Exploratory Research

1
Exploratory Research

• QUALTITATIVE DATA

2
Qualitative Methodologies

1. Focus Groups
2. In-Depth Interviews
3. Projective Techniques
4. Observation

3
Definitions (Yuck!)

• Inquiry
• Disguised
• Undisguised

4
Final Definitions (I promise)

• Structured
• Questions
• Answers
• Unstructured
• Questions
• Answers

5
Distinction between
Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Objective
Sample
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Outcome
6
Qualitative Methods

• An unstructured exploratory methodology based on
  small samples that provides insights and
  understanding
• Researcher dependent i.e., researcher extracts
  meaning from unstructured responses
• Touchy-feely no numbers unstructured
  responses
• Examine thoughts, feelings, motivations
• SO
• Can be results be projected to the population?
  
• Yes or No
• However
• Can spot trends 3 to 4 years before they show up
  in surveys

7
1. Focus Groups

• Definition
• Lasts _________
• Types
• Round-table (Comfortable room with one-way
  mirror)
• Telephone
• Video conferencing
• Internet chat rooms
• Usually multiple groups

8
Uses of Focus Groups

• Obtain impressions on products, packages and
  brand names
• Evaluate ads
• Develop questionnaires
• Check language for minority or geographically
  concentrated populations
• Develop hypotheses..

9
Advantages/Disadvantages of Focus Groups

• Disadvantages
• 1.Can not project (or generalize) to population
• 2.Difficult to moderate
• 3.Difficult to interpret
• 4.May be more susceptible to bias
• 5. Not useful for sensitive topics

• Advantages
• 1.Experiencing Consumers
• 2.Immediate information
• 3.Relatively Inexpensive
• 4.Flexible
• 5.Serendipity
• 6.High Respondent Involvement
• 7. Group interaction

10
Focus Group Moderator

• Keeps discussion focused
• Believe that participants have wisdom
• Encourages shy to talk and dominant participants
  to be quiet
• Should say little, but keep eye contact
• Accepts all answers but do not indicate agreement
  with any one answer
• Must be a quick study

11
Conducting a Focus Group

• Register participants
• Small talk- bonding
• Introductions
• welcome
• why they are here
• guidelines or ground rules
• opening question

• Ask questions
• Anticipate flow
• Control your reactions
• Probe as needed
• Summarize the discussion

12
Developing Questions for Focus Groups

• Where to Begin
• Clarify the problem first
• Identify questions
• Develop a draft of moderators guide --REVISE,
  REVISE, REVISE
• General Rules
• Conversation Tone
• Be Clear
• Allow sufficient time to answer

13
Question Categories

• Opening questions
• Introductory questions
• Transition questions
• Key questions
• Ending Questions

14
2. DEPTH INTERVIEWS

• One-on-one interviews between professional
  researcher and a respondent
• Try to uncover underlying motivations, prejudices
  and attitudes lots of probing
• Often toward sensitive information

15
Depth Interviewing Analysis

• Lots of Intense Probing
• Laddering building on responses
• Example
• Attributes
• Benefits/Consequences
• Values/Motivations

16
When to use depth interviews

• Sensitive or confidential subject matter
• Situations where strong social norms exist
• Need intensive probing
• When respondent interaction unlikely to be
  helpful (e.g., with children)
• Have lots of and time
• Need detailed responses

17
Projective Techniques

• Unstructured Indirect form of questioning
• Used when subjects cannot or will not directly
  communicate feelings
• A man is least himself when he talks in his own
  person when he is given a mask he will tell the
  truth.
• E.g., TATs, inkblot

18
Word Association

• Examine brand/service image
• Measure
• frequency of responses
• no responses
• response latency
• body language
• Example

19
Sentence Completion

• Gives more direction than word association
• Examples
• People who drink imported beer are _____________.
• People who dont give blood are____________.
• I always give blood during blood drives at work
  unless________.

20
Unfinished Story

• Finish the story or tell why the person acted the
  way he or she did.
• Evolved from TAT

21
Third Person Role Play

• What would the typical person do in this
  situation?
• We tend to think others are like ourselves, yet
  we are more willing to tell the truth about
  others
• Example
• Why would your neighbor buy a Mercedes

22
Haires Shopping List
1 1/2 lbs hamburger 2 loaves Wonder Bread 1 bunch
of carrots 1 Rumfords Baking Powder Maxwell House
coffee (drip ground) 2 cans Del Monte peaches 5
lbs potatoes

• 1 1/2 lbs hamburger
• 2 loaves Wonder Bread
• 1 bunch of carrots
• 1 Rumfords Baking Powder
• Nescafe Instant coffee
• 2 cans Del Monte peaches
• 5 lbs potatoes

23
Haires Results

• Nescafe Shopper
• 48 lazy
• 48 failed to plan purchases
• 4 thrifty
• 12 spendthrift
• 4 good wife

• Maxwell Shopper
• 4 lazy
• 12 failed to plan purchases
• 16 thrifty
• 0 spendthrift
• 16 good wife

24
Cartoon Completion (Picture Frustration)

• Subjects fill in the bubble suggests a dialogue
  between the characters

25
Draw a Picture

• Subject given a topic to draw
• Examples

26
Some Boring Definitions

• Ethnographic/Observational Research
• Systematic recording of behavioral patterns of
  people, objects, and occurrences as they are
  witnessed
• Direct Observation
• Indirect Observation

27
Observation can be disguised or undisguised

• HOWEVER CAN NOT UNCOVER COGNITIVE PHENOMENA
  (e.g., thoughts, attitudes, motivations)
• SO Can NOT explain WHY a behavior occurred

28
Observation of Physical Objects

• Naturalist Inquiry
• Physical Trace evidence
• wear on floor tiles
• pings
• Garbology
• Audits - pantry

29
Mechanical Observation

• Television/Internet
• AC Neilson People Meter
• Click Through Rates
• Scanners
• Eye Tracking
• Psychogalvanometer
• Response Latency