Top 3 Video Conferencing Platforms for Online Qualitative Research
Aug 18, 2022, Sukanya PantIn the world of market research, qualitative research plays a major role in ascertaining and understanding user experience. Qualitative research involves the collection and analysing of non-numerical data, which includes attitudes, experiences, and ideas. Qualitative research can be in the form of text, audio or video.
Qualitative research uses various approaches to gather data. Observation, interviews, focus groups, surveys and secondary research all make up methods of qualitative analysis. As can be easily understood, these ways can be intensive in nature and take up a lot of time and energy.
With the advent of video conferencing platforms to accommodate the world of working from home, many different fields have also taken advantage of such platforms to fit their requirements. Since world wide affairs have shifted to an online mode, online qualitative research has also seen a rise.
Advantages of online qualitative research
Convenience
Collecting data online makes it much more convenient for both the researcher and the participants, as they can sit in the comfort of their surroundings and not have to travel long distances. Using video conference platforms allows users to choose the time they are comfortable with.
Time saving
Most video conference platforms allow breakout rooms which lows different sets of people to connect and conduct interviews, focus groups etc. This proves to save time since people aren't required to wait their turn and interactions can take place simultaneously.
Less effort
Many platforms for online qualitative research offer different features for collection and recording data. Interactive transcripts, interpretation, translation are services which help save the amount of effort required by delegating the work to other platforms.
Disadvantages of online qualitative research
Security issues
Many people have reservations about using online conversation platforms due to security issues and concerns. Data leaks, confidentiality issues etc are some problems that participants may be worried about and thus not fully commit to online research methods.
Technical difficulties
One of the most prominent issues with using inline services is accessibility regarding network connection. Technical difficulties include audio-visual problems, lagging, or low connectivity.
Video conferencing platforms for online qualitative research
1. Zoom
Founded by Eric Yuan in 2011, Zoom shot to fame with the COVID pandemic as one of the most convenient platforms for video meetings and conferences. The platform offers features such as clear video, flawless audio, easy recording and screen sharing abilities. Some market research platforms, including Flowres, also provide integration with Zoom to make your experience even simpler with additional details such as transcription, client backrooms etc.
Additional features provided by Zoom to help a field like market research include:
- Screen sharing from any device
- Whiteboards
- Polls
- Unlimited meetings a month
- Meeting record option
- Breakout rooms
- Backrooms (Flowres add-on feature)
- Tech Check (Flowres add-on feature)
Zoom proves to be very helpful in qualitative research conducted online with the features it offers. These can be modified to fit your requirement and make qualitative research a smooth process. However Zoom does have limitations since the free version only lets you conduct a meeting for 40 minutes, and has other such disadvantages.
2. Google Meet
Google Meet, formerly Google Hangouts, is an integrated part of Google’s G Suite productivity software. Google Meet is integrated with other tools provided by Google. You can share a link or schedule a meeting on the Google Calendar to make it accessible to all participants in a single click. It also does not have a premium plan and you can enjoy all features on Google Meet for free.
Some features offered by Google Meet are:
- Easy one-click meetings (No download necessary)
- Attend through Gmail
- Unlimited meeting time
- Virtual whiteboard
- Google Meet also provides their own automated captions as well for accessibility.
Cisco WebEx
Founded as Webex in 1995, it was bought by Cisco in 2005. Cisco Webex is a videoconferencing platform which includes seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook and the ability to join from different platforms including Mac, Windows and iPad.
Features of Cisco Webex include:
- Screen sharing
- HD video
- Unlimited meetings
- Cloud recording and storage (limits vary by plan)
- Business-hours phone support for lower level plans and 24/7 support for pricier plans
flowres provides integration with Zoom, which unlocks many additional features for your needs. A great detail is that of client backrooms, where the client can overlook online focus-groups or video conferences of participants, without participants getting conscious about it. Additional flowres add-ons also include tech check and automated reminders. Tech check ensures the participants’ internet speed, camera and microphone all work well. With flowers, you can convert your Zoom meetings into more professional market research meetings without burning a hole in your research budget. Reach out to [email protected] to know more about how flowres can make your research more efficient and hassle free.
