Comparing the Use of Qualitative and Quantitative User Research in Singapore

Before you launch your marketing campaign or conduct A/B tests on your website, you must carry out as much research as possible. This is crucial if you want to make better marketing decisions that result in higher profits.

There are two distinct types of research you have to consider: qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore. They work in tandem and they will both give you a better view of the bigger picture of what your target audience needs.

Difference between Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Qualitative research depends on the collection and observation of non-commercial consumer insights such as what motivates them and their opinions. Quantitative research, on the other hand, is designed to gather data in measurable and numerical forms.

The most common source of qualitative research data is a tool such as open-ended customer surveys. You will be able to learn about the common pain points and the product or service features that lead to a higher conversion rate. You will understand the customers’ desires and frustrations with your products and services.

Web analytics tools such as Google Analytics will give your data for your quantitative research. You will be able to see the raw data of the number of visitors who visited your website, as well as the percentage of visitors who converted and other metrics necessary for measuring the impact of your website design in Singapore.

However, not every source of research data falls into the qualitative or quantitative categories. For example, you could send out a survey to your customers that seeks answers to a quantitative question such as how likely they are to recommend your product or service on a 0 to 10 scale. It could also have a qualitative question such as the reason for giving the score.

Ideally, you should use both qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore. This is for the sole reason that quantitative data answers the ‘what’ but not the ‘why.’ Moreover, without qualitative research, you are bound to create narrative fallacies that explain the ‘why,’ but there is no data to back it up.  

You will be improving your website based on narrative fallacies that will undermine the domain authority of your website.

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Why Qualitative and Quantitative User Research in Singapore Is Important?

Research is the backbone of all decisions carried out on your Singapore website; this includes the UX choices offered to users and more.

Here are three major use cases for your consideration:

• Conversion Rate Optimisation

Optimising your website for higher conversion rates might seem like an easy undertaking. It takes much more than tweaking the wording and colour of your CTA buttons to get better sales. However, CRO takes more than making random changes to your website.

It takes both qualitative and quantitative user research to understand what makes your visitors hesitate and what they think about your overall experience. With answers to these pertinent issues, you will have a better idea of the elements you will test and in what order.

• Website Redesign

Redesigning a website is a risky undertaking and more often than not, the redesign process is made by the highest-ranking decision-maker. You might have spent months or years making small changes to your design, but they could be rendered useless by a huge website redesign.

The small changes are known as iterative redesigns, while the big changes are known as radical redesign. An iterative redesign is less likely to require a huge capital injection. However, there are situations where you will need to undertake a major redesign such as:

• • You are looking to make a shift in your product or service offering
  • You have hit the local maxima for your website, which is the point where you have exhausted all the iterative options
  • You do not have enough website users to get the data required to run A/B tests

For both redesign cases, research ought to be at the centre, and it is the best way to protect your site when you are embarking on a radical redesign process. The data from your qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore will help you justify the copy and design choices that will make your website users happy.

• Other Website Elements

Exceptional user research does more than guide website redesign or organises tests. Qualitative and quantitative user research will help you understand:

• • Which product or service features you should highlight
  • Blog topics to write about
  • How to segment your email subscribers
  • Which ad copy is likely to earn more clicks on Google Ads

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However, collecting the necessary data is considered a quagmire by a majority of digital marketers in Singapore.

Here are 4 methods that you can use for qualitative research:

• Website Technical Analysis

If you are an expert in digital marketing in Singapore, you must be familiar with how to do a technical analysis of a site. Most of the data you will need can be found on Google Analytics. The goal of doing a technical analysis is to identify the underlying website issues affecting the site’s user experience.

The chances are that you will identify slow-loading product pages due to heavy images, videos, and animations. You could also see that Android mobile users have a higher bounce rate than those using Apple devices. 

Each component of the technical analysis will return data and numbers for the various elements of your site such as browsers with below-average conversion rates, pages that are taking too long to load, as well as devices that have a high bounce rate.

• Digital Analytics

Digital analytics is another method you can use for qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore. Much like technical analytics, it happens on Google Analytics and there are two goals to consider:

• • Identifying the most important sections of your website
  • Ignoring the metrics that do not matter

However, you need to ensure that your tracking is properly set up. For instance, do you have the tracking code on every page, or are you using multiple tracking pages? Also, is goal tracking recording the conversions correctly? This will ensure that you do not waste time tracking bad and irrelevant data.

