Name
URL
Platform Creation
The community is going to be a reflection of your client’s brand. What type
of brand experience do you want to create?

50. Members
The principles of participant selection are unchanged – it’s critical to make
sure we’re talking to the right people
Sample Size
Profile
Recruitment
Incentives
Requirements

51. Moderation
Moderators have a far greater task, yet a less obvious ‘role’.
Nurturing a community to reach its potential should be your objective
Manage engagement
Observe, listen, interact
Involvement
Topics of conversation
Manage client

52. Management
Managing a community is complex and labour intensive
It needs to be attended to on a variety of levels for weeks, if not months
Building the community
Member engagement
Reward management
Client engagement
24/7 monitoring

53. Analysis
Managing the volume of information is a challenge
Knowing how to ‘read’ the community’s behaviour & mood is crucial
Amount of information
Context
Reporting
Timing

54. Online qualitative requires a shift in thinking
More on moderation

55. Qualitative researcher Community Manager
It’s not a direct transfer of skills
+

56. Online Qualitative Research
Community Moderator
(Try fitting that on your business card!)

57. Creating conversations
‘Listening’
Deeper involvement
Transparency
Trust
Relationships (with clients and members)
Adapting (fast)
Redefining the skill set

58. Deeper!
Faster!
More!
What do our clients get out of it?

59. Understand what’s important to consumers
The broader context
Answer research objectives & much much more
The research objectives
Context Rich Insights

60. The ‘stats’ from one of our communities (FMCG)
Over or 12weeks, 100 people engaged in:
145 forum discussions:
56 discussions generated by our researchers
89 discussions generated by members
198 blog posts (within the community)
90 photos
17 videos
How much more?

61. I love the forum and all the different
points of view. The only
disappointment I have is that I just
don't have the time to read through
all the wonderful information posted
by all the members on all the
different topics :D.
I applaud you for trialing this new
style of market research, and hope
that other research companies look
at what you have done as a shining
example of a new and innovative
path of getting real information for
your clients
But it just goes to show you what can be
accomplished in the area of market
research in this day an age. When you
provide a safe and encouraging
environment for people to have their say,
without fear of reprisal or ridicule and not
have their opinions forced or swayed by
money, it can be clearly seen here that
most of the information discussed on [the
community] just couldn't’t be bought with
money

62. A certain future
Maintaining leadership as qualitative researchers

63. “One-quarter of Fortune 100 companies will launch online customer
communities to reach higher levels of engagement with customers and
prospects. This trend could mean money spent on traditional
qualitative research will be shifted to budgets for online research”
Forrester issues market research predictions for 2008
January 4, 2008

64. Our challenge:
Demonstrating the value in researcher-
managed communities and how they are
different from clients doing their own
information gathering through social media
Client managed communities

65. Smart companies use a range of methods
for understanding the voice of the customer.
Online research communities are about
purposeful two-way conversations, rather than
listening without engaging in conversation
Volume
Depth
Conversation Observation
Private
Research
Communities
Brand
Communities
(Public
Communities)
Brand Blogs
(Company
managed
content)
Brand Pages
(MySpace,
Facebook)
Web talk
(x-platform,
anytime, any
topic)
Conversation versus observation

66. Open Research Panels

67. Brand blogs and forum

68. Information on your brand is
not the same as insights
The role of the research is defined by the value of the
insights we deliver from our conversations with customers

69. Fans and friends
This is probably new for them
Fear factor – what if they get
stuck on the negatives
How do I know I’ll get my
answers
That’s not on my topic list
Client involvement is critical to
success
Client’s perspective

70. “Thank you for giving
the consumer a voice
& listening to our
opinions”
“Focus group discussions
usually only last an hour or
two and are always
dominated by a select few
members. The online
aspect allows people to
really think and reflect
upon their answers, so
quality information is being
gathered”
““Thank you for giving us the
opportunity to contribute to
the decision making. I think a
forum such as this, is very
progressive, and helps to
ensure positive feedback
from consumers and loyalty”
And importantly members’ perspective
“It’s the interest that you
[client] and your
company have shown
towards us, the
customers, and their
opinions that makes all
the difference. It’s
uplifting too read how
much our views and
opinions mean to you”
“This is a brilliant way to
instantly give feedback to
the client…The alternative
is to wait
days/weeks/months and
receive a pile of cold
statistics gathered from a
multitude of invisible
respondents”
“It’s not often that the
‘Suits’ become involved
wit the ‘Plebs’. Thanks
for taking the time to
make us all feel
welcomed”

71. Explorer
Inventor
Creator
Thinker
Qualitative Researcher
The process of discovery about
giving up some control in order
to find out something new

72. Control the fundamentals
Initiate discussions
Let conversations take their course
Let Go.
Discover.
Let go.
Discover.
Control the fundamentals
Initiate discussions
Let conversations take their course

73. LATITUDE INSIGHTS
Changing the conversation
Melbourne office
312 Waverley Road
Malvern East VIC 3145
P: +61 3 9571 1199
Sydney office
Suite 8, 43-45 Burns Bay Road
Lane Cove NSW 2066
P: +61 2 9420 2337
E: conversations@latitudeinsights.com.au
W: latitudeinsights.com.au
Contact us:
Dianne Gardiner
CEO
dianne@latitudeinsights.com.au
0417 323 765
Any questions?