“Reeling it up” : Enabling Qualitative researchers socialize their work better, one report at a time

In the world of Qualitative Research, capturing and communicating the essence of participant experiences can get extremely challenging. Raw insights hidden within lengthy interviews or extensive focus group discussions can get lost, diluted or misunderstood in translation.

Despite best efforts, there’s always the risk of an insightful comment by a participant, going entirely unnoticed by clients. This is precisely where Reel-making steps in, transforming qualitative insights into compelling, accessible, shareable narratives.

The Struggle with traditional reporting

Traditionally, qualitative researchers have spent countless hours manually transcribing, coding and crafting extensive written reports. But even the most meticulous textual analysis may fail to convey emotional nuances, tones and authentic participant voices crucial for conveying impactful insights. Often have we heard seasoned qualitative researchers say that after weeks of analysis, their lengthy report filled with textual quotes has left clients struggling to identify key findings.

Reel-making: Bringing research to life, here and now

Reel-making of online Qualitative data that researchers collect, allows them to effortlessly select powerful video clips from recorded sessions and seamlessly stitch them into concise, impactful highlight reels. In fact, tools like flowres.io enable researchers to create these reels in real time, while the fieldwork is under progress. These short videos vividly showcase participants' authentic expressions, emotions and body language; making insights immediately relatable, actionable and shareable to a wider audience within the client organization.

Let’s hear some real-life impact stories, first-hand from seasoned Qualitative Research practitioners

Case Study 1: Winning executive buy-in

A market researcher at a major food brand utilized reel-making to highlight consumer reactions to a product being tested. The brief yet emotionally powerful reel captured executives' attention instantly, resulting in accelerated decision-making and swift product development approvals.

Case Study 2: Empowering empathy & action

An NGO conducting qualitative studies to advocate for community health initiatives created compelling reels from participant interviews. These reels significantly enhanced stakeholder empathy, driving rapid approval and increased funding for essential projects.

Case Study 3: Clarifying customer-journey pain points

A consumer insights agency employed reel-making to illustrate customer obstacles during their journey of using an e-commerce platform. Through carefully curated reels showing customer confusion and frustration at critical interaction points, the agency effectively highlighted usability issues. This visual clarity led directly to actionable UX improvements, resulting in higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction.

Case Study 4: Enhancing product design with visual evidence

A consumer insights agency working with a tech startup utilized reel-making to showcase user experiences interacting with a new mobile app in beta-testing mode. By visually documenting real-time frustrations and confusion during usability testing, the reels brought forth previously overlooked pain points to the Design team. As a result, the startup swiftly implemented user-centric adjustments, significantly improving adoption rates and user satisfaction upon launch.

What to consider when reeling it up?

Here are some quick tips to consider, when adopting reel-making as a standard practice:

• Selecting Clips: Identify key moments that showcase compelling emotions, statements; be it positive or negative. Do remember – sometimes Silence is also a reaction – it can convey a range of emotions such as disinterest, disagreement, shock, disapproval, surprise, hesitation.
• Storyboarding: Once your narrative is ready, arrange selected clips to tell a coherent, compelling story. At this stage, you might even realise that you need more reels, to highlight certain aspects of your narrative.
• Sharing Reels: Particularly during fieldwork, consider circulating ‘live’ reels to internal teams, client stakeholders, moderators through embedded links or downloadable content. This helps update, educate and engage all stakeholders.

Why integrate Reel-making into your analysis and reporting workflow?

There are several pay-offs to actively using reels in analysis and delivery of Qualitative Research findings:   

•     Emotional Resonance: Reels vividly capture the participant's voice and emotional depth.
•     Enhanced Engagement: Short, focused reels ensure stakeholder attention and retention.
•     Accelerated Insights to Action: Visual storytelling makes insights immediately understandable and actionable.

No, reels aren’t a new reporting tool. Instead, Reel-making enables a profound shift in how qualitative researchers present their work, ensuring insights resonate deeply and drive tangible outcomes. In a world starved for authentic, engaging storytelling, Reel-making is becoming an essential tool in the qualitative researcher’s toolbox; to truly influence decisions and inspire change.