Digital analytics should give insight into what users do on your site. You will also be in a position to piece together how elements compare and what you will get them to do to optimise website design in Singapore.

• Mouse Tracking

Mouse tracking traces the visitor movements on your website. In a majority of the cases, interactions and movements are used to create a heat map, and the colour is used to show results.

• • The red parts on your heat map indicate that there is much activity in the section of your website
  • The blue sections indicate the areas ignored by the mouse

With that said, there are numerous heat map reports that you can use such as:

• • Scroll maps, which uses scroll tracking to record how far down the user got on the page
  • Click maps, which highlights the site’s hotspots based on clicks
  • Hover or move maps, which indicate where the user moved their mouse on your website
  • Session replays, which shows the different ways that users interacted with the different pages on your website

You will learn two basic things from this analysis:

• • How to identify the elements that visitors think are links but cannot be clicked
  • How far down the site users get

• User Testing

User testing allows people to give feedback about your website. This will, in turn, allow you to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Typically, you give the users a task and record the narrations and screen movements as they complete the task.

There are three types of tasks to consider; broad, specific, and funnel completion. The qualitative feedback from these tasks is usually the amount of time it takes the users to complete them.

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Methods of Qualitative User Research

Compared to quantitative research, qualitative research is messier and more expensive. However, it is one of the crucial ways that you can learn how your customers think, and the keywords they use while searching for a solution.

There are three primary methods of qualitative user research you should use:

• Heuristic Analysis

Heuristic analysis is an experience-based assessment of your website that is run by an expert and is based on an evaluation of your framework. The results you get are not absolute and you should view them as pieces of a puzzle.

• Surveys

Surveys are a big deal and a huge topic. However, here are a few pointers if you are looking to conduct qualitative user research. First off, you can either use on-page or exit surveys.

On-page surveys target a subset of your users and they are best used for gathering smaller amounts of qualitative research. If you need more information, you can survey via email, phone, or hire a research firm to push the survey to your audiences.

 Exit surveys, on the other hand, prompt users to finish a survey before they leave your site. Follow these guidelines to carry out successful qualitative surveys:

• • Ask open-ended questions
  • Avoid leading questions
  • Code your answers appropriately

• User Testing For Qualitative Feedback

This is a two-fold method that includes:

• • Listening to users narrate their experience
  • Giving user testing subjects a post-task survey

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The Ultimate Guide to Conducting a Successful Qualitative Research

Customer motivation is a tricky thing to nail down. We may think what we do looks or sounds right for our company and website, which might not be the case. Customers have their motivations, which could (and most likely will) be completely off from how things work in your business environment.

According to Elizabeth Wellington, customers give information that reveals their thoughts rather than their actual behaviours. It’s important because it tells you what they are thinking before deciding, not just doing something because of habit or coincidence.

When thinking about the conversion process, many people will picture a funnel with tiers that lead towards your goal (i.e., converting visitors into customers). While this is partly true, it’s also important to note how customer behaviour can change at any time, which throws off an accurate estimate of when you’ll make progress on conversions based solely on their actions alone.

Qualitative research is an important way of understanding what motivates and engages with customers. The process can be conducted in many ways, depending on the desired outcome you are looking for.

When Is Qualitative Research Ideal?

That said, what are the ideal of good qualitative research?

• There is inadequate insight on a current matter
• You want to gain a better understanding of a complex issue
• Collecting data about your audience’s past experiences
• Constructing theories from data
• Gaining a greater perspective about a phenomenon

When it comes to surveys and polls, you cannot always trust the findings. The results can be inaccurate depending on how you ask your questions. The way you ask them affects the information gathered from respondents and its validity.

The best way would probably vary based on each situation. While some might require more specific answers, others may not need any bias. However, one thing remains true across every survey. Don’t give away your expectations or imply particular answers when asking the questions.

You might think you know what your participants are thinking, but the truth is often different. The answers the participants give are different from what their subconscious actions reflect. Many studies show how faulty it can be to rely solely upon qualitative data proofs.

Sometimes people say what pops into their minds or whatever sounds most pleasant. They don’t take a minute to actually consider all factors before them, which would lead one closer towards discovering the actual motivation for choices made. 

