Facebook for Qualitative Research

- May 13, 2011 by Tim Craig, Ph.D, Cultural Anthropologist

The market research industry is constantly trying to come up with easy and innovative ways to gather data. With the World Wide Web, smart phones, mobile apps and other technological advancements what they are today, the research industry has embraced technology and created new pathways to get inside the consumer’s mind. Here at GDC we asked ourselves, “Selves, how can we incorporate Facebook into our research repertoire?” What we found is that there are myriad uses for Facebook in research, from surveying consumers to recruiting, but we also discovered Facebook can be a valuable tool for qualitative applications. How so, you ask? 

Facebook can be a researcher’s best friend – properly leveraging tools such as groups and their associated functionality for photo uploads, surveys, messaging and emails can assist with both qualitative and quantitative research. 

5 Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research with Facebook

1. Create a private group
2. Encourage dialog between participants
3. Request photo uploads and status updates
4. Utilize group communication functions to get messages to all your participants quickly and easily
5. Leverage privacy settings to enable open and frank discussion

GDC Uses Facebook in the Field

We gleaned these tips from our first-hand experience with some recent research for a client. Here’s the skinny on the project, in which Facebook proved to be invaluable.

Some Background on the Challenge

An international beverage company approached GDC a while back to investigate why one of the beverages they sell is not performing well in the San Antonio market. After lengthy investigation into the problem (we’re big on research on both the client and market side), we created a research design that involved a hybrid methodological approach where both quantitative and qualitative tools were used for consumer outreach and insight. On the quantitative side, various surveys were sent to individuals throughout San Antonio to gather some quick and dirty data, but more importantly to recruit for our in-depth interviews. After these surveys were completed and analyzed, the next step in the research design was to find some of these survey takers and conduct interviews with them to really dig deep into their thought processes regarding certain beverages and their consumer behavior around them. 

Incorporating Facebook to the Research Methodology

Once selected and recruited, the participants were informed that one aspect of the study would require them to photograph themselves in various locations of their choice while experiencing the brand and/or other brands of similar nature. These photos were then to be uploaded to a GDC Facebook research group created specifically for this study, and they were instructed to make brief comments about their posts. What transpired from there became a wealth of information from which we were able to glean valuable data to build upon and report back to the client. The group was private, so activity such as photo uploads and messages was only visible to the members and administrators of the group, allowing participants to speak freely without sharing these updates with their entire Facebook network. This feature is also beneficial in that the group members can see and comment on each other’s uploads, which creates discussion and an interesting dynamic to observe where total strangers asked to perform similar tasks react to each other’s interpretations of the task. This is an interesting data set to say the least. What’s also great about it is that we can communicate to the entire group at once to notify them of study changes, additional aspects of the study, let them know their posts are well received, and so on.

Facebook Provides Streamlined User Experience for Research Participants

So why did this methodology work so well? The biggest benefit is that Facebook’s pervasive popularity makes it a simple tool for research participants to use – browsing, receiving messages, uploading photos and many other characteristics of the site are fairly common to most people, especially among the demographic we were studying (ages 21-34). The rise of smart phones and the many options for mobile uploads to Facebook (via text, email or through a mobile app) allowed participants to upload their content live from the location where they were having a brand experience. As a result, this process was not cumbersome to participants and made it that much more enjoyable for them, and us. In fact, they enjoyed this part of the study so much they continued to post after we had compensated them for their time and the study was closed. 

In addition to these great benefits, this methodology assists the researcher in understanding and getting to know his/her participants prior to meeting them. By observing the types of pictures one posts, the researcher can glean so much about an individual’s life and personality. Before entering into the in-depth interview, we might know what a person likes to drink when out at a bar, who their friends are, where they like to hang out, what they eat, what they like to do in their free time, what their social status is, etc. Having this preliminary knowledge about one’s participants only behooves the researcher when preparing for and conducting the all-important in-depth interviews as s/he can personalize the discussion so it caters to a particular individual. It is also a great icebreaker when the researcher meets the participant and offers an immediate discussion topic to begin to build rapport and make the scene more comfortable. Additionally, the researcher can ask the participant to elaborate on all aspects of the uploads and really dig deeper into his/her thoughts and behavior. Finally, the images and comments can also be pasted into one’s final report to bring it to life, make it more personal, and truly impress the client.

A Little Fun Never Hurts

As you can see, Facebook has a lot to offer the research world. With its myriad applications and the many more that I’m sure will be discovered, researchers have yet another tool in their belt to assist them in their research endeavors. What’s great about this particular tool is that much of the world already knows it and understands it, and they think it’s fun and exciting. We at GDC are all about fun and excitement, and we look forward to continually creating new and innovative ways to conduct our research that are enjoyable to our research participants and exceed our client’s expectations.

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