Qualitative Research
Research that tells you why, usually by watching or talking to people.
Definition
Research producing non-numeric data about behaviour, reasoning and context, typically through observation or conversation.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
On this plate
In plain language
Research that tells you why, usually by watching or talking to people.
Example
Eight interviews revealing that users maintain a spreadsheet because they do not trust the product's numbers.
Commonly confused with
Close neighbours that get substituted for each other. The difference is stated first, then the condition that picks one over the other.
Quantitative Research
TermNumerical evidence about frequency, size and difference.
Key difference
Qualitative research explains why, from a small number of people observed closely. Quantitative research measures how many or how much, from a sample large enough to generalise. Neither answers the other's question.
Use Qualitative Research when
- You need the cause behind a pattern.
- The sample is small and depth matters more than count.
- The output is themes and quotes, not percentages.
Use Quantitative Research when
- You need to know how widespread something is.
- The claim has to hold beyond the people you spoke to.
- The output is a rate, a time or a comparison.
Local chart
TERM·019 · Region X · Grid D5
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Deeper reading
The full entry behind this definition.
- Usability TestingRES·001 · Research method
- User InterviewsRES·003 · Research method