Though it’s steadily beginning to fade in the rear-view mirror, it’s still only a few years since COVID-19 changed the face of research as we knew it. In many ways the legacy of that period is still around us. While there are some impacts that feel generally positive, like a more tolerant and progressive outlook on flexible working arrangements, other impacts are more subject to debate, like a tendency to default to meetings and debriefs and of course qualitative fieldwork online.
Nowhere was the impact of Covid felt more keenly than in the qual community, where a community historically built on physical in-person interaction and observation suddenly shifted exclusively online. While this brought certain benefits to the end client, from easier to observe fieldwork, to a broader pool of research participants, to cost efficiencies and certainly less travel, you couldn’t help but feel like something quite profound was missing.
Our very own Lucy Hobbs is recently back from living out of her suitcase for a few weeks, jetting off to Stockholm, Amsterdam, London… and even the spa town of Harrogate, all in the pursuit of customer understanding. She’s been reflecting on just this topic and some of the insights it unearths unlike any other approach.
“A few short years ago it looked unlikely that face to face qual would bounce back significantly. But here I am, back in action. There is just nothing quite like being in person, in a room (with participants, clients, and partner agencies) to get the absolute best out of our research and enhance the depth of insight gained”.
Online qualitative research remains an invaluable approach in our research toolkit and, at times, is absolutely the right tool for the job.
That said - the benefits of face to face shouldn’t be underestimated
Lucy has been asked by lots of clients about the rationale for in-person qual and sees the following as the key elements that you can’t necessarily get through other digital approaches:
Enhanced Engagement: “Being physically present allows for a deeper connection and engagement with participants, leading to richer data collection”.
Sometimes when conducting qual online, respondents and observing clients aren’t necessarily always fully engaged, potentially distracted by things occurring in their environment, or keeping half an eye on the device they were meant to have turned off. From our recent webinar series exploring ‘Stolen Focus’, we know just how big a challenge this can be for people. There’s no risk of this happening in person, ensuring respondents and clients are fully engaged in the subject and paying close attention to what others are saying.
Non-verbal Cues: “Observing body language and facial expressions provides additional layers of information that can be missed in online interactions”.
There are vibes that people give off and give away with their physical movements and expressions that aren’t always possible to pick up through a screen. This can yield rich insight in and of itself and present opportunities to dive deeper into why people may be reacting in a certain way.
Real-time Adaptation: “Face-to-face settings enable immediate adjustments to the discussion flow and stimulus based on participants’ reactions and feedback”.
It’s far easier in person to pick up on what’s working and what’s maybe in need of adjustment either on the fly or ahead of the next group.
Building Relationships: “Personal interactions strengthen relationships with clients, respondents and partner agencies, fostering better collaboration and trust”.
That quick coffee beforehand, or chat ‘behind the glass’ can really help all parties better understand one another’s needs.
Not only does this help to build rapport, it creates a great environment for sharing ideas and building upon insights as they emerge through fieldwork.
Immersive Experience: “Being in the same room allows researchers and stakeholders to be fully immersed in the participants’ environment, providing context that enhances understanding” .
There’s nothing quite like going in to respondent’s homes to fully grasp their frame of reference and what makes them tick. The sights, sounds, smells don’t quite translate through a screen in the same way. The other benefit is the wider cultural context that the researcher absorbs from being in different physical spaces, whether that be the respondents shopping environment or the city/town in which they live. This helps to build a fuller more detailed pictures of our respondents worlds and often provides invaluable additional insight in itself.
As Lucy so wonderfully puts it: “Observing body language, facial expressions and being completely in the moment (with participants and clients) is where the magic happens”.
The added benefit is that the intrepid qualitative explorers out there, our Lucy included, get to indulge their wanderlust. And we get some beautiful pictures in the bargain too…
Stunning Stockholm
