Manage the Overwhelming Chaos of Qualitative Research Data

Technological breakthroughs have allowed for easier and more efficient means of gathering data for market researchers. From online in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to market research online communities and mobile ethnography – it has certainly become more convenient to conduct market research anywhere in the world.

However, while barriers continue to be broken down in terms of gathering data, insights professionals are now often overwhelmed with organizing the vast amounts of data they get. Audio and video recordings are among the most powerful data you can obtain for your research, yet keeping and storing them while maintaining a seamless and efficient market research process persists as a challenge for most.

This is why it is essential to find audio and video management software that can help you structure and get the most out of your qualitative multimedia content. Qualitative researchers need a robust online platform to be well equipped in locating and analyzing key findings. With the right platform, you can showcase more impactful insights for your clients.

Features to Help You Make the Most Out of Your Qualitative Media

Tagging and Searching

Tagging and searching are basic necessities in organizing the bulk of media that you have for a project. You can be more efficient if you can quickly and easily tag project folders, media recordings, or any clips you created using specific keywords. With this, you no longer have to waste time sifting through tons of files just to find what you need.

Time Markers

You should also be able to use time markers to bookmark and easily identify notable moments in audio and video recordings. With time markers, you can skip through frames in a video recording and bookmark reference points that you want to review for analysis and reporting. 

Clipping

If you can directly trim and extract a clip from a particular video recording using the platform’s clipping tool, you no longer need to download a separate application to edit your files.  Your clipping can be based on the timestamps you and your collaborators generate, or by using time-coded transcripts built into your software tool as a reference.

Storyboarding

 Analysis and reporting will be so much easier if you can use the same platform to stitch your stored video clips together in one sequence. It will be more efficient if you have the capability to insert audio and visual transitions between your video files and play your storyboard directly from the platform. This feature will allow you to better organize and link clips as necessary for your study. You should also look for a platform that allows you to export and convert your storyboard to an MP4 file. MP4 offers more compatibility compared to other file formats because it works well with most devices and is widely accepted by various media players, research tools, editing software and can be easily used all over the web.                                               

Transcription

Transcriptions of the audio or video recordings of your study can help you fully grasp the content of your interviews. Reviewing one interview recording might not be a hassle, but it becomes a challenge when you are dealing with 10 or more. Look for a platform that offers you the option of obtaining human transcripts – seasoned human transcriptionists are going to deliver a much higher degree of accuracy than machine transcripts and will give you close to perfect transcriptions. Human transcripts are most often the preference of market researchers, who are dependent on accuracy to develop insights. But you can opt for a platform that also offers machine-generated transcripts – this is helpful if you are the type of researcher that is comfortable editing content yourself.  

Secured platform

Security is simply non-negotiable, especially for an online market research platform. It’s not worth putting your market research study at risk. The platform should ensure that all stored files are encrypted and advanced authentication methods are being used. Apart from being fully GDPR and HIPAA compliant, they should also communicate that they have a dedicated Information Security team that oversees the effective implementation of security protocols to safeguard your project data and the confidentiality of everyone involved in the study.

Essentially, look for a video curation tool that offers all the features to break down a smorgasbord of qualitative content into manageable bite-sized pieces for your reports. Cure the chaos of disorganized qualitative audio and video recordings to make your insights richer and more dynamic.