How to conduct a qualitative research?

A qualitative research study enables you to collect non-numerical data to answer the fundamental question: why do your customers, employees, or prospects behave this way? This approach explores deep motivations, psychological barriers, and perceptions that influence decisions—areas where statistics alone cannot fully explain observed behaviors.

To conduct effective qualitative research, follow these five structured steps: formulate a precise research question that frames your study, develop open-ended questions that encourage free expression, select your data collection method from individual interviews, focus groups, or online surveys, analyze verbatim responses to identify recurring themes, then present your findings in an actionable format for decision-making.

This method proves essential when launching an innovative product without market references, seeking to understand shopping cart abandonment on your e-commerce site, wanting to improve customer satisfaction beyond NPS scores, or needing to supplement your quantitative data with actionable insights. Modern tools integrating artificial intelligence now transform comment analysis into an automated process, generating word clouds and sentiment indices in real time.

>> To group quantitative and qualitative research in one survey, click here

Method	Format	Participants	Advantages	Ideal for
Individual interview	Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured	1 person	In-depth responses, no group influence, maximum confidentiality	Sensitive topics, in-depth exploration, individual journeys
Focus group	Moderated discussion with observer	6 to 10 people	Rich interactions, collective creativity, diversity of perspectives	Concept testing, brainstorming, product/service reactions
Online survey	Open-ended questions remotely	Flexible (10 to 500+)	Scalability, reduced cost, automated AI analysis, complete anonymity	Large samples, international surveys, rapid and massive data collection

Conduct a qualitative research in 5 steps

The qualitative research makes it possible to obtain in-depth data to understand a phenomenon or confirm a hypothesis.

To conduct it successfully, it is important to respect certain steps.

1. Define the issue

The first step of a qualitative research is to define the issue. Other sub-questions related to the subject studied may stem from this initial question.

The issue allows to contextualize and frame the research. It gives a precise objective and avoids any waste of time during the survey.

In the case of a research concerning a potential clientele, this step guarantees an accurate targeting of the market segment.

2. Write the questions

The issue should allow to identify questions or sub-questions related to the object of the research. These questions will be used to determine the outlines of the research but also the methods to be used to collect the data.

The questions used will be open-ended. Respondents will therefore be able to express themselves freely by arguing their answers. This type of question differs from closed-ended questions where respondents must check their answers.

3. Collect the data

To collect data as part of a qualitative research, it is possible to rely on 3 of the following techniques: interviews, observation and group discussions.

The interview

The interview consists of addressing respondents directly to gather information. In this context, this exercise can be non-directive in order to allow the respondent to speak freely. The interview can also be semi-directive when an interview guide is set up to frame the exchange. The interview is directive when the respondent answers questions in writing.

In the case of a directive interview, the use of an online survey allows respondents to express themselves without being in contact with the interviewer. The comments can then be processed directly by the online survey software using Artificial Intelligence.

The group interview

The group interview can take the form of an observation group discussion.

Group discussions

The focus group is a group discussion framed by a moderator and an observer. It is particularly suitable for gauging future customers’ reactions regarding a company’s new service or product offering.

4. Analyze the data

The data analysis aims to research the words and expressions used to describe the product or service concerned by the research.

With online survey software, comments are analyzed directly through Artificial Intelligence. Across all texts, a word cloud is returned. In addition, if the comments are intended to collect feelings, the AI will return a satisfaction index and word clouds for positive and negative feelings.

The use of online survey software offers the possibility of processing the results computationally and not manually. The risk of error is eliminated and allows to quickly produce reliable results.

5. Share the results

Sharing the results is the last step of the qualitative research. It makes it possible to evaluate their relevance with the issue defined at the beginning of the research and thus demonstrate how much the information collected responds to the questions asked.

The most important thing during this phase is to ensure that an overly theoretical report is not produced. The report should not contain numerical data and statistics in order to facilitate understanding.

Example of qualitative questions

Open questions are used to obtain the most informative possible answers. The results are more difficult to analyze compared to closed questions, but have the advantage of being more substantial. Here are two examples of open questions:

• What are your expectations regarding a travel website?
• What would you like to change in our online store system?

With online survey software, it is possible to limit the number of characters to enter in an open question. This facilitates the analysis of the results because respondents provide more concise answers.

Choosing the Right Approach for Your Qualitative Research

Every qualitative research project requires an approach tailored to your context, resources, and objectives. The key to success lies in aligning your research question with your chosen data collection method.

If you’re developing a new product or service, favor focus groups to observe spontaneous reactions and benefit from group dynamics that stimulate creativity. This method reveals unexpected insights through interactions between participants who build upon each other’s ideas.

To understand complex individual journeys or address sensitive topics, opt for semi-structured individual interviews that create a climate of trust conducive to authentic and in-depth testimonies. This approach is particularly suitable for customer experience surveys, purchase motivations, or psychological barriers.

When you need to survey a large sample quickly or reach geographically dispersed populations, online surveys with open-ended questions offer the best efficiency-to-cost ratio. AI-powered tools automate verbatim analysis and transform hundreds of comments into actionable insights within minutes.

FAQ: Qualitative Research

How to effectively analyze data from qualitative research?

Qualitative analysis consists of transforming your raw verbatim into actionable insights through a structured multi-phase process. Start by fully transcribing your interviews or gathering all your survey comments in a single format. Then proceed with thematic coding by identifying recurring keywords, significant expressions, and emerging themes that you group into categories. Conduct vertical analysis by comparing responses from the same respondent across different themes, then horizontal analysis by cross-referencing all participants’ responses on a given theme. AI-powered software like Drag’n Survey now automates this process by generating keyword clouds, calculating satisfaction indices from expressed sentiments, and automatically categorizing positive and negative verbatim.

How many people should be surveyed for qualitative research?

The number of participants depends on your method and objectives. For in-depth individual interviews, between 10 and 30 people generally suffice to reach theoretical saturation—the point where new interviews no longer provide novel information. Focus groups work with 6 to 10 participants per session, and you can organize 3 to 5 different groups depending on your target audience’s diversity. With a qualitative online survey, you can question several hundred people thanks to AI-powered automated analysis tools that efficiently process verbatim at scale.

What tools should be used for online qualitative research?

Online survey platforms like Drag’n Survey, SurveyMonkey, or Google Forms allow you to create surveys with open-ended questions to collect qualitative data remotely. These platforms offer AI-powered automatic analysis features that generate keyword clouds, detect positive or negative sentiments in comments, and automatically categorize responses. For video interviews, solutions like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet facilitate online focus groups. Specialized qualitative analysis tools enable in-depth verbatim coding for academic researchers.

How long does qualitative research take?

Duration varies considerably depending on the chosen method and your project’s scope. An in-depth individual interview generally lasts between 45 minutes and 2 hours, with a preparation and analysis phase that can take several days per participant. A focus group runs for 1.5 to 2 hours but requires significant logistical organization beforehand. Qualitative online surveys can be completed in 10 to 20 minutes per respondent, and data collection spans 1 to 4 weeks depending on your target sample. Overall, allow between 3 and 8 weeks for complete qualitative research, from defining the research question to final presentation of analyzed results.

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French – étude qualitative, click here
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Portuguese – pesquisa qualitativa, click here