- In-person focus groups, mini-groups, friendship circles
- Online bulletin boards
- Depth interview studies – in person and by phone (tele-depths)
- On-site interviews and observations – in homes, offices, etc.
- Team projects – multiple moderators, larger qualitative samples, teaming with cultural anthropologists
- Hybrid studies – combining methodologies for a multi-faceted approach
Our years of experience in qualitative research enables us to advise you on the most effective approaches for your studies. Our reports are rich, thorough and focused on client objectives, with practical and creative recommendations for ideas you can use.
The Mirrored Window: Focus Groups from a Moderator's Point of View
Judy Langer shares her insider's knowledge of how to improve your qualitative research. This is the book that professionals recommend when asked about essential reading in qualitative research.
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Practical advice from Judy Langer
In an interview on the Merrill Dubrow blog, Judy reflects on her history in qualitative research and gives practical advice on things like how to work with a focus group facility.
Time-honored or time to go?
Judy's article from Quirk's Marketing Research Review dispels focus group myths, addresses the major criticisms, and explains when to use focus groups effectively.
Judy Langer’s long experience conducting qualitative studies on consumer lifestyles and values, as well as her understanding of what motivates decisions enriches all her research.
Recent consumer studies
Environmental concerns – combination of in-home interviews to understand consumer real-life behavior and develop concepts for exploration in focus groups
Health and weight concerns – focus groups probing deeper feelings and concerns, using respondent collaging, exploring reactions to stimuli
Women’s lives – what makes women feel satisfied with their lives. A new approach that integrates in-person discussions with a therapist, combined with pre- and post-online boards.
Modern complexities – what makes life today difficult/confusing for women and men, how they look for simplicity. A combination of in-person focus groups and online bulletin boards.
Public television's image – conducted focus groups for a public TV station on its image, what makes people decide to or not to become members
Boomer parents – how parents in the baby boomer generation relate to their children, the issues they deal with
Magazines – online bulletin boards with subscribers and non-subscribers of a home magazine on their lifestyles, feelings about their homes, views of their homes, what they get and want from the magazine, dialogue with editors
Recent business-to-business (b2b) studies
Newspaper advertisers – tele-depths on their views of the business outlook, media spending, effective media
Magazine advertisers – tele-depths on their views of the changing media environment, their needs as advertisers, perceptions of the publications
Business medical insurance plans – focus groups with company decision-makers and with insurance brokers on changes in employer/employee needs, reactions to concepts
Law firm financial decision-making – combining tele-depths and a focus group on the way financial services providers are selected
Professional website – combining in-person focus groups and a bulletin board to explore what professionals want in a website, branding issues
Judy Langer has been a leader in the qualitative research industry for many years. An expert on lifestyle trends, she was previously Senior Vice President, GfK NOP Qualitative Practice, and headed her firm, Langer Associates for over 20 years.
A founder of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), Judy is passionate about improving the standards of qualitative, training clients and moderators, and using qualitative to gain insights into consumers. She is frequently asked to share her expertise with others in the industry.
- Speech to American Marketing Association (AMA) Executive Insights Conference on “Putting Focus Groups In Their Place”
- Qualitative research training sessions for American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), New York chapter
- Chaired a panel discussion for the Market Research Council on “Qualitative Research Today and Tomorrow”
- ESOMAR (European Market Research Association) workshop on “Current and Emerging Qualitative Research Trends” in Paris and in Singapore
- Training workshop in Kiev on qualitative research for Ukrainian and Russian researchers
- Chaired a panel at the QRCA conference, "From Two Sides Now — The Inside Scoop from Moderator/Facility Owners on Getting the Successful Fieldwork"
- Panelist at QRCA New York chapter meeting, “What's Going On? How the qualitative research landscape is changing and what to do about it!”
- Guest lecturer on qualitative research at NYU Stern School of Business
Judy with John Last
at the AMA, 9/2008