Qualitative Methods
Qualitative research is run by AI twins and answers the whys: the subjective motivations, emotional reactions, and nuanced opinions behind consumer behavior.
Focus groups
Section titled “Focus groups”What it is. A facilitated group discussion among a set of AI twins. You pick an objective and the platform runs a structured group conversation.
Three modes:
- Standard: battle-tested templates with pre-built questions. There are six objectives to choose from. Pick your twins (or a segment), select an objective, and it runs. No question design needed; the questions are proven.
- Custom: you write your own objective and build your own questions. Full control over the discussion structure.
- Quick: give only an objective. No questions required. The platform progressively asks one question to up to five twins; based on their answers, it generates the next question. It keeps iterating until the objective is covered.
When to use. When you want to understand how a group of consumers thinks about a brand, product, or idea; and you want the nuance of back-and-forth discussion rather than a single survey answer.
Investigative interviews
Section titled “Investigative interviews”What it is. A one-on-one session between the researcher and a single AI twin. The platform asks a probe question and then investigates, digging in 5–7 times with follow-up questions until it has fully explored the response.
When to use. When you need depth over breadth. Investigative interviews surface the layers beneath the first answer: the reasoning, the contradictions, the underlying belief. Use them when a focus group gives you a direction but you need to understand why that direction exists.
Small panel interview
Section titled “Small panel interview”What it is. A quick 2–5 twin session that delivers fast answers without the full structure of a focus group.
When to use. When you need a quick read from a small group and don’t want the overhead of a formal focus group setup. Good for rapid gut-checks or early-stage exploration.
Creative and content feedback
Section titled “Creative and content feedback”What it is. Upload an image or ad copy (written text for an advertisement, the copywriting) and get reactions from AI twins. Also called creative tweaking or the creative assessor.
When to use. When you have creative assets in development and need consumer reaction before committing to production or spend. Twins will tell you what they like, what they don’t, and what’s missing, from the consumer’s point of view.
Real example. Muthoot Finance (the gold loan brand) uploaded an ad image. The twin responded that the interest rate was missing from the ad, which the client couldn’t provide since rates are assessed dynamically at the point of application. The client initially called this wrong. It wasn’t: the twin was telling them exactly what a consumer would want to see and wasn’t seeing. That gap became an opportunity to redesign the CTA around a QR code that captures leads and delivers a personalized rate, creating urgency at the point of contact.
Creative feedback is telling you what the consumer experiences, not what the client knows.
Innovation research: brainstorming
Section titled “Innovation research: brainstorming”What it is. Feed twin output into structured brainstorming methods. The platform supports Six Thinking Hats and Round Robin, established corporate brainstorming frameworks that professionals already know.
When to use. After a creative testing or focus group session produces output you want to develop further. Instead of taking the raw twin responses into a freeform internal discussion, run them through a structured method to get more disciplined ideation.
Consumer co-creation
Section titled “Consumer co-creation”What it is. A qualitative session in which you share a concept with consumers and brainstorm with them. You’re not asking them to evaluate a finished thing; you’re asking them to react and explore it with you. What do they like? What are the flip sides? What would make it better?
When to use. Early in concept development when the idea is still malleable. Co-creation is not validation; it’s collaborative exploration. Use it to find blind spots and sharpen the concept before you invest in refining it.
Strategic planning
Section titled “Strategic planning”What it is. Strategy-level questions asked of AI twins across the spectrum from market entry to brand repositioning. You ask a strategic question and the twin responds as a consumer with the relevant context.
When to use. When you need a consumer perspective on a strategic decision, not just a campaign-level question but a structural one. “Should we enter this market?” “How would this brand repositioning land with our core audience?”