Types of Market Research Transcriptions

Market research transcription is very useful in the insight discovery process of qualitative researchers all over the world. Transcripts streamline the initial steps of data interpretation such as note taking, sorting, and filtering information. Here are the different types of transcriptions market researchers can leverage for more studies:

In-Depth Interview

In-depth interviews are strategically conducted by marketing researchers to gather rich, authentic information directly from responses of individuals. Researchers do this by using predetermined questions for the purpose of understanding specific ways of thinking, beliefs, perceptions, and attitude towards a product or service. Research firms still conduct traditional face-to-face interviews, but also often do telephone interviews or web conferences for multi-country studies.

One-on-one interview transcriptions for market research typically do not need custom speaker identification. Responses can easily be attributed to speakers labeled as either an “Interviewer” or a “Respondent”.

Focus Group Discussion

Researchers conduct focus group discussions for faster insight discovery and data collection in contrast to one-on-one interviews. Focus group discussions are typically held when the qualitative study at hand covers a wider scope and higher sample volume. A good example is a television advertisement impact study where an ad is aimed to air in various countries. Reactions, opinions, perceptions, and ideas are gathered from respondents with diverse cultures and beliefs to make sure that the ad is effective, inclusive, non-offensive, and suitable to the general audience.

Focus groups consist of 1-2 moderators and 5 or more participants which makes it difficult to recall who said what. The same goes with identifying how many people agree or disagree, leaving the transcript with a hodgepodge of information. Thus, properly recording focus groups as well as speaker identification and verbatim (word for word transcription including uh-huh, mm-hmm, etc.) are crucial to focus group transcriptions.

Ethnography

Ethnography generally refers to the systematic study of people and their cultures. It is a method of qualitative data collection focused on understanding and interpreting the behavior of respondents in different social situations when using particular products or services, by observing from the point of view of respondents themselves. Market researchers may conduct ethnography studies in person or via mobile where they can immerse in consumer experience in real time.  

During these sessions, it is inevitable for respondents to speak of the subject matter by pronoun (e.g. this, that, here, there) assuming that the researchers can see what they’re talking about. This is what may make transcripts confusing, vague, or useless at worst. Transcript time stamping becomes a real lifesaver when caught in this kind of situations. You can easily request for per minute timestamps or whatever interval you prefer, making it a breeze to refer back to specific parts of your video footage for quick review.

Usability Testing

During the product development stage, usability testing is conducted to evaluate the product’s performance by having potential users test them. During these tests, participants are asked to complete a set of tasks using a prototype whilst researchers probe and observe to measure the product’s ease of use, capacity to meet a particular purpose, and participants’ level of satisfaction. This user-centered technique is also administered to identify and immediately resolve early problems and issues of a device, website, or mobile app before public release.

Like ethnography sessions, audiovisual observation is required in usability testings which means the explanation of users may be ill-defined when read in a transcript without any visual representation. Therefore, timestamps are highly recommended in usability transcriptions.

Audio Diaries and Patient Journeys

Not all market research studies require long, comprehensive interviews to collect rich insights. Longitudinal qualitative studies, in particular, require frequent check-ins to effectively interpret what’s going on in the minds of participants and their overall consumer experience. A fantastic example is patient journey mapping - the patient’s treatment path from diagnosis through health outcome. Patient-respondents are required to dial in and record updates of any health improvement and drug side effects. The same goes with mystery shopping where respondents report in the moment insights, enabling researchers understand customers’ decision-making processes.

Transcripts of audio diaries and patient journeys can be easily outsourced to dictation transcription services. Countless of recordings and transcripts are generated from this kind of study, so we can tailor them to how it’s most convenient to you. For instance, since audio diary transcripts only tend to be one-page long per recording, transcription formats can be customized where each respondent’s transcripts are compiled in their own corresponding document, segmented by date and time of recording.

Video Captioning and Subtitling

Many market researchers video record face-to-face interviews or require webcams on web-enabled interviews and focus groups to catch non-verbal reactions like facial expressions and observe respondents in their natural settings. This exponentially increases insight discovery valuable to any qualitative study.

Video is a powerful type of documentation that conveys richer insights than mere written reports. Video captioning and subtitling services are used to maximize the impact and accessibility of visual materials, especially in international market research studies where respondents speak in diverse languages.

TranscriptionWing is highly experienced in serving market researchers conducting qualitative studies in multiple countries and languages. We have become known to many as the go-to market research transcription service due to our dedication to meet fast-paced, concurrent deadlines and ability to generate bulk transcriptions with unparalleled quality.

For more information about our transcribing services, leave us an email at transcripts@civi.com or call us directly at +1-203-413-2414.