Category: Qualitative Research

How we carry out Qualitative Research

We have the capability of carrying out qualitative research throughout Africa. We have a capable team who manages Focus Groups Discussions, in-depth Interviews, and Ethnographies aka Observations. We are open to customized qualitative research including workshops, mini-groups, and triads among other methodologies ad techniques. Our qualitative team will help recruit, moderate, transcribe and translate and write insightful reports for you.

Qualitative is mostly exploratory in nature.

Though very subjective, it is ideal to use qualitative research at this stage because:

• It provides a creative, interactive forum
• The interviews and sessions are free-ranging hence enabling respondents to explore their actions and decision-making process
• Respondents can therefore use the discussion format to identify their needs, motivation drivers, and expectations
• Qualitative also allow for the use of projective techniques, which enable respondents to loosen up as well as overcome problems related to verbalization

Sampling for the qualitative research phase

AfriQSense develops a sample of between 4 and 8 Focus group discussions distributed across different parts of a country. In qualitative research, we also carry out in-depth interviews among key stakeholders such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers.

Others who may be included in the qualitative research are industry experts and opinion makers as well as civil servants. For example, if the product in question is a new mobile phone application such as money transfer, it would be ideal to talk:

• Civil servants in the country’s Ministry of Communication. Such as regulatory authority’s employees. Additionally, interviews are carried out among revenue collectors, and other civil servants of interest.
• Furthermore, we will also have key informant interviews with telecommunication opinion formers such as journalists who write about telecommunication articles. Other opinion formers are university and college lecturers teaching in the telecommunication colleges and departments.
• Still using our example of telecommunication, other depth interviews are carried among the value chain players such as existing telecommunication products and service distributors, wholesalers, and retailers.

Consumers’ interviews are generally done through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). In this step, between 4 and 8 FGDs are distributed across the country, in both major urban centers and their adjacent rural areas.  The Focus Groups’ age groups are distributed as so are gender and social classes.

The respondents included in the FGDs are drawn from current users of any existing product that resembles the new proposed product, non-users, and rejecters of such products. We also ensure that the sample is drawn from subscribers of telecommunication players in the country.

Additionally, observation sessions can be added to the repertoire of the study.

Once all that is done, a screener, also known as a recruitment questionnaire is developed, which helps in the recruitment of the right respondents.  The discussion guides are developed and translated to the local language. Moderators are identified; the briefing of both the recruitment team and moderators is done and the data collection phase kicks off.

The data gathering process can be either face-to-face or through phone interviews. Additionally, technologies such as Zoom are used to allow the clients to view the proceeding, especially for FGDs. All depth interviews and FGDs are recorded; however, this is done with the respondent’s consent.