In today’s world, global projects require flexibility and quick action. Due to time constraints, they often lead international projects to use standardized research tools, even for qualitative research. However, these tools may not effectively capture subtle or nonverbal communication in high-context cultures like Japan. Our assistance enabled a global research project to gather insights from implicit consumer communication without hindering their progress.
The Context
A global company wanted to conduct consumer interviews to get insights into how consumers use personal hygiene products. They had already undertaken consumer interviews in Europe and the United States. They tried to understand users’ current habits and test their prototypes’ potential.
The Challenges
#1. Global standardization versus local nuances
While the standard interview guide listed essential questions to meet the research objectives, the interview questions were too straightforward for Japanese consumers to respond honestly. For example, “why” questions sound pushy for some Japanese consumers because they cannot explain why. Therefore, it was not a matter of translation quality; it was asking the respondents questions to get the correct answers.
#2. Impossible to do face-to-face interviews during the Covid-19 pandemic
Usually, we conduct interviews in person. The in-person interviews typically provide us with nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging to meet consumers in person to avoid the risk of infection.
The Solution Approaches
#1. Culturally-Tailoring Global Interview Guide
First, the client briefed us on the research objectives and meanings behind each interview theme and question. Then, we tailored the standard guide with the respondents’ potential responses in mind. For example, we rearranged “why” questions about the current habits to ask them about their daily life stories. In addition, to obtain the client’s information from the respondents, we asked probing questions to guide them in sharing relevant information by exploring key points. We confirmed such changes in adaptations to the client before the interviews.
#2. Attention to talk rhythms and tones in online interviews
We conducted online interviews by connecting with respondents at home to avoid in-person contact. We paid close attention to the respondents’ subtle nonverbal signals in the online discussions. For example, when a respondent hesitated to answer negative responses, she giggled to hide her negative feelings about the prototype. In this situation, our moderator created a safe environment for negative comments by speaking softly. Overall, respondents were more relaxed during the online interview from home than in-person interviews in unfamiliar interview rooms.
#3. Communicate findings and insights
In addition to gaining high-quality consumer insights, communicating insights to our clients is crucial for high-quality outcomes. Therefore, we debriefed the team on the respondents’ key insights and emotions objectively and descriptively. We then gave both written reports and oral presentations. Furthermore, we answered follow-up questions.
The Outcome
The project team incorporated the findings into their prototype improvements.