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Ipsos Unveils Online Qual Approach
In the US, Ipsos Understanding UnLtd (IUU) - the qualitative division of Ipsos in North America - has developed a new approach to qualitative research for an online environment.
Its QualSpace process enables respondents to participate through an interactive bulletin board forum, where the firm's researchers can facilitate discussions lasting anything from three days to nine months. These typically require participation one to two times per day (roughly 30-60 minutes per day) around topics relevant to the client.
Through the bulletin board, clients can monitor ongoing conversations, while moderators are able to stream respondents off into private discussions if they need to probe a specific topic confidentially.
Moderators prepare and post a series of discussion guide questions for respondents, who then log in at their convenience to reply. These participants are also encouraged to read and respond to others' comments. Posts can be 'masked' so that respondents cannot view other community members' replies and/or the next question until they have personally posted.
Discussions are visible onscreen 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to client team members in a 'virtual backroom', where they can make observations, suggest changes, and discuss findings.
'These customizable online forums have been designed to leverage frequent moderator interaction over the life of the research,' explained Jill Wittman, who was recently appointed VP of Innovation and Qualitative Research. 'The tool not only delivers outstanding insight into consumer minds, it does so within clients' time and cost constraints.'
IUU employs more than 60 moderators and research consultants to deliver insights for clients in the consumer packaged foods, retail, healthcare/pharma, technology, financial services, and entertainment sectors.
Web site: www.ipsos-uu.com .
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