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Consumr.AI Onboarding

Run Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is powered by AI twins. Where a survey tells you that 60% of consumers prefer Apple, a qualitative session with those twins tells you why they feel that way, what drives that preference, and what would change it.

For the full menu of qualitative methods (focus groups, investigative interviews, small panel sessions, consumer co-creation, strategic planning, innovation research), see Methods.

When to use qualitative research

Section titled “When to use qualitative research”
  • You have survey results and need to understand the reasoning behind the numbers.
  • You want to explore a new product concept, messaging idea, or strategic question in depth.
  • You need open-ended, subjective consumer reactions rather than distributions.
  • You want to brainstorm solutions using a structured method (Six Thinking Hats, Round Robin, etc.) with consumer perspectives in the loop.

The procedure

Section titled “The procedure”

1. Go to the research area and select a qualitative method

Section titled “1. Go to the research area and select a qualitative method”

Navigate to the research section of the platform. Select the qualitative (Qual) track. You will see method options: standard templates, custom, and quick options depending on what you need:

  • Standard: Battle-tested templates with pre-built objectives and question sets. Choose an objective and run. The questions are already written.
  • Custom: You define the objective and write your own questions. Use this when you have a specific research brief.
  • Quick: Give only an objective. The platform progressively generates questions based on each twin’s answers, asking one question, reading the response, then formulating the next. Useful for exploratory sessions where you do not know exactly what you will find.

2. Select your twins or segments

Section titled “2. Select your twins or segments”

Choose which AI twins (or the segments whose twins you want to use) will participate in the session. You can select one twin for an interview-style session or multiple twins for a focus group dynamic.

3. Set the objective and questions

Section titled “3. Set the objective and questions”
  • For Standard sessions: select from the pre-built objectives. The questions are fixed.
  • For Custom sessions: write a clear objective statement, then enter your questions. Questions should be open-ended and conversational: the same type of question you would ask a real respondent.
  • For Quick sessions: write the objective only. The platform handles the questions.

4. Run the session

Section titled “4. Run the session”

Confirm your setup and launch. The session runs automatically. Depending on the method and number of twins, this may take a few minutes.

5. Read the output

Section titled “5. Read the output”

Qualitative output is subjective and narrative in nature. The platform surfaces the key themes, reactions, and reasoning from each twin. Look for:

  • Consistent patterns across multiple twins (signals that are broad)
  • Surprising or contradictory responses (signals worth investigating further)
  • Emotional or motivational language that does not appear in survey data

Brainstorming within Qual

Section titled “Brainstorming within Qual”

If you have gathered insights from a qualitative session and want to generate solutions, the platform includes a brainstorming section under Qual / Innovation Research. You can take problems surfaced in qualitative sessions and run them through structured brainstorming methods (Six Thinking Hats, Round Robin, and others). These structured methods are familiar to corporate teams and produce outputs that can be directly validated with quantitative surveys.

What comes next

Section titled “What comes next”