Online qualitative research involves more moving parts than Moderation. Various stakeholders involved (moderator, client, translator, observer, researcher, ops) may all need different levels of access to an online group. Participants need to sign in at the right time, in the right room. Project teams have to ensure all stakeholders have the right access links, conduct technical checks and anticipate last-minute issues; often while also making sure the moderator collects rich data.

For a UK-based research agency, managing this operational layer had become a significant part of running online qualitative projects. After using flowres.io on a client project, the team found that a simpler setup and role-based access removed much of the friction that their team otherwise faced. 

Business context and challenges

The agency had previously used different online qualitative platforms, depending on which platform each client wanted to use. This meant that the agency’s teams need to be comfortable working across multiple platforms / workflows.

Moreover, each platform came with a litany of administration-related issues that arose from time to time. The agency team could be required to undertake various manual tasks eg. enter names, email addresses and other participant information, set up individual users, run technical checks and manage stakeholder access. 

Setting up a project on these platforms added yet another layer of project management, on top of the actual research. Our client explained that with other platforms, she could sometimes spend more time managing the platform than doing the work she actually needed to do, day-to-day.

Access was another source of friction. Clients could struggle with registration and login processes. There were also risks around people entering the wrong part of a call (since all stakeholders used the same access link). The agency also needed a practical way to manage different stakeholders. Moderators were often contractors rather than permanent members of the agency, while translators and clients would require different level of access.

Taken one at a time, these issues may seem small. However, across multiple online qualitative projects, they added up to a lot of operational work.

The solution: A simpler way of running online qual

The agency used flowres.io to manage the online fieldwork for a client project. The first step was getting the moderators comfortable with the platform. The team tested the setup with different moderators before the project. This was particularly useful because not every moderator was equally comfortable with technology.

Another feature the team found particularly useful was the ability to give different people their own links. Instead of having everyone enter through the same route and potentially end up in the wrong section of the call; participants, moderators, translators and other stakeholders could access the appropriate part of the project. This also reduced the need for users to create accounts and work through lengthy login processes.

flowres.io also gave the client a way to communicate privately with the moderator while the respondent conversation continued. For the agency, this was an important part of the client experience. Clients could ask questions or share observations without interrupting the moderator or disrupting the respondent.

The agency highlighted support as another important part of the experience. The team had been able to test the platform before the project and get help when needed. During the project, issues could be resolved quickly rather than becoming support-tickets or unsolved ‘technical glitches’. This mattered because online qualitative projects do not always run to a perfectly predictable schedule. Last-minute changes, cancellations or access issues can create additional work when there is no one available to help.

Outcomes and impact

The biggest outcome for the agency was a reduction in operational friction. And having the option of offering their own tool to clients, rather than learning multiple client-mandated tools. With flowres.io, the project team could set up the platform, generate the required links and get on with the project without the same level of ongoing administration. As our client lead puts it: “With flowres.io it was just… you know… I just set it up, it was done and then I just sent the links as I needed to do it… and that was it!”

The client also benefited from a smoother research experience. They could communicate with the moderator without interrupting the respondent discussion, while the moderator and translator were able to access what they needed without issues.

The agency described flowres.io as more user friendly and cost effective, and said it would be happy to promote it as a preferred option when it had the choice of platform. For the team, the value was therefore not another piece of technology to manage. It was the opposite: fewer things to manage.