AI is capable of much more than transcribing interviews and summarizing findings. Qualitative researchers can use AI as coach, collaborator, and sandbox to expand their human powers of imagination and thought across every part of the qualitative research process, from the brief to the report. Ben Jenkins challenges us to think like philosophers, not afraid or encumbered in asking the “big questions.” […]
Qualitative data doesn’t make as many headlines as glitzy poll numbers during election cycles, but they too are assessed because they reveal the thoughts and values that determine how people vote. In what was 2024’s high-attention, too-close-to-call presidential election, the opinions of swing voters were of particular interest to pundits, politicians, and the public. Political qualitative researcher Rich Thau was among the moderators who delved deeper to understand the why behind the poll counts. […]
AI-driven applications for qualitative research are being developed at the speed of light, coming out so quickly that it’s difficult for researchers to keep up. Author Renée Hopkins looks at the current state of AI in qualitative market research and how it’s benefiting researchers. […]
Americans’ mental health is in crisis, and it can’t help but affect the health of qualitative researchers. The notion of “catching” depression isn’t hyperbole, but a real danger for qualitative researchers. Stressed and depressed respondents, stressful client demands, and lack of management support can trigger stress, depression, and burnout. Author Renee Hopkins shares some helpful advice on how to care for one’s own well-being. […]
Renee Hopkins explains that qualitative recruiting is trending toward complexity from many angles. Researchers are creating more complex screeners for longer, more complex projects with shorter, less-flexible timelines. Recruiters are using technology and social media to find participants with more specific demographics and from underrepresented groups. […]
Without participants there would be no research–so how do we keep participants engaged, protected, and feeling valued for helping us? Zintro CRO Michael Collins offers suggestions and shares best practices to ensure a strong participant experience. […]
Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are the talk of the town in brand and research circles, bringing the ability to scale data analysis in ways the industry has never before seen. Industry veterans discuss how they are using AI to automate some key knowledge worker tasks, along with the potential of LLMs and some of the changes these tools might bring to the research industry. […]
Jonathan Armstrong, co-host of the Life with GDPR podcast and Partner at Cordery Compliance, talks about the prospects for an EU-U.S. agreement on data transfers under GDPR and what it could mean for the market research industry. […]
We can’t read respondents’ minds, but through contemporary neuro methods we can access the truths they don’t mention, along with how they are feeling, how hard they’re thinking, and where they’re looking, to round out the data we get from what they say. The author explores neuro methods, where they came from, where they are going, and crucially, how we can leverage them to elevate the insights we deliver to our end-clients. […]
Dave Kaye of Field Notes Communities expounds on the future of research in the context of rapidly proliferating technological tools for conducting research and the potential these tools have to change the way the market research industry operates. He predicts that an influx of novice researchers supported by emerging technical tools will call for greater guidance by researchers with established expertise. […]
© 2025 Qualitative Research Consultants Association. All rights reserved.