41. qualvu

One of the newest kids on the online qual block is qualvu, where bulletin board meets webcam.

At its most basic level, the software lets the moderator launch a video question with their webcam; then, at a time that is convenient to them, participants record and submit their answers, also using their webcam.

The possible applications of this asynchronous video are many and include online usability studies, concept and advertising testing, in-home use tests, and ethnographic research, to name but a few.

Once the researcher has adopted qualvu as an appropriate method to meet their research objectives, he or she will discover some perhaps unanticipated benefits:

1. The facial expressions and vocal inflections that give richness to qualitative research and are absent from text-based methods have re-appeared, courtesy the high-quality video and sound



2. More, these expressions and vocal inflections are tightly framed to each speaker's face and available to both moderator and observers (unlike the long-shot generally afforded to observers in a typical focus group observation room)



3. The webcam itself invites participants to share their opinions fully; probes for amplification may be a thing of the past



4. Like all asynchronous research, qualvu is respectful of the participants' time, allowing them to propound their opinions and feelings at a time and a place that is comfortable and convenient to them



5. There is another benefit that I believe will resonate particularly strongly with those who conduct multi-language studies, such as Canadian researchers who routinely conduct studies in both English and French. More on that benefit in a later post.

To summarize, qualvu appears to extend considerably the reach and possibilities of online qualitative research.