Ditch The “VS”

Scientific data vs. human behavior. Objective vs. subjective responses. Let’s ditch the “vs,” shall we? These two things don’t compete. Instead, they support and enhance each other.

Qualitative certainty 

It’s hard to argue with the objective statistics in quantitative research (although people still try). Qual, while being very subjective, is equally powerful.

I listen to the transcripts of our interviews or focus groups again and again and again, and I read the notes that I have taken again and again and again. I make sure I am crystal clear on what was said, how it was said, and what wasn’t said.

That way I know that, with the information I have, the argument I am making is as data backed as it can be without having those statistics. I know that this many people said this thing and felt this strongly about it because I heard it in their voice.

Cohesive arguments

I have a lot of experience in qualitative and quantitative market research, and especially with projects that use both. I really like being able to support a subjective story with hard numbers.

And to be honest, I think I write a mean report. Whenever I say something in a report, I go back and make sure I have the qualitative evidence to support it. I am very careful. I want to see evidence on that slide. If I don’t see it, I am not going to write it.

Holistically, I want it to be one cohesive report with a consistent argument throughout. All the slides should build on each other to reinforce that argument. So, at the very end, there is no doubt as to what our story is and what our argument was throughout.

Sociology

I received my master’s degree in Sociology from Arizona State University in May 2023. That is such a natural fit for market research that I wonder why more people don’t take it.

Sociology is the study of humans in groups. How humanity organizes itself, relates to itself, and creates categorical hierarchies. There is a lot of focus on understanding human behavior, which touches on the concepts of brand loyalty.

I really like sociology because it pairs the statistics-backed component of research with a more subjective understanding of human and social theories. It combines scientific data and human behavior. 

RIVA training

Because there is always more to learn, I went to the RIVA Training Institute in the summer of 2015 for a four-day intensive deep dive on how to conduct in-depth interviews (IDIs). The training covered everything from designing discussion guides to building rapport to dealing with difficult respondents.

There were five people in my class, and we spent four days really digging in. It was a great experience. In addition to learning how to conduct IDIs, I came away with three key personal learnings:

1. How to maintain a cool and collected demeanor in an IDI or focus group no matter who was there or what was going on.
   
   At the time, I worked for a market research firm that focused only on healthcare clients. Our qualitative work involved highly trained professionals, like physicians, hospital executives, and pharmaceutical stakeholders. Learning how to interact with them and hold my own as a professional has been tremendously helpful.

2. Interrupting people is not always a bad thing.
   
   It is not rude to cut people off if it keeps the conversation going in the right direction. If people are going off on a tangent, it is not good for them or for the project. It is better to stop them and bring them back to the topic.

3. The importance of rapport building.
   
   I naturally leaned into this. It is so important to find a way to break the ice and connect with people. It only takes 20-30 seconds, but it calms everyone’s nerves and makes the rest of the conversation easier.

Now I am using all my training and experience to help people and brands embrace their Live Well™ journey. I am using scientific data and human behavior. Objective and subjective responses. Qual and quant.

Because there is no “vs.” Just two types of data that support the big picture.

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