It is important to keep certain methods of research in mind when undertaking any type of research project. We all wish to reach to correct conclusions and useful results but it is often seen that people are not even aware of the differences between two important research types.
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One of them is called Qualitative research and second is called Quantitative research. You need to understand the difference between each type and also know the objectives and scope of both types. When performing any kind of research, keep in mind that quantity research consists of numbers like how many people are in agreement or how often they take certain action. The methods of quantitative research are usually surveys and review of records.
Qualitative research, on the other hand, may contain numbers or even symbols which are usually the result of in-depth interviews and reviews of documents. It's more subjective while quantitative research is objective. But one thing that makes qualitative research a bit hard for people and that is the requirement of skills.
But there are reasons why you should prefer qualitative research over quantitative research. In this article, we'll discuss some of those reasons.
# 1 - It helps you explore the situation:
As we've discussed above, quantitative research is usually based on numbers and to be honest, they are not satisfactory and you may not feel comfortable until you explore the situation to know more and that is only possible with qualitative research.
The situation can be anything. You may need to figure out what needs your customers need or what kind of misunderstanding your customers have. In the case of misunderstandings, the numeric statistic is not the only solution but it should be used as a combination of qualitative research.
# 2 - It helps you solve the complexity:
While numbers can pretty much indicate the issue but it will not explain how complex is the issue. Many times you may have to conduct the research and define the actual reasons for your employer. In such a case, the answer is qualitative research.
You can take the interviews of your customers, prepare a questionnaire and ask them the questions by making sure that you give them enough time to explain and answer the complexity. These answers of different customers will help you understand the complexity of the problem.
# 3 - It helps you understand the context:
The quality of your research depends on the knowledge of context. If your customers are doing strangely, you need to know the context and ask them why they are. They may indicate that they are using other products that accomplish their goals and may indicate that this is the reason why the sales of your product are dropped.
That way, you get the context of your problem which allows you to solve that easily by either improving the product or reducing the price and giving more utility to the customers.
It doesn't mean that quantitative research is any less important. Actually, it is important to use both types of research methods if you really want accurate results. If you're an employee and conducting research on behalf of your employer, it will help him achieve the goals and in return, you may get a promotion at the job.