Exploratory research is initial, informal research conducted to clarify and define problems. It often involves qualitative data from techniques like interviews, case studies, and pilot studies. The goal is to gain insights rather than make conclusive findings. This chapter discusses common exploratory research methods like experience surveys, secondary data analysis, focus groups, projective techniques, and in-depth interviews. It explains how each technique works and its advantages/disadvantages. The purpose of exploratory research is to better understand a situation and generate ideas before quantitative studies are conducted.

1. Chapter 7Chapter 7
Exploratory Research andExploratory Research and
Qualitative AnalysisQualitative Analysis

2. Exploratory Research: What It Is
and What It Is Not?
• Exploratory Research is initial research conducted to
clarify and define the nature of a problem.
• Much, but certainly not all, exploratory research
provides qualitative data.
• Alternatively, the purpose of quantitative research is
to determine the quantity or extent of some
phenomenon in the form of numbers.
• Exploratory research may be a single research
investigation or a series of informal studies to
provide background information.
• Does not provide conclusive evidence
• Subsequent research expected

3. What is Exploratory
Research?
QUANTITATIVEQUANTITATIVE
DATADATA
QUALITATIVEQUALITATIVE
DATADATA

4. Qualitative VS.
Quantitative Research
• Purpose
– Exploratory versus descriptive and conclusive
• Small versus large samples
• Broad range of questioning versus structured
questions
• Subjective interpretation versus statistical
analysis

5. Why Conduct Exploratory
Research?
• Diagnose a situation (Situation Analysis)
• Screening of alternatives
– Concept Testing is a form of research that tests
some sort of stimulus as a proxy for a new or
revised program, product, or service.
• Discover new ideas

6. Concept Testing
• Exploratory research procedure that tests some
sort of stimulus as a proxy for an idea about a
new, revised, or repositioned product, service, or
strategy.
• How is the positioning? How do they see it? Will
people buy it?
• DNI- Find out what customers want/need. What
do they want in a product?

7. Categories of Exploratory
Research
• Experience surveys
• Secondary data analysis
• Case studies
• Pilot studies

8. Experience Surveys
• An exploratory research technique in
which individuals who are
knowledgeable about a particular
research problems are surveyed.

9. “If you wish to know the road up the
mountain, you must ask the man who
goes back and forth on it.”
- Zenrinkusi
Experience Surveys

10. Secondary Data Analysis
• Preliminary review of data collected for
another purpose to clarify issues in the
early stages of a research effort.
• Economical
• Quick source for background
information

11. Case Study Method
• An exploratory research technique that
intensively investigates one or a few
situations similar to the researcher’s
problem situation.
• Investigate in depth
• Careful study
• May require cooperation

12. Pilot Study
• A collective term used to:
– describe any small scale exploratory study
– uses sampling but does not apply rigorous
standards.
• Types of pilot study include:
– Focus Group Interviews
– Projective Techniques
– In-Depth Interviews

13. “A man is least himself when he talks
in his own person; when given a mask
he will tell the truth.”
--Oscar Wilde

14. Focus Group Interviews
• An unstructured,
free flowing
interview with a
small group of
people.
• Group interview
• Start with broad
topic and focus in on
specific issues

15. Advantages of Focus Group
Interview (10 S’s)
• Synergy ….. 2 are better than 1 and 3 are better than 2
• Serendipity …. Luck , coincidence
• Snowballing …. Using each others ideas to move on and refine
• Stimulation …. Encouragement and motivation
• Security …. Members feel support of each other and no fear
• Spontaneity …. Impulsiveness, naturalness
• Specialization …. Experts, field, specialty, interest
• Scrutiny ….. Inspection, analysis, inquiry
• Structure …. Arrangement, formation, composition
• Speed …. Pace, momentum, tempo, swiftness

16. Group Composition
• 6 to 10 people
• Relatively
homogeneous
• Similar lifestyles and
experiences

17. Environmental Conditions
• A coffee klatch or bull session
atmosphere be established to ensure
that the mood of the sessions will be as
relaxed and natural as possible.
• Easy and conducive for discussion
• Must match participants members status

18. Outline for a Focus Group
• Establish a rapport
• Begin with broad topic
• Focus in on specific topic
• Generate discussion and interaction

19. Discussion Guide
• The moderator’s written prefatory
remarks and outline of topics/questions
that will be addressed.

20. The Moderator
• Develops rapport - helps people relax
• Interacts
• Listens to what people have to say
• Everyone gets a chance to speak
• Maintains loose control and
focuses discussion
• Stimulates spontaneous responses

21. Advantages of Online
Focus Groups
• Fast
• Inexpensive
• Bring together many participants from
wide-spread geographical areas
• Respondent anonymity
• Transcript automatically recorded

22. Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups
• Less group interaction
• Absence of tactile stimulation
• Absence of facial expression and body
language
• Moderator’s job is different

23. Streaming Media
SM- Multimedia content that can be
accesses on the internet without being
downloaded.
Online focus group- People interact via
chat rooms. Harder to snowball their
comments and lose some interaction.
Good: Can be more people, can no
longer
Bad: Only people with internet access
can be a part of it, no body language or
facial expressions, No taste or touch can
be done.

24. Projective Techniques
• An indirect means of questioning that enables a
respondent to project beliefs and feelings onto a
third party, , onto an inanimate object, or into a
task situation.

25. – Word Association test is the exploratory research technique
in which the subject is presented with a list of words, one at a
time, and asked to respond with the first word that comes to
mind
Projective Techniques

26. – Sentence Completion Method is the projective technique in
which respondents are required to complete a number of
partial sentences with the first word or phrase that comes to
mind.
People who drink beer are ______________________
A man who drinks light beer is ___________________
Imported beer is most liked by ___________________
A woman will drink beer when____________________
Projective Techniques

27. Projective Techniques
Thematic Apperception Test is a test consisting of a
series of pictures shown to research subjects who are then
asked to provide a description of the pictures. The
researcher analyzes the content of these descriptions in
an effort to clarify a research problem.

28. Projective Techniques
– Third-person Technique is the exploratory research
technique in which the respondent is asked why a third
person does what he/she does or what he/she thinks about
an object, event, person, or activity. The respondent is
expected to transfer his/her attitudes to the third person.
– Role Playing is an exploratory research technique that
requires the subject to act out someone else’s behavior in a
particular setting.
– Picture Frustration is a version of T.A.T. that uses cartoon
drawing in which the respondent suggests dialogue that the
cartoon characters might make.

29. Depth Interview
• A relative unstructured, extensive
interview used in the primary stages of
the research process.

30. A Warning
• The techniques may produce some interesting and
occasionally bizarre, hypotheses about what was
inside a person’s mind.
– A woman is very serious when she bakes a cake
because unconsciously she is going through the
symbolic act of giving birth.
– A many buys convertible as a substitute
“mistress”.
– Men who wear suspenders are reacting to an
unresolved castration complex.