So often we sell qualitative research by the unit – x number of depth interviews done in this way, and y number of groups done that way. But different people respond to research approaches differently. What if we could design our research projects together with participants, doing it in the best way that works for them? Wouldn’t that lead to deeper insight for us too? Well yes! We’d like to take you through Qual Street’s trade-mark methodology ‘Person 1st’ – how we do it, why we do it, and the benefits everyone gets from putting people at the heart of the qualitative process.

1. ‘Person 1st Research’ delivering person-
centred approaches and deeper insight
Ambreen Aziz
Qualitative Street
Kath Rhodes
Qualitative Street

2. Sponsors
Communication

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Person 1st
Ambreen Aziz & Kath Rhodes

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Qualitative research is uniquely able to dig deeper…
Shining a light on what it’s like to be a particular type of person
By understanding people’s lived experience

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But, there are constraints on how deep we can go
Obviously, time and money are limitations we have to work within

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And, we do groups and depths in ‘units’
X number of groups; depths that last so many minutes

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The approach is predetermined before we’ve met
participants
The approach doesn’t take into consideration how individuals prefer to communicate
Typically, there isn’t enough time and space for people to fully express themselves
We don’t yet know what we could explore with them/ about them…

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This can lead to a bias in the types of people we talk to
We tend towards people who ‘fit’ the process…
Chatty, articulate, reliable, easy to understand…
And that has implications for diversity and inclusion

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But, we can now do better!
Thanks to…
…technology
…a greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion
…seeing participants as ‘human beings’ rather than consumers

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Introducing a new, improved version of qualitative
research… that really does dig deeper and get further….
Person 1st

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What is Person 1st?
We co-produce with participants how we’ll do research

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It’s a ‘you do you’ approach…

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Person 1st how it all began…

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Stories:
• A day in Mel’s life

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Dawn’s affiliative approach (guilty mums)
dawn wrote 6 months ago
I am with you all on the guilty mum front, I always feel guilty where my kids are concerned
and always wish I had dealt with a situation a different way but I so not think we would be
Human if we did not feel this way and it proves how much we really do care.
2Quote

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Stories
Seeing the man on the bus and comparing him to where
Dennis is now
“I saw him on the train. He clearly works
in the City now, he made it there from
being a sales consultant at O2, and
‘Dennis’ is still where he was 7 years ago,
absolutely no improvement... it is so
embarrassing.”

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Person 1st

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CONVENIENCE FUSSY FAMILY DIETING HIGHER HEALTH
FOODY
FUSSY FAMILY
FOODY DIETING
DIETING
FUSSY FAMILY
Hand picked participants: thinking diversity and inclusion

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Deep, not broad (e.g. 10 people, 8 hours each = 80 hours)
Minimum number of participants but the maximum time

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There is a process, fieldwork typically lasting a couple of
weeks…
ZOOM LAUNCH
Group briefing
ESTABLISHING
INTERVIEW
We meet each
person individually
CO-DESIGNING
TASKS
What works for them?
RESEARCH TEAM
ANALYSIS
Explore themes
FINAL TASK
ALLOCATION
Day 1
Day 2
Days
3-7
Days
3-7
Days
8-16

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Start with a Zoom Briefing

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Help them understand their commitment
“the project will run for two weeks, we’ll be asking you to spend 4-8 hours of your
time, and you’ll get £80-£150 for your efforts”

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Then the establishing interview on the phone/ Zoom
(preferably)

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Then ‘you do you’
Pull on the thread…follow the clues…use the approach to
explore what comes up…

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Typically we have done…
Shopping tasks
Diary tasks
Product trial
Zoom/ in-person
conversation
Deep dive observations

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Researcher, analyse as you go…

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This approach is made possible by technology
INCLING

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Free research tools makes this feasible, affordable…
With thanks to Insight Platforms… mike@insightplatforms.com
On-line groups, bulletin
boards, diaries
Asynchronous groups SMS prompted tasks

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And the outputs?

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The upsides, the downsides…The what it’s for…
Person 1st

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The overriding upside… It puts the participant at the heart
of the process
We go deep so participants are truly seen, heard & understood

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Great for discovering what you don’t know you don’t know
It’s a kind of ‘big qual’: hours of material and insight ‘touch points’ to sift through to
deliver really profound insight

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It can take a 360 degree approach
‘show me how you shop, cook, eat’
or with money, explore saving, planning & spending

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It can explore both the individual and group dynamics
Talking to just them, or pulling in their household/ friends and family too.
Talking to the cohort together… in groups/ WhatsApp chats etc.

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The main downside is that it’s pretty intense
Intensity for researchers and participants
Participants can become ‘attached’ because of
the amount of contact
Researchers have to set and police the
boundaries. The fieldwork process is constantly
being negotiated

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A certain amount of bravery is required
The cost per participant can be high,
e.g. £20-30k for 10 people
Researchers and clients have to trust
the process and believe insight will
emerge

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It’s for specific projects… not every project
Ideal when you need to understand the lived experience in an expansive way. What it’s like to…
Be a middle-
aged man
Live with a
condition like
insomnia
Manage
money
Manage a
blended family
Snack

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What we love about it…
We truly ‘get’ them
It feels authentic
We know we’ve plumbed the depths
We have real confidence in our
feedback to clients
“This work has had huge impact
on our marketing and category
teams they just ‘got’ the
insights immediately, in a way
that I have rarely seen before”
(Senior Insight Manager)

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Dedication to the Answer
Kath@qual-street.co.uk
www.qual-street.co.uk
07738 180529
@qualstreet

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Q & A
Ray Poynter
NewMR
Ambreen Aziz
Qualitative Street
Kath Rhodes
Qualitative Street

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Sponsors
Communication