Reducing Qual Costs for NGO Research in Hard-to-Reach Populations

How Syntheo enabled a global NGO to conduct qualitative testing at scale—without stepping into the field

The Challenge

A large international NGO sought to assess community attitudes around gender-based violence (GBV) and digital literacy in rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The target population included individuals with low education, limited technology access, and strong cultural privacy norms—making traditional face-to-face interviews costly, time-intensive, and often ineffective.

Prior attempts to gather insights relied on in-person ethnographic interviews conducted through local partners, often taking 6–8 weeks per round of data collection. However, rising operational costs, difficult logistics, and limited sample sizes hindered progress. The NGO needed a faster, scalable, and more budget-conscious solution—without compromising on the richness of insights or ethical rigor.

The Solution

DataDiggers introduced the NGO to Syntheo, our AI-powered solution for generating credible, realistic synthetic insights using digital personas. These personas simulate human responses based on real-world behavioral, socio-demographic, and psychographic data.

Rather than conducting hundreds of face-to-face interviews across scattered rural villages, the NGO used Syntheo to:

• Define 12 key audience segments based on region, age, gender, literacy, and internet access
• Generate hundreds of high-integrity synthetic responses to early-stage testing instruments, including scenario-based qualitative prompts
• Run multiple iterations of message testing to assess language sensitivity, cultural alignment, and conceptual clarity
• Identify critical content gaps and potential misinterpretations before launching costly fieldwork

This “synthetic-first” approach allowed the NGO to pre-test and refine survey questions, narrative scripts, and outreach strategies before investing in live interviews.

The Outcome

The NGO achieved over 65% cost savings on their qualitative research efforts while accelerating the timeline by more than four weeks.

Key Results:

More importantly, Syntheo uncovered conceptual blind spots in the NGO’s original outreach materials. For example, synthetic personas flagged ambiguity around the term "digital safety," which varied in interpretation between adolescent girls and adult men. These early alerts allowed the NGO to refine messaging before deployment, increasing engagement and reducing misunderstanding in the field.

Why It Worked

Syntheo draws from real-world behavioral patterns to simulate responses with nuance and relevance, even in segments that are traditionally hard to reach. It’s not about replacing humans—but about testing smarter, earlier, and at scale. By doing so, the NGO avoided costly missteps, uncovered insights faster, and safeguarded the dignity and privacy of their target populations.

This case highlights how synthetic insights serve as a critical layer in modern research workflows—particularly when working with vulnerable or logistically complex populations.

Technology-Driven, Ethically Grounded

At DataDiggers, we power smarter research with tools like Syntheo, Modeliq, and Correlix—each built to optimize cost, time, and data quality without compromising on ethics or rigor.

As an ISO 20252:2019-certified company and long-standing member of ESOMAR, we adhere to the highest global standards, including GDPR and local data protection laws. All synthetic insights generated through Syntheo are based on anonymized, aggregated, and modeled data—ensuring zero compromise on individual privacy.

Final Thoughts

Synthetic-first testing isn’t a shortcut—it’s a smart strategy. For NGOs and public sector organizations working in sensitive, resource-constrained environments, tools like Syntheo from DataDiggers offer a viable path to faster, more affordable, and ethically sound qualitative research.

Looking to optimize your research in hard-to-reach populations?

Let Syntheo help you explore what’s possible—before you step into the field. Contact us today or explore how synthetic respondents choose answers.