For many years Focus Groups, face to face or online in-depth interviews, and questionnaires represented the go to qualitative research methodologies. While the benefits of the mainstream research approaches are great and can be carefully measured and communicated, the ‘new normal’ has highlighted the shortcomings of relying solely on these methodologies. 

Social distancing had made focus groups unviable and highlighted the challenges of replicating this methodology online. 

Disadvantages of In-depth Interviews for Qualitative Research

• Video calls dropping off and difficulties navigating the technology

• Attendees only being able to speak one at a time

• Groupthink issues harder to manage

• The need to transcribe audio 

As a result, online focus groups are proving to be a poor substitute for in-person research.

Benefits of remote Diary Studies compared to in-depth interviews

During the first few months of the pandemic Mobile Diary Studies has grown in popularity as a viable alternative to in-person research. Asynchronous Mobile Diary Studies are fast becoming a key online qualitative research methodology replacing online focus groups and interviews. The primary reasons include: 

1. Geographic constraints are eliminated

The study can be conducted anywhere at any time allowing for multi-country research as well as more complex research. Regardless of where the respondents are based, as long as they have access to the internet via Wi-Fi or Mobile Data they can save and upload responses from their smartphone app. Given the challenges of traveling at present, being able to conduct research remotely represents a valuable benefit of this approach.

Additionally, the moderators can observe real-life, in-the-moment and in-context content uploaded, analyze, and share it in almost real-time with the client.

2. Extended fieldwork duration facilitates better probing

The asynchronous aspect of the mobile diary study enables the moderators to study and understand the responses before probing, allowing for more thought out and insightful questions. The responses gathered can be studied in more detail and can help to navigate the trajectory of the study. The respondents also get to enjoy more time to complete their tasks leading to more data and more insightful feedback. 

3. Reduction of group bias and reliance on claimed behaviours

A group dynamic can often influence individual responses. A Mobile Diary study allows for a private and more intimate communication ensuring more honest, and individual feedback. 

The pre-task approach also helps to reduce post rationalization as it does not rely on respondents' memories thus ensuring the feedback is more honest and contextual. It also lends itself well to undertaking more sensitive qualitative research including topics related to healthcare, and financial health 

4. Agile approach for sensitive market research topics  

A Mobile Diary Study allows participants to capture their in context, real-life experience through photo, video, and screen recording. The large variety of mediums enables the respondents to share their online and offline experiences whenever and wherever they are allowing for a richer, well-rounded insight. Particularly in healthcare or sensitive research where respondents might want to keep their feedback and experiences private, a Mobile Diary Study provides a safe platform for participants to share their real life experiences. 

5. Easier to generate richer insights based on actual, observed behavior

Unlike a video call, respondents have more time and more opportunities to ‘participate’ in the project. The response time is not limited to a short video call window allowing respondents to share more information and respond to prompts at leisure, helping to gather much more data than through traditional research. Observed behavior also ensures that some of the challenges associated with respondent recall or signaling are overcome e.g. where respondents seek to portray themselves more positively in a group setting.

6. Availability of Diary Study applications designed specifically for Research

One of the challenges of using applications like Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams to conduct research is that these are broad communication tools. They were not designed with qualitative research in mind, and as a result, the feature set is pretty limited. Users thus need to hack together different systems to replicate a real-life setting e.g. transcription, whereas purpose-built mobile ethnography applications like Indeemo are built with online qualitative research specifically in mind.

Top Tips for running a Mobile Diary Study 

Transitioning your research online doesn’t however mean only moving your methodology to mobile. Remote Mobile Diary Studies have their own nuances and while simple to set up and navigate, even the most experienced researchers need to invest their time to get familiar with this agile approach. Unlike a face to face or video interview, in a Mobile Diary Study, the participants are completely remote and removed from the research environment. While helping to reduce bias and encouraging more honest responses, the distance can cause respondents to lose interest or motivation for the study. 

1/ To ensure your Mobile Diary Study project is successful, ensure your tasks are designed in a fun and engaging way to increase participation. (Schedule a call with one of our strategists and we’ll help you plan your project ) Using prompts can also aid in building a better relationship with the respondents thus encouraging participation and allowing for a richer data pool. 

2/ Ensure your incentive reflects the amount of time and effort required to complete the study. If you set your incentive too low participants might drop off during the course of the study leaving you with very little feedback. 

3/ Lastly, make sure your audience sample is familiar and comfortable using smartphones and digital tools. Older participants may struggle with features they haven’t used before so ensure to allocate time at the beginning of your study to train and guide your participants. Again applications like Indeemo have been road-tested across all demographics and the clear UI/UX ensures respondents of all ages can easily use the app. 

What is a Diary Study?

Indeemo Founder & CEO Eugene Murphy describes a Diary Study and the different context this qualitative research methodology can be applied.

Read: Tips for Planning a Remote, Mobile Diary Study

Talk to us about your next research diary study

Leveraging mobile and digital research tools is becoming crucial for all businesses. With all our activities becoming more and more fragmented, a mobile diary study is one of the only tools that allow researchers to gather rich, contextual, and in-the-moment insights.

The ability to share notes, photos, videos, and screen recordings allow for a well-rounded insight which far exceeds the depth and breadth of data mainstream methods could ever collect. The asynchronous nature of the studies also transforms the dynamic of the research allowing you to explore responses in more depth. 

While not replacing traditional methods, Diary Studies certainly offer a new exciting approach.

Learn how asynchronous remote mobile diary studies can support your next sensitive research project - contact our experienced team of strategists today. 

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