The Return of In-Person Qual: Does It Still Have a Place?

Just a few years ago, in-person qualitative research seemed to be heading toward obsolescence. The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital, empowering researchers to conduct online IDIs, focus groups, and mobile ethnography at scale. Virtual tools became the new norm—fast, flexible, and budget-friendly.

But here in 2025, in-person qual is quietly staging a return. Not as a nostalgic throwback, but as a targeted, intentional complement to an increasingly hybrid research landscape.

The key question for today’s insights professionals isn’t whether face-to-face qual is coming back—it’s where and how it fits in a modern, tech-enabled research strategy.

What’s Driving the Comeback?

As useful as online qual methods are, they don't always go deep enough—especially for complex, emotional, or context-rich topics. Here’s why in-person still holds unique value:

• Unfiltered human expression: Non-verbal cues, tone, and body language provide texture to responses that video or text-based tools often miss.
• Real-world context: Whether you're observing home routines, conducting shop-alongs, or testing sensory products, the in-person environment unlocks behavioral insights that digital simply can't replicate.
• Trust and authenticity: Certain audiences—like older consumers, professionals in regulated industries, or communities with tech limitations—are more engaged and open in face-to-face settings.
• Prototype and stimulus interaction: Physical handling and live feedback are critical for packaging, product design, or environment-based testing.

Beyond the Binary: It’s Not Online or In-Person—It’s Both

Online qual is here to stay. It brings unmatched speed, geographical reach, and logistical ease. But the best research today is not about choosing sides—it’s about mixing methods with purpose.

This is where hybrid designs shine. For example:

• Start with digital bulletin boards to uncover themes.
• Move to in-person ethnographies to explore those themes in context.
• Use simulation engines like Modeliq to model scenarios or forecast responses based on qual findings.
• Supplement with synthetic data from Correlix to extend insights into hard-to-reach or privacy-sensitive audiences—without compromising realism or data integrity.

This multi-modal approach allows both agencies and brands to move from insight discovery to strategic validation—fast, accurately, and at scale.

The New Role of In-Person Qual

Far from being obsolete, in-person research is evolving into a premium tool—used when the stakes are high and when deep emotional or behavioral insight is non-negotiable. That includes:

• Innovation labs: Where design thinking meets live customer feedback
• Executive immersions: Getting stakeholders closer to the customer reality
• Cultural and ethnographic research: Especially in emerging markets
• Early-stage exploration: When survey questions haven’t even been formed yet

And importantly, today’s in-person qual isn’t stuck in the past. It’s powered by digital augmentation—mobile logging apps, AI coding of transcripts, instant cloud uploads, and virtual backrooms for stakeholder viewing.

What This Means for You

Whether you're an insight agency navigating complex briefs or a brand looking to understand consumers more deeply, this resurgence is good news. You now have more tools in your toolbox—but it also means knowing when to use what.

Consider:

• Is the insight you need behaviorally or emotionally complex?
• Are your audiences difficult to reach or hesitant to open up digitally?
• Will prototype interaction or environmental context affect feedback?

If the answer is yes, in-person qual likely deserves a seat at the table—complemented, not replaced, by technology.

At DataDiggers, we help you design research that fits the question—not just the method. Whether you're collecting depth in-person, scaling insights via digital research automation, or forecasting through synthetic modeling and data simulation with Modeliq and Correlix, we bring rigor, reach, and flexibility to your decision-making.

‍

Need help combining the human touch of qual with the speed and scale of tech? Let’s start a conversation.