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38 QRCA VIEWS SPRING 2 0 15 www.qrca.org techniques. The strength of these approaches is the ability to sustain engagement and cap- ture in-the-moment behaviors and experiences. As with real- time online research, geographi- cal reach is greatly expanded. You also have the ability to go from one-on-one to group interactions within the same study and can manage the flow of the activities. For partici- pants, the ability to join in on their own schedule and forego travel to a facility is a huge ben- efit. While you can lose non- verbal cues when activities are designed and executed remotely, web and mobile can be a tre- mendous engagement and con- fessional medium. Finally, one of the newer tech- niques is facial coding technolo- gy. This technology draws on algorithms that decode what are considered "universal facial expressions" in reaction to stim- uli. Participants use their web- cams and the software records and codes their facial reactions. Based on the facial expressions of the participants, the reaction is scored as positive or negative and also captures a variety of emotions. It is generally limited to dynamic stimuli like televi- sion ads or movie trailers. While not an interviewing technique per se, facial coding does apply some very inter- esting technology to evaluative research exercises. Integrating Traditional and Newer Techniques While each of these approaches has its strengths, the key question is how to leverage them to support our research. The following examples demonstrate how these approaches have been successfully combined. Pre-tasks and Auditions Asynchronous mobile and web-based qual is a great way to engage participants and welcome them before an in-person exercise, whether a group or in-home study. For example, you can ask people to keep a diary to capture events over time when you're not present, send them on a retail adventure, or ask them to explain a process to you. These tasks can inform the way you then approach the in-person discussion. A variation on the pre-task is the audi- tion. Using digital means to figure out who should participate in an in-person study can reduce the risk of "dud" inter- views, especially when recruiting for in- home research or ethnography. Over- recruit and assign the candidates some tasks. Ask them to introduce themselves; as moderator, you can comment and probe for more information. You could ask them to produce an inventory (e.g., what's in your fridge?) to give more con- text of their lives. This information can help determine who to invite to the in-person session. Extending Usability Research One of our early studies was a hybrid, beginning with a day of usability interviews on a new consumer device. The inter- views evaluated the initial expe- rience and real-time interactions with participants to understand how the interface was working. At the end of each interview the participants were given a device to take home and asked to com- plete a usage diary over the course of a week and answer some questions on their overall experience with the product. This enabled the research team to see how the device interface was working and also how the new device would operate in the context of people's daily lives and usage patterns. Decoding Facial Coding In a recent study, web cam interviewing and facial coding were used together to under- stand the real reaction to a pro- posed television ad. The partici- pants were shown ads while the facial coding system recorded and coded their facial expres- sions via their webcams. The moderator conducted a webcam interview with the participants to discuss the facial coding scores. This turned out to be critical in at least one instance when the facial coding software scored a particular participant's reaction to a spe- cific moment of the ad as very negative. However, during the interview the partic- ipant revealed that he was very angry at that moment; the ad was very emotional, and he was irritated with himself for let- ting an ad "get to him." Basically, the neg- ative facial coding meant that the ad was very effective in engaging the partici- pant's emotions. The options for qualitative researchers have never been more varied and excit- ing. Matching the right tools to the needs of different jobs means we can all take advantage of the fantastic range of new research methods and deliver insights more effectively. ALL TOGETHER NOW C O N T I N U E D

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