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Six Thinking Hats: The Power of Holistic Review

July 3, 2025 0

Tired of chaotic debriefs, endless wrap-ups, and dominant voices hijacking your research team meetings? This article introduces the Six Thinking Hats method—a simple yet powerful tool qualitative researchers and insights managers can use to run fast, focused, and inclusive discussions. You’ll learn how one insights leader used this structured approach to transform late-night, unproductive post-focus group meetings into efficient 30-minute power sessions. Whether you’re conducting in-the-field research or looking to boost collaboration and innovation across departments, the Hats offer a game-changing way to improve outcomes and decision-making. If you want to streamline your research process and make every team voice count, this is a must-read. […]

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Dolphins, Volcanoes, and Insights: How an In-school Dance Residency Inspired a Veteran Researcher to Refresh Her Practice

July 3, 2025 0

Even after 20 years in the field, one seasoned moderator found surprising inspiration—not at a conference, but in a fourth-grade dance class. This article beautifully connects the pedagogy of a children’s arts program with powerful lessons for qualitative researchers. It’s a masterclass in how to stay sharp, curious, and ever-evolving in your craft. If you’re serious about continuous improvement—and delivering richer insights for your clients—this is a must-read. […]

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Striking the Right Balance Between Human and AI Transcription for Qualitative Research

April 4, 2025 0

By now we all know AI transcription of interviews is anything but flawless–especially when cultural references are critical to insights, as they can easily be missed by machines. But, if used properly, AI transcription can add efficiency to projects. In this article, multilinguistic researcher Jill Kushner Bishop outlines a decision-making framework to help researchers decide when to consider human or blended human and AI solutions to optimize resources and maximize the quality of insights. […]

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How to Conduct Ethnography for Big Results and Real Impact

September 11, 2024 0

Ethnographic research allows us to observe behavior in natural settings, uncovering deep insights that traditional methods often miss. By blending into the environment with unobtrusive recording techniques, I can capture genuine reactions without participants feeling observed. This approach helps businesses better understand their customers’ decision-making processes, leading to practical solutions. In one project, we identified over 80 improvements for a restaurant chain—some small, others transformative—ultimately enhancing the customer experience in ways that executives often hadn’t considered […]

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Design Thinking for Insights Professionals

June 12, 2024 0

Taking us through the Design Thinking process step by step using a real-life example, author Jani de Kock explores both the principles and theory behind Design Thinking, and practical tools & methods for running a successful Design Thinking project. […]

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FUELING CREATIVITY WITH INSIGHTS: How Advertising Agencies Best Collaborate with Qualitative Researchers

June 12, 2024 0

Consumer insights are the most critical building blocks of effective advertising—and the key people behind those insights are often qualitative researchers. Kathleen Kindle, Group Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, delves into why advertising agencies rely heavily on qualitative insights and what advertising strategists and creatives need from qualitative researchers. […]