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Qualitative Research Methods

Master interviews, usability tests, and field studies to understand WHY users behave the way they do

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Qualitative = Understanding WHY

Qualitative research answers the most important question: WHY do users do what they do? Numbers tell you WHAT happened. Qualitative tells you WHY it happened. Both matter, but qualitative research builds empathy and uncovers problems you didn't know existed.

Common Qualitative Methods

Each method gives you different insights. Choose based on what you need to learn:

User Interviews

One-on-one conversations to explore motivations, pain points, and context

✅ Pros

  • • Deep insights into WHY
  • • Explore unexpected topics
  • • Build empathy
  • • Flexible and adaptive

⚠️ Cons

  • • Time intensive (1hr per person)
  • • Small sample size (5-10 users)
  • • Interviewer bias risk
  • • Hard to quantify
Sample Size
5-10 interviews usually enough to find patterns
Cost
Medium ($50-200/participant + your time)
Timeline
1-2 weeks (recruiting + conducting + analysis)
Best For
Understanding motivations

The Golden Rule of Interviews

Ask about past behavior, not future intentions
❌
Bad: "Would you use this feature?"
Users say yes to be nice. Unreliable.
✅
Good: "Tell me about the last time you tried to solve this problem."
Real story. Real behavior. Real insights.

Interview Question Builder

Select your research goal to see good questions (and common mistakes to avoid):

Good Questions for Discovery

You don't know what the problem is yet

✅ Ask These:

Tell me about the last time you [did relevant task]
Why: Open-ended, gets a story
What was most frustrating about that experience?
Why: Uncover pain points
How do you currently solve [problem]?
Why: Understand current behavior
What would make that easier?
Why: Explore desired outcomes
Walk me through your typical [workflow/day]
Why: Understand context

❌ Avoid These:

Would you use a feature that does X?
Why it's bad: Leading question, hypothetical
Do you like our product?
Why it's bad: Yes/no, not actionable
What features do you want?
Why it's bad: Users design, not solve problems
💡

Sample Size: Quality Over Quantity

You don't need 100 interviews. After 5-7 good interviews, patterns emerge. After 10-12, you start hearing the same stories. One great interview with the right user beats ten mediocre conversations. Focus on talking to the RIGHT people, not the MOST people.

Key Takeaways

  • •Qualitative research answers WHY users do what they do—essential for discovery and empathy building.
  • •User interviews are best for exploration. Usability testing finds UX issues. Field studies reveal context and workflows.
  • •Always ask about past behavior, not future intentions. "Tell me about the last time..." not "Would you use...?"
  • •5-10 good interviews usually enough to find patterns. Quality over quantity—talk to the RIGHT users.
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