Qualitative researcher and author Indi Young has spent decades developing a methodology that goes beyond opinions and behaviors to uncover what she calls interior cognition—the inner thinking, emotional reactions, and personal rules that actually drive human decision-making. In this interview, Young explains how her Mental Model diagrams help organizations recognize the full range of human thinking styles and design for all of them, not just the majority. She shares concrete examples from studies on clothing care and home cooking that reveal how surface-level research leads organizations to build the wrong things—and how listening at greater depth changes not just the research, but the decisions that follow. […]

As the world’s largest population, Gen Alpha currently represents almost 25 percent of the total population. This generation is turning 16 this year and represents current toddlers to teens. Pam illustrates this nimble generation who do not like being called “digital natives” because they’re adept at living life in the real and digital worlds seamlessly. They play soccer outside with friends and play Minecraft indoors with those same friends. Wellness for them is an active pursuit that varies from skincare and cosmetics to fitness and health. This is a group that spends their time connecting with family and friends in both worlds. Read on as researchers gain insight into how to design a research study with Gen Alpha. […]

Authors Moses and Hartzbech delve into a Superbowl advertising case study to explore how AI tools such as voice analysis and facial expression analysis offer a new frontier by capturing deeper, often unspoken emotional responses and turn them into measurable insights. By combining traditional conversations with these “semi-quantitative” data layers, researchers can uncover more compelling patterns of consumer sentiment, revealing truths that sometimes go beyond and sometimes contradict what participants say, ultimately delivering richer insights. […]

Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 insights professionals across agencies and client organizations, Marco Rovagnati explores what good work looks like in the age of AI. He introduces a clear framework for “intentional cognition,” outlining how thinking can be deliberately distributed between humans and AI without compromising rigor or judgment. Readers will gain practical guidance on where AI adds value in the research process—and where human interpretation, synthesis, and accountability must remain central. Marco also highlights emerging practices that protect deep thinking, strengthen ownership, and prevent the erosion of insight quality in AI-supported workflows. […]