When conducting qualitative research, it is vital to consider the possibility that your participants may be lying.

It happens often enough to necessitate the urge to think about the situation and how to remediate it. Sometimes they won’t even remember the answers they give. For instance, you’re more likely to get a positive response if you ask someone if they’ll buy your products or services or subscribe to your service in the future. However, this is not the case on many occasions.

All these speak volumes on how poorly the qualitative research design is formulated. The researchers don’t think adequately about how they should ask the questions. They ask questions in a manner that forces certain kinds of answers. This leads to reduced validity of the entire process.

Why Do Research Participants Lie in Their Responses?

• Participants want to protect how people perceive them. This is primarily on matters to do with financials and demographic details.
• They want to maintain their social standings. People are likely to lie about things they feel are socially unacceptable to preserve their reputation.
• They are sensitive beings: Nobody wants to put their business out there, especially if there is fear of judgment.
• They want to be helpful in the survey. They are likely to give the answer the researcher wants to hear.
• They possess human vices such as greed. They will frame the answers in a way that feels beneficial to them.

Even with all these downsides, qualitative research is still quite valuable. It only depends on how you use this type of information and the method of collection and analysis used. Before embarking on the details, let’s start with the basics.

 What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is the world’s most versatile form of information gathering. It requires much organization and categorization to derive desired results.

Qualitative research is indeed a complicated process. The wrong question can lead to flawed findings. It, therefore, requires much organization before even beginning to collect the qualitative information. For this type of study to be most effective in gaining insights from all participants’ perspectives on an issue or topic, well-thought-out questions are essential.

That said, what are the qualities of a good qualitative research question?

• It seeks to explore new grounds
• It is impartial and won’t give hints on the expected findings
• Focuses on specific issues rather than trying to cover broad topics

Tips for Conducting a Meaningful Qualitative Research

• Establish Your Goals

Orienting yourself with the goal of your research is imperative. This will help you ask the right questions and find a method to achieve them. The more familiar and knowledgeable we are with our process ahead of time means less stress during implementation and the higher the chances of being happy with the results you have at the end of the process.

Determining the participants of your survey is an integral part of your goals. Do not deal with a massive population to gain more intel on your website. Instead, segment the audience based on the questions you plan on asking. This will allow for more engaging content and better results.

• Think of the Possible Results 

You can expect several outcomes from qualitative research. This all depends on the type of qualitative research you are conducting. You can expect anything from recurrent themes and hypotheses, survey instruments, measures, taxonomies, and conceptual models. 

When conducting qualitative research, it is always crucial to remember that it is never about the number of responses you get, rather than the value. The primary goal is to gain insight into the social and psychological aspects of people’s lives. When sharing the outcomes, your focus should be on understanding the lives people lead, their key responsibilities, and what they do to achieve their goals. This means that you have to have good data interpretation skills and remain impartial.

One way to achieve this is by expecting multiple answers. It is up to you to analyse all this output and pick out the most important one. When interpreting all the information, do not dwell on the quantitative aspect. You might not always find the correct outcomes, but always make sure that your deliverables are coherent and valuable. Quantitative data will only be meaningful if it can back up your qualitative results.

• Pay Attention to the Context To Enhance Understanding of the Responses

It is always good to remember that most qualitative data is relative. It depends on the point of view of the respondent. Thus, understand the context before trying to analyse the data.

Context can include the following;

• • Traffic source. Different things will trigger different people to visit your site. Try to understand where the people are coming from and what led them to your site. It is the only way to know why they choose to answer the questions the way they do.

• • Bias. Quantitative data is the clear winner when it comes to being unbiased. Numbers don’t lie, and there’s no way around them. However, qualitative information has its flaws. Seeking to learn about the human bias on your target will help you understand the context better.

• • Subjectivity. The goal of any analysis should always be to get from subjectivity towards objectivity and data-driven changes. But when it comes down to qualitative data, you have several options for providing that extra bit of assurance before moving forward with an idea or decision. Analytics will give some sense as well. Other equal measures can also help reduce risk by challenging assumptions built around them during data analysis. 

• • Get Rid of Researcher Bias. It is good to acknowledge that everybody is biased, including the researcher. While this is normal, it can blur your sight on some matters and even hinder you from asking the right questions. Having a checklist can be an excellent way to prevent such incidences. 

