Summary
Overcoming stakeholder objections and positioning qualitative data as an input to business and product strategy. When stakeholders have access to real-time data about millions of user interactions, how can qualitative researchers articulate the value of small-sample studies for product and business strategy? In this case study, we’ll show how we used our insights chops to understand stakeholder motivations and concerns, and get qualitative research a seat at the table shaping Google Assistant’s 2020 strategy. We’ll share learnings about how human-centered researchers can effectively collaborate with functions like data science and business strategy, and how to persuade analytically-minded stakeholders to embrace rich qualitative data about people’s needs and motivations as an input to business strategy.
Key Insights
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Taking calculated risks is essential to gain a seat at the strategic table for qualitative research.
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Digital diary studies can create accessible, longitudinal qualitative data that engage stakeholders directly.
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Identifying and empowering curious partners within cross-functional teams can amplify qualitative insights organically.
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Physicalizing data—like printing quotes and charts—helps teams internalize and collaborate on insights.
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Small, low-stakes experiments to expose collaborators to qualitative data incrementally builds trust and ownership.
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Combining qualitative insights with quantitative data creates a richer understanding of user needs and product-market fit.
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Researchers’ empathy skills are powerful tools for understanding and shifting the motivations and fears of stakeholders.
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Embedding qualitative research as a strategic asset requires tailoring approaches to stakeholder context and motivations.
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Having an evangelist ‘from the tribe’—such as a converted analyst—enhances credibility and organizational acceptance.
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Qualitative methods are not about sample size alone but about providing perspectives no other data can offer.
Notable Quotes
"If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
"We decided to jump off the wall — it was scary but the opportunity was too big to pass up."
"The higher up you go, the more qualities like bravery matter compared to methodology."
"One analyst became our research associate by diving deep into the diary videos and organizing the data."
"The most important thing is producing something that gives a perspective nobody else in the organization can bring."
"It’s not about the specific tool, but about how you expose people to the insights in a way that excites them."
"Find the curious partners who will do some of the evangelizing for you to their peers."
"Surveys and logs tell us what users do, but qualitative tells us why."
"You need to understand stakeholders’ fears, motivations, and incentives to change hearts and minds."
"Small experiments that fit into existing structures make it easier to involve collaborators and reduce resistance."
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