Qualitative Analysis On Pedometers For Motivation

Qualitative Analysis On Pedometers For Motivation

Qualitative Analysis On Pedometers For Motivation

All types of medium-large firms request original market research. Bespoke research projects are designed for each client; projects collect data pertaining to the market for a specific product or service, as well as the climate within which the product or service operates, and the local, national -or even global- competition.

Research projects can be any subject and scale, and many practitioners can specify and manage overseas projects. There are two main types of research: qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative and Quantitative Market Research: Complementary Methods

‘Qualitative research’ offers in-depth exploration of consumer behavior including motivations, drivers and barriers, following a relatively free-flowing discussion format. ‘Quantitative’ methodologies provide a statistical measure of a large number of consumer responses to pre-coded, structured questions. Research practitioners rely on a good understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods to effectively design surveys, and many studies comprise both methods.

Issues Addressed by Qualitative Research

Qualitative research solutions can address any sector and any types of business issues, including:

  • New product development - exploring opportunities for new product development, generating new concepts and identifying the most viable to take forward to further product testing or launch;
  • Branding and brand strategy including evaluation of ranges, and range extensions - identifying appropriate new branding routes or whether existing brands can extend to new product or service areas without creating damage to 'brand equity';
  • Advertising strategy - reviewing existing or new advertising campaigns, determining optimal advertising routes and pinpointing potentially winning designs for further development;
  • Employee relations - exploring in-house staff issues to resolve problems, generate incentive and reward schemes, devise feedback mechanisms, improve staff reviews and reporting structures;
  • Customer satisfaction - determining to what extent a product or service meets consumers' needs and where changes in provision can be made to improve satisfaction levels and retention;
  • Customer experience - finding out what aspects of a product or service most stimulate--or disappoint, or alienate--consumers, ascertaining which drive a repeat visit or incite a purchase, and identifying opportunities for experiential refinement;
  • Marketing communications - reviewing corporate literature to improve on messages and brand fit, identifying new branding routes, styles and appropriate content.

Qualitative research is freshly conducted for paying clients and not gained by desk research; paying clients closely guard their results, except where projects are funded by public bodies and serving the public interest. Even then, new studies hardly ever refer to 'desk research' as qualitative practice recognizes the dynamic, fast-changing nature of consumer behavior, with the researcher seeking out opinions and user-experiences of specially-recruited, fresh sets of ‘respondents.'

Qualitative Research Methods

Most qualitative research is 'face-to-face,' with the most frequently applied techniques being the ‘qualitative discussion group’ or focus group, and the one-to-one ‘depth interview.’ The discussion group typically consists of eight respondents carefully selected according to pre-agreed quotas.

The qualitative researcher uses a specially-drafted discussion guide to moderate the group, which lasts between 90 minutes and two hours. Many clients attend and view sessions; special 'viewing facilities' are available where clients observe from behind a one-way mirror, taking away session recordings. The moderator carries out several groups to different quotas, and is responsible for subsequent analysis and for drafting and presenting final results to the client.