Qualitative Research in the US
10 Trends & Move Toward Mobile
Presented to JMRANovember 28, 2017

1AGENDA
Qualitative Research in the USBACKGROUND

WHY IS MOBILE
SO HOT IN US?

EXAMPLES

WRAP UP

PRE-WORKPRODUCT USAGECOMPLEX PROCESSOVERVIEW ofTRENDS IN US
US QUAL

2LOGISTICSOTHER USESLEAPFROG MARKETING RESEARCH
Full-service qualitative marketing research firm established in 1995 .

EXPERIENCED
20+ years in the industry
8 years in NYC Advertising Industry
RIVA Certified Master Moderator and former trainer
Active in QRCA, former Board member

CLIENTS
Google, YouTube, Netflix,
Madison Square Garden, Sports Authority,
NBC, Stanford University, Autodesk
Counsyl, Libratone, iRobot
Hawaiian Airlines, University of Phoenix
Ben & Jerry’s, Nestle, Clorox, Mango Board
And others…

METHODOLOGIES
In-person Focus Groups, IDIs
Online Discussion Boards, Insight Communities
MobileEthnographies
UX Studies
Phone Interviews
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JA PA N
Arrived a year ago
Family adventure
Don’t speak Japanese 10 TRENDS in US QUALITATIVE
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What ’s Happening in US Qual?
1. More VIDEO at all stages – meetings, collection
methods, participant contributions, reports

2. Hybrid studies - multiple
methodologies used in a single study

3. Quick Qual - Fast-turnaround, single-focus
studies to kick off a project, explore issue,expand reach55

10 Trends in US Qual
4. Emphasis on understanding how todeliver better customer experience;
Customer Journey research going strong!

5. Power-packed deliverables – fast, short,visual, action-oriented; web site reports

6. Opportunities for longer term QR
engagement66

10 Trends in US Qual
7. Less backroom
Clients want to take part – co-creation
More DIY
8. Web conferencing viewing forinternational studies; less travel

9. Don’t forget in-person! Move back toinclude face-to-face to supplement digital,
easier to take-to-heart77

10. Mobile qual is everywhere - impacting
methodology and deliverables

Exploring Mobile88Challenge: Limitations of Face to Face
Time constraints• Limited to 1, 2, 3 hours at a time
• One point in time
• Easy to miss the critical moments

Reliance on memory
Impact of others• Other participants• Researcher• Observers

Impact of location• Focus group room

Location constraints• Can’t go on vacation with them,watch them care for their newborn,attend a Dr’s appointment…
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Solution: Mobile Qualitative• Qualitative research using a mobile device tocollect learning from smartphones andtablets.

• A digital ethnography or digital immersivestudy.
• Allows moderators, observers andparticipants to engage in research fromanywhere at any time.
• Easily collect text, photos, videos and audio.
• Uses specially designed apps and browser-based services.

• Can be standalone or hybrid project, or part of an Insights Community.
• Could do mobile qual with standard email and texting services, but it is much
more labor intensive and lacks many tools to facilitate insightful research.
10How does it work?
Researcher:
1. Select researchplatform
2. Design your study
3. Recruit participants
4. Collect responses
5. Analyze data

Participant:
1. Download app
2. Respond to study
invitation
3. Answer questions
with text, images
and videos
Opportunity for probing
and in-depth discussions
with some platforms andnot with others.
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Screenshots: dScout

How to do analysis?
Similar to analysis from in-person
ethnographies, but easiero “Transcripts” included, sometimes evenaudio is auto-transcribedo Basic quant analytics
o Filters, tags, sort and review byparticipant, question, segment, date, etc.

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Why Consider
Mobile Qual?
Participants are alreadyheavily using mobile to shareopinions, photos, videos andstories.
They have their smartphones
with them all the time.

We can collect richer, more detailed and more accurate learning if we tap
into this behavior and use it to uncover more valuable insights.

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Pa r t i c i p a nts Ta ke T h e i r P h o n e s E V E RY W H E R E“Hi dScout . . .”Video credit: dScout
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Advantages of Mobile Qual
• Be in-the-moment with participants, where the action is happening, nomatter what the location or time of day• Longitudinal dialogue – learn from same person multiple times at different
stages of process or experience• Removes the reliance on memory; can show,
not just tell
• See context, emotions• Participants are comfortable with mobile andspeak more freely (fewer inhibitions)• They have time to develop thoughtfulresponses; can consider challenges, desired
improvements, etc.

15Advantages of Mobile Qual, cont.
• Easily collect mixed media - photos, videos, audio and text-based responses –inspirational for clients, creative teams, researchers• Geo-location, geo-fencing and push notification options• Expand geographic reach• Efficiency – watch and learn from many participants each day, save travel
time & money

Take advantage of the opportunity to understandmarkets and situations that were previouslyunreachable.

16Four Scenarios

1.
2.
3.
4.
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Pre-group work
Product trials
Understanding complex processes
Other uses in US

Learn A Lot Quickly
Use mobile to kick-start a project . . .
• Client Objective: To understand how US Millennials use cosmetics• Challenge: To get a lot of ideas quickly from a wide geography at an affordable price• Methodology: Quick Mobile Study with 250 women across the US

1. “Show me your biggest beauty challenge and describe it.”
2. “Take a photo of your favorite new cosmetic product and tell me how you
heard about it and what convinced you to purchase it.”• Benefits of mobile: Photos, videos, qual & quant, and hundreds of ideas in < 4 weeks18

Millennials & Beauty Issues
Skin is always oily andshiny in summer…

My hair gets dry
and then I get a lotof split ends . . .

