Conversations in Depth: A QRCA Views Podcast

Bill Hartman is the Director of Research at Essential - a product, interaction, and service design consultancy in Boston. Bill has a broad background in user-centered design and has led multi-disciplinary programs in a range of industries. He has a particular interest in ethnographic research and collaborative design methods as means to humanize technology in compelling and differentiated ways. Bi...

QRCA book review editor Kay Corry Aubrey interviews Bill Buxton who is a designer and a researcher concerned with human aspects of technology. His work reflects a particular interest in the use of technology to support creative activities such as design, filmmaking and music. Buxton's research specialties include technologies, techniques and theories of input to computers, technology-mediated huma...

Bill Abrams is President and founder of dedicated to ethnographic marketing research since 1983. Housecalls has conducted ethnography for many Fortune 500 companies, including food and beverages, personal care, computer, household, financial, oil and gas, insurance, battery, camera and retail categories. Bill is co-chair of the ethnography SIG for the Qualitative Research Consultant's Association....

Co-Directors of the consultancy, BrandVisioning, these senior level creative directors have brought their intuitive brand of creativity to global businesses around the world. Among other techniques, they specialize in the use of hypnosis focus groups for deep dives into consumer brand perceptions. They've strategized and created some of the industry's most memorable campaigns: The Best Part of Wak...

New ways to recruit qual participants are popping up. How do you decide whether they fit your recruiting needs and if you do, how do you adapt all your recruiting skills to the new medium? In our interview with Ted Kendall, market researcher and whenever possible also an avid fisherman – he discusses learning about new recruiting platforms and how to adapt screeners to optimize their use. How does...

Andrew Kent is a researcher turned fiction writer, living in central Massachusetts, with his wife, children, and dogs. His first novel, "Spam & Eggs: A Johnny Denovo Mystery," was published in February 2009. It introduces the character of Johnny Denovo, a detective who uses metaphor to solve cases. Kent has been described as "a new author whose originality explodes from these pages," and the book...

Andrew Ballenthin is a marketing consultant and president of Sol Solutions with 18 years experience in this field. Having worked with corporations like Harley Davidson, Labatt, Quebecor, Volvo Group, Sharp Electronics, UPS and Texaco Andrew enjoys the challenges of complex growth plans. His 10+ years in digital marketing and work with small businesses have enabled him to apply flexible branding, i...

Bryan W. Mattimore is co-founder of The Growth Engine Company, an innovation agency based in Norwalk, Connecticut. Founded in 1999, the Growth Engine Company's mission is to help companies grow through creative exploration. Prior to co-founding Growth Engine, he was President of the Mattimore Group, a twenty-year old ideation and creativity consulting company. Bryan has facilitated over 1000 brain...

Robert Hoekman Jr has authored several books and dozens of articles for a range of publications, including Fast Company magazine's "Co. Design" blog. He is a columnist for the revered motorcycle culture and lifestyle magazine Iron & Air ( www.ironandair.com ), where he is also a contributing editor. He has spoken to packed rooms at dozens of events all over the world.  Robert is also the author of...

Should qualitative researchers be thinking about adding mobile to their qualitative toolbox? Richard Owen, founder and CEO of Crowdlab says, without hesitation, yes! Who is Richard Owen? Well, Richard has been in the market research business for over twenty years and has worked at prestigious firms such as Millward Brown, Copernicus, and Hall &  Partners.  Frustrated by the pace of change (or lack...

Listen in as QRCA Views Podcast Editor Mike Carlon interviews Randy Scher of iPowering Motivation about the use of hypnosis in qualitative research.  In this interview, Randy dispels some common myths around hypnosis and discusses its practical applications in qualitative research. For example, as people can remember things vividly while "in state," Randy discusses how memories of early brand expe...

Paul Jacobson is a 20 year veteran of the qualitative research business.  For the past 15 months, Paul and his lovely wife Leny have run Razor Focus; a focus group facility located in Stamford, CT. Listen in as we explore Paul's early days in advertising and his journey to becoming a highly sought after moderator. We cover the lessons he learned about himself while working as a qualitative consult...

