From the President
From The President – Winter 2025
By Lisa Horwich QRCA President | Managing Partner – Research Principal, Pallas Research Associates, LLC | Seattle, Washington | Lisa@pallasresearch.com […]
QRCAVIEWS
Podcasts
VIEWS Podcasts: Beka Shea
Military veteran Beka Shea talks to Doug about her transition into corporate America where she helps teams understand the science of people in her behavioral analytics consulting work at Culture Index. […]
Toolbox
Journey Mapping That Drives Change: Best Practices for Qualitative Researchers
In a world where tight budgets and shrinking teams demand that research do more than enlighten—it must activate—this article reveals how journey mapping can transform insights into real organizational impact. Moving beyond pretty deliverables, it shows researchers how to use journey mapping as a collaborative, insight-driven process that aligns cross-functional partners, sharpens focus, and integrates seamlessly into decision-making. Through practical frameworks, examples, and lessons learned from more than 100 practitioners, the article demystifies what makes a journey map truly high-impact—and why the way you create it matters more than how it looks. For researchers hungry to see their work spark action rather than sit on a shelf, this piece is both a roadmap and a call to arms. […]
Industry Focus
Qualitative Research for Political Campaigns in an Era of Hyper-Partisanship
Qualitative research in U.S. politics faces unique challenges in an era of hyper-partisanship. Experts Dave Metz and Lori Weigel explore how polarization impacts voter engagement, recruitment, and honest dialogue—and share strategies researchers can use to navigate bias, build trust, and uncover authentic insights that inform effective campaign messaging. […]
Book Reviews
Speakership is Leadership: A Guide for Sudden Leaders Who Need to Lead with Their Words. Yesterday.
Margaret Watts Romney, author of Speakership is Leadership, takes you on a journey to uncover the truth behind your “speakership,” which goes beyond public speaking to embrace a holistic approach, as you guide others with your words. In the book, she describes the tools and insights required for speakership, including how to prepare for public speaking and how to understand your voice and body and the signals they give during moments of speakership. […]
Quant Lens
Synthetic Data: Friend or Foe?
Synthetic data is moving from buzzword to practical helper for qual. This article demystifies what it is (and isn’t), distinguishes spreadsheet-style synthetic datasets from narrative synthetic personas, and shows when to use each—screeners, guide tests, privacy-safe storytelling, and bridging gaps between qual/quant—without replacing live human voices. You’ll get starter use cases, guardrails (seed quality, labeling, sanity checks), a beginner’s playbook, and hybrid workflows so synthetic data lightens the load while real conversations do the delicate listening. […]
Book Reviews
How to Make People Buy: The Art & Science of Enabling, Engaging, and Empowering Your Customers
This article reviews How to Make People Buy (2024) by Thomas Ramsøy, CEO of Neurons Inc., which challenges marketers to move beyond attention alone and master his 4-Power Model: attention, emotions, understanding, and memory. Using famous campaigns like Sony Bravia’s bouncing balls, Ramsøy shows how even award-winning ads can fail if the brand isn’t at the heart of the story. He shares neuroscience-based tips—logo placement, eye-guiding contrasts, simplifying visuals, embedding key messages—to create ads that capture attention and drive memory. While the author is skeptical of metaphorical advertising, the article argues effective metaphors can still fuel some of the most iconic campaigns. […]
From the President
From The President – Fall 2025
By Jeff Hecker QRCA President | QRCA Principal, Athena Brand Wisdom Toronto, Ontario, Canada | jeff.hecker@athenabrand.com […]
Luminaries
Uncovering Your Voice Story to Influence Others Through a New Sound of Power, with Samara Bay
Zoë Billington speaks with Samara Bay, author of Permission to Speak, on rethinking the traditional narratives of public speaking and power. She discusses how authenticity, personal voice stories, and emotional engagement can transform how we, as researchers and business leaders, communicate effectively. […]
Schools of Thought
Co-Moderating the Future: Embracing AI without Losing the Human Spark
This personal essay chronicles a qualitative researcher’s pivotal moment in embracing AI moderation. What began as fear—a client’s unexpected request for AI-led IDIs—transformed into curiosity and confidence through hands-on exploration of AI platforms. The article outlines where AI moderation works (structured, low-emotion contexts; large sample sizes; hybrid models) and where human moderators remain indispensable (emotionally nuanced, culturally complex conversations). It also shares practical hybrid use cases, key questions for evaluating AI platforms, and a call for moderators to evolve from “resisters” to “meaning makers” who blend human intuition with AI’s efficiency to serve clients better. […]