Starting to worry
about wrinkles . . .

I work and play hard and thenhave to deal with dark circles
around my eyes …

Hyperpigmentation is a constantproblem . . .
My nail polishnever lasts when
I do it myself …
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Hard to geteyeliner onsmoothly …

Tr a n s fo r m i n g Pa r t i c i p a n t
Homework
Use mobile when you need to be in achallenging location . . .
• Client Objective: Generate ideas for how to improve in-car infotainment systems• Challenge: How to study challenges people encounter while driving• Methodology: 5-day “Auto Journals” with twelve participants before in-person
interviews. Conducted over weekend and weekdays to cover varied driving
situations.
• Benefits of mobile: A deep understanding of participant’s relationship to theircar, driving practices and what issues they run into . . . from their naturalenvironment and before we meet them.

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5 - D ay A u to J o u r n a l s

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Other ideas for when mobile pre-group
homework would be helpful?
1. Show me you biggest laundry challenges

2. Take me on a video tour of your work space
3. Show me how you prepare and cook dinnerusing your BBQ grill
4. Record your Coffee Moments for 3 days
5. Tell me about the biggest frustrations you
have with your mobile phone
6. ?

7. ?
8. ?
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P ro d u c t P l a c e m e nt S t u d i e s
Watch and learn . . .
• Client Objective: To explore consumer reaction to a new paper
towel product• Challenge: To learn how families would use and react to this new
product in the natural usage scenarios they encounter at home
• Methodology: 7-day digital immersive study using online andmobile platform. Mail out rolls of paper towels to participants.
• Benefits of Mobile:o Easy for participants to share all the ways they used the producto Enough time for families to use a whole roll and form a solid impression of
product – learned likes and dislikes based on real experienceso Learned from 35 participants from across the country for 7-days over 7 days (vs.
just ~2-3 hours with each over 12+ days with in-home interviews).

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Pa p e r To w e l P r o d u c t – I n - h o m e P l a c e m e n t
Cleaning/Wiping

Spills

Personal

Eating/Cooking/Food Prep24

MedicalOther ideas for when mobile
feedback on product usage would behelpful?
1. Explore reaction to new on-the-go food
2. Watch how usage of skincare productevolves over time

3. Look for opportunities to enhance a musicservice
4. Learning under what conditions new hi-tech
sporting apparel will be worn
5. ?
6. ?
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M o re I nvo l ve d P ro c e s s e s
Customer Journey . . .
• Client Objective: To explore how consumers buy
sports equipment. Build on learning fromquantitative survey.
• Challenge: To learn about process that takes days orweeks to complete in a variety of locations.
• Methodology: Two-week study including mobile app and online
discussion board. Participants reported on each step of process, many
when and where they naturally happened.
• Benefits of Mobile:o Able to “be with” (virtually) participant when they did researching, planning,purchasing, etc. – online, in a store, at home, etc.
o Generated lots of images and videos which helped bring journey to life for client
team.
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C u sto m e r J o u r n e y27

Other ideas for when mobile could help
you learn about a long-term process?
1. Planning a vacation
2. Buying an engagement ring

3. Holiday preparations
4. ?
5. ?

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Ta ke A d va nta ge o f C u l t u ra l D i ffe re n c e sLearn about in-store experience in the US• Client Objective: To explore what drives in-store purchase decision of bath tissue• Also great approach to learn about competitive retail experience• Challenge: To learn about the shopping experience while minimizing impact on
consumer behavior• Methodology: 25 remote shop-alongs using mobile app• Benefits of mobile: More natural shopping experience. Learned many details – inthe moment. Participants showed wide variety of things that worked well instore, and what did not.

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Re m o te S h o p - a - L o n g s i n U S

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Other ideas for when remote
shop-a-longs would be helpful?
1. Shopping for snack foods
2. Shopping for school supplies
3. ?
Or think beyond shopping “Show me how . . .”1. You do laundry
2. You get ready in the morning
3. You train your dog
4. ?
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N ex t S te p s
As researchers, we need to:• Expand our offerings to tap into this (new) participant behavior.

• Design studies that take advantage of peoples’ willingness to shareanytime from everywhere.
• Show our clients how powerful this methodology can be.

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Recommended ResourceQualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA)
www.QRCA.org
International research organization for qualitative researchers who work
independently, for a research company, or in academics• Annual North American Conference and Biennial Worldwide Conference• Phoenix, AZ, USA – January 2018
• Valencia, Spain – May 2018

• Quarterly Virtual International chapter events• Monthly webinars• Award-winning VIEWS magazine• Online directory of qualitative research professionals and resources• A passionate membership; the industry’s best advocates33

Domo arigatou gozaimasu!
ご清聴をいただきまして、誠にありがとうございました。
アメリカや日本での定性調査や、市場進出にからむニーズがございましたら、ご遠慮なくご連絡くださいませ。日本語で対応させていただきます。
長年日本の企業さんと深い関係に恵まれておりますことを、心より感謝申し上げます。
引き続きご支援をいただきたく、よろしくお願い致します。
Thank you for attending this presentation; we appreciate your support! Please let us know if
you have any market research or market entry needs in Japan or in the United States; we lookforward to partnering with you. Thanks!

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Dorrie Paynter
Leapfrog Marketing Research
Dorrie@LeapfrogResearch.com# 070-1513-4875

Steve Pollock
Leapfrog Marketing Research
Steve@TurnstoneVentures.com# 080-3499-2655