Try and understand how the participants will perceive you and how that can play a role in the answers they give. Next is to view yourself as the researcher and know what will influence how you analyze the data. As a researcher, there are two key terminologies you should know about; ontology and epistemology. Ontology is the nature of research compared to reality.

On the other hand, Epistemology refers to the possibilities of knowing and means of generating meaningful knowledge. Understanding these two terms helps you realize that bias exists in all aspects of life. Knowing what will help combat this harmful effect could give you a better chance to ensure your findings aren’t polluted with errors due to personal preferences or beliefs.

• • Lookout for Subjectivity. Researchers must be mindful of their own biases and assumptions when conducting research. This is why reflexivity should become second nature for all researchers, as it allows them to consider the context under which the findings were produced and their role in this knowledge gap.

  • Understand Your Target Audience. The Who aspect of the research is very significant for its success. Unlike quantitative research that randomly samples a large group, qualitative research requires you to select smaller samples for more accuracy of the results.

While there are many ways of sampling data, probability and purposeful sampling seem to have more relevance in this article. Probability sampling is standard in quantitative methods of data collecting. Purposeful sampling is common in research that requires adequate details and can generate information-rich results. It is the most ideal in qualitative data collection. 

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Utilise the Correct Qualitative Research Method

There are many ways to go about qualitative research. Each method is unique and suits different tasks. These methods can be face-to-face interviews, phone calls, focus groups, and observation. Let’s get into details on each; 

• Interviews

Interviews can either be face-to-face or via phone. Face-to-face interviews provide more accurate results as you can see the expressions of the participants as they answer the questions. However, this method is not common in the modern world due to technological advancements. Interviews are ideal for gathering information about individual experiences when you want in-depth information on a topic and sensitive issues. 

• Focus groups

Focus groups refer to a small group of people engaging in a discussion guided by a professional consultant. These groups aim to gather information on the views and behaviours of customers towards a product or service. 

• Observation

Observation is more facial and body language-oriented. It is perfect for exploring sensitive issues when interviews seem impossible to apply. Observation can offer more accurate results. While it is difficult to lie about how you feel about a particular matter, your body language can provide the truth needed in that subject. 

• Ask the Right Questions

Questions you ask during qualitative research vary depending on your goals and your chosen format. Expecting bias and having a clear plan before beginning your research will ensure you have clear answers. Curating sound and relevant questions require a well-thought approach.

The following tips can be helpful when asking questions; 

• • Ensure they are neutral

• • Be as concise as possible

• • Be clear on the topic to give them a clear context

• • Determine your sample and goals

• Conduct Comprehensive Data Analysis

There’s a lot of data available in the digital world, but a lot of it doesn’t get used. There’s so much effort to create research, yet marketers never pay close attention to what the results are saying. Qualitative analysts’ key is to make sure they have enough good quality input before beginning their analysis. What’s even more important than having enough samples or observations is paying attention and ensuring your findings match up with what was lurking within those numbers.

Data analysis can take different forms, including;

• • Thematic analysis: The analyst determines the themes around a related research question.
  • Grounded theory: This seeks to develop constructive theories from the data collected.
  • Interpretative phenomenological analysis: This analysis seeks to understand better how different experiences impact people’s lives.
  • Narrative analysis: This analysis explains how people interpret different life experiences and stories that revolve around them.

Will Qualitative Research Be Benefited For My Marketing Efforts?

Qualitative research is a great way to get more insight into your marketing activities. It can help create better customer personas and give you an understanding of how they feel about certain aspects of their lives that are related to your business.

When done right, it can generate the best results for any marketer trying to boost sales conversion rates or improve customer service. If you’re looking to conduct qualitative research, make sure you have the right tools and approach it with an open mind.

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Conclusions

Qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore requires that you cultivate a culture of research in your organisation. You will need to build an internal team of advocates, create an outline of the research process, make user research visible in your organisation, make prototype changes, and build a proof of concept.

However, this is easier said than done, especially if you are not competent in the various methods used for undertaking the research. For this reason, you should hire an expert in Singapore.

Contact us for professional qualitative and quantitative user research in Singapore and digital marketing in Singapore. Our support team is on hand to give you a free and non-obligatory quote of our website design services and to answer your questions 24/7.