It was not long ago that online research was thought of as a new frontier, promising, yes, but little understood and not yet proven. Those days seem like ancient history now, as online research has evolved into a mainstream, accepted practice that is seeing tremendous growth year over year.

Despite this growth, online qualitative research still represents a small piece of the overall online research spending pie. But over the past decade, a number of methods and solutions have emerged that marry qualitative with the online space, creating an ever-expanding array of options to meet researchers’ needs.

As a result, researchers are now trying to understand the latest online qualitative tools while evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each one so that they can select the best fit for their particular needs. And, as this sector of the industry continues to develop and innovate at breakneck speed, it is perhaps more critical than ever to weigh the options before making a decision.

WHAT IS ONLINE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?
At its core, qualitative research is based on the same fundamental principles and ideas, and designed to accomplish the same general goals, whether it is conducted using traditional methods or online. In a focus group facility in Atlanta or via a virtual bulletin board system, the purpose is still to hear feelings, reactions, opinions and emotions in people’s own words.

That said, the most familiar traditional models, and some entirely new ones as well, each offer a slightly different approach in the online sphere. Four of the most commonly used methods of conducting qualitative research online are:

• Online focus groups
• Online bulletin boards
• Online one-on-one interview sessions
• Online communities

While these are by no means the only ways to conduct qualitative research online, they represent the most widely accepted and utilized approaches. Each one will be discussed separately in the pages to come.

Additionally, there are solutions available that incorporate key elements of these distinct methodologies such as real-time interaction, multi-media stimulus and online moderation into an overall, hybrid offering.

WHY CHOOSE ONLINE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?
In discussing online qualitative research, it is important to bear in mind that its power and relevance stem not just from its potential to substitute for traditional offline methods. Hoever, just as importantly, it is a way to allow companies to conduct qualitative research in situations that might not have allowed it beforehand, and with audiences that were previously harder to access.

Traditional qualitative studies are often ruled out as too expensive or time consuming—factors that remain critical barriers in today’s ever faster paced business community. However, the growing assortment of online qualitative tools has rendered many of these objections moot as the very real benefits become clear:

• Speed: Studies can be deployed and completed in a matter of days, with transcripts instantly available for review.
• Cost: Because moderators and clients do not need to travel to far-flung facilities, saings in both time and cost can be significant.
• Geography: Diverse and wide-ranging groups of participants can be assembled for a single project easily and without requiring travel. Hard-to-recruit or low-incidence groups are less of a challenge as well.
• Candor: Because the online setting affords participants a degree of privacy, they are often much more comfortable discussing sensitive topics and sharing unpopular opinions than they would be in a traditional face-to-face setting.
• Access: Clients are able to view sessions in real time, interact with the moderator and provide feedback.
• Relevance: Many respondents are comfortable with interactive communication and may embrace the opportunity to participate in research using online techniques that seem less intrusive than traditional methods.

A NOTE ABOUT RECRUITING
In discussing developments in online qualitative research it is critical to remember that each of them hinges on the same non-negotiable fact as offline qualitaive research—the results will only be as good as the respondents involved. As unique as any one tool or methodology may be, the crux of the issue is making sure that you are talking to the right person in the first place.

Online Focus Groups

What is an online focus group?
Online focus groups function much in the same way as traditional focus groups, but are conducted in an online setting, typically a virtual focus group facility. Moderators and participants take part in the group remotely but in real-time. Their typed questions and answers are visible to all participants in the group, as well as clients who observe the sessions.

On the surface, online focus groups seem like a fairly literal translation of the traditional method into the online space; participants are recruited, a guide is developed, stimulus material may be provided, and a moderator leads a discussion among 8 to 15 individuals as clients observe and provide feedback. As with traditional focus groups, clients can observe an online group, pass questions to the moderator and otherwise participate in the session as it develops.

However, despite these superficial similarities, because of the subtle differences in factors such as the group dynamic, the role of the moderator and the experience of the participant, it would be inaccurate to describe an online focus group as a traditional group conducted via computer.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF ONLINE FOCUS GROUPS
It may seem counterintuitive to consider that both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of the online focus group methodology stem from the same thing, the fundamental difference in the group dynamic in online and offline settings.

In a traditional focus group, managing the interaction and direction of the group is among the moderator’s greatest challenges, and requires:

• Keeping dominant personalities in check
• Drawing out reticent or bashful individuals
• Encouraging side discussions but ensuring that they don't devolve into tangents
• Pacing the conversation to ensure that the allotted time is maximized.

In an online focus group, a moderator must work harder to create and maintain a robust group experience. In the absence of eye contact, body language, and other visual cues, eliciting feedback and expansive answers can require constant probing. Moderating online focus groups can pose a challenge for some, who find that the fast pace and technical elments of managing a session can interfere with their ability to keep the content on track.

However, the added degree of separation afforded by the virtual setting is also a powerful tool that can add revealing candor to responses. Because participants are protected by the virtual divide and feel less pressure to impress or please the group, their response is often more direct and unvarnished.

On the flip side, because online participants ae typing rather than speaking, and typically craft their responses to a question quickly but without necessarily hearing what their colleagues in the group have said, feedback can require more effort to move past the basic and get to the real meat of an issue. Whereas in a traditional focus group, participants build off each other’s comments, this may not happen as smoothly in an online group.

APPLICATIONS
Fundamentally, online focus groups are appropriate for the same types of research needs as traditional focus groups—including brainstorming, ideation, or concept and ad testing.

Therefore, the decision to incorporate online focus groups into the research toolbox is often made when it is simply not feasible or necessary to conduct traditional groups. Moreover, online groups can in certain situations be the more appealing option as they can be planned and executed with remarkable speed—days and hours rather than weeks and months. Because there are few, if any, geographic limitations, the need to travel is eliminated, saving time, expense, and not insignificantly, hassle.

Sonya Turner is Senior Qualitative Analyst at iModerate Research Technologies.