Owen Shapiro is a market researcher, strategist and speaker. He's the President of Shapiro + Raj, a Chicago-based strategic research firm. He's also highly educated, having earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago (with a concentration in Behavioral Sciences), an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Political Science from Reed College. Shapiro co-authored a b...

Naomi Henderson is the CEO of RIVA, based in Rockville, MD, where she directs policy and procedures for two divisions: Research and Training. Naomi co-founded the RIVA Training Institute in 1981 where she currently serves as a Master Trainer, writing curriculum for public and custom courses and training researchers in the art and science of rigorous qualitative research techniques. Naomi has led o...

Listen in as authors Kathryn Haydon and Jane Harvey are interviewed by 2015 QRCA MaryAnne Pflug Award Winner Marta Villanueva about their book  Creativity for Everybody   (Sparkitivity, 2015) which was published in 2015.  This conversation brings to life valuable insights and awareness that unlock creativity and lead to more innovative business practices. Kathryn Haydon is a writer, speaker, and c...

Jim Heisler's work in the marketing research industry spans almost four decades. In that time he has become an expert in all facets of customer experience research as well as in market segmentation, brand advertising, corporate reputation, market attitudes and behavior, and new product research. In this interview you will hear how Jim parlayed his doctorate in Social Psychology into a very success...

Jim Bryson is the founder and CEO of 2020 Research; a Nashville based qualitative research firm with facilities in Nashville, Charlotte, and Miami. In addition to traditional facilities, 2020 is a leading provider of online qualitative solutions including both asynchronous and real-time interviewing solutions. In this interview, Jim talks about the irony of hating his research classes while in col...

Listen in as QRCA Views Podcast Editor Mike interviews Jennifer Golbeck from the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. If you are in the majority, you share a lot of your own life on social media; services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account for a significant amount of Internet traffic and people are sharing massive amounts of data about themselves, their attit...

Jack Campisi is an Account Director with Civicom; a company serving the marketing research community with virtual communications solutions. Jack joins the QRCA Qualcast to discuss his time during the "wild west" days of online qualitative research which began at Strategic Focus, a focus group facility in Westport, CT.  That's where he met Andy Greenfield, Hugh Davis, and Paul Jacobson - the three...

Landing new clients is critical to having a healthy service oriented business. As such, it is important that we take the time to network in order to make new connections and identify new business possibilities. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, ' How good am I at networking?'  The fact of the matter is, none of us are born master networkers; networking is a skill we learn through experience -...

In the latest episode, QRCA Views Podcast Editor Mike interviews Steve August, Chief Marketing Officer of FocusVision, about the history and future of qualitative research. A true visionary, Steve is a digital and mobile qualitative research pioneer. He created Revelation in 2007, the trailblazing online platform for mobile diaries, insight communities and bulletin boards. Revelation was acquired...

In casual conversations with architects and developers, I've heard interesting accounts of exploratory meetings and interactions that are conducted with community stakeholders during a community planning process. Of interest is the work of Philip Denning, our guest on this edition of the VIEWS Podcast. Prior to joining the City of Cincinnati, where he is director of Community and Economic Developm...

In the latest episode, QRCA Views Podcast Editor Foster interviews Missy Carvin from New Directions Consulting, Inc., about her experiences using the World Café process for finding deeper connections with others. Recalling a presentation of this technique at a QRCA conference, Foster called on Missy's expertise to assist him with the development of several successful client workshops during the pa...

Listen in as QRCA Views Podcast Editor Mike Carlon interviews Marc Engel and Pascal Patenaude on applying the art of improv in qualitative marketing research. Marc was in two improve/sketch comedy troupes in LA with a name you might recognize, Kristin Wiig. He is also a standup comic. Pascal studied improv as part of his training at the National Theatre School of Canada. Listen as they discuss the...

In 1900 the average American lived to age 47, today this average has increased over 30 years to 79. By 2050 21% of the US population will be over 65 and this aging trend is worldwide. Yet, outside of sleeker looking adult diapers and products that help people when they fall and can't get up, consumer product companies have largely ignored this cohort even though their spending power is $8 trillion...