Research Tips

Sequencing Qualitative and Quantitative Research

We view qualitative and quantitative techniques as complementary techniques, and many projects incorporate both. In such multi-method projects, the qualitative phase normally precedes the quantitative, as the qualitative research is typically exploratory and is intended to help ensure that all relevant issues are included in the quantitative research to follow.

In some cases, however, it’s better to reverse the order and do quantitative research prior to qualitative. One example of this is in segmentation studies, where it usually works best to first segment based on quantitative data and then use qualitative techniques to better understand the unique attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors of each segment.