Working with
Qualitative Data
Ray Poynter
24 February 2022

Sponsors
Communication

Finding and Communicating the
Story in the Data
Ray Poynter
To be published Mid-2022

Agenda
1. What is qualitative data?
2. Story Finding Framework
3. Define the problem
4. Using the problem as a lens
5. Find the Big Picture
6. The role of automation
7. The role of theory
8. Q & A

What is Qualitative Data?
1
119
101
451
10
1600
66
69

What is
(the most typical)
Qualitative
Data?
• Focus groups discussions
• Depth interviews
• Online discussions
• Participant videos
• Ethnographic observations
• Social media posts
• Open-ended comments from
surveys

The Framework
1. Define the Problem
2. Assess the Wider Context
3. Find the Big Picture
4. Extract the Key Findings
5. Determine the Message
6. Create the Story
7. Communicate the Story
8. Follow Up

1 Define the Problem
If you don’t define the problem properly, you are unlikely to find the answer
The process includes:
• What is the business question?
• What are the research questions?
• What do we already know?
• What does success look like?
• What does the business plan to do after receiving the answers?
• What are the predictions?

Symbiosis of Collection and Analysis
Establish the
Question and
what is
Known,
Plan Research
Do
Research
Analyse
Update
plan
Analyse Story

Symbiosis of Collection and Analysis
Depths & Focus Groups
• Discussion plan, interview, analysis & update
Online discussions & Digital diaries
• Discussion plan, responses, analysis & update
Ethnography, Semiotics & Social Media
• Search plan, analysis, new locations – confirming and disconfirming
cases
However, you may receive all the data before the analysis starts.
Let your early analysis guide you on whether to 1) process the data further or
2) to search for additional material.

Qualitative Paradigm
Constructionist (as opposed to Positivist)
Qual Findings = the data + the method + the analysis
• Quant Findings ≈ the data + the method
The data:
Dog + shredded slipper
Method:
Sensemaking
Analyst
Aware of history of slipper shredding
Finding
The dog chewed the slipper, but a
human created the opportunity

Don’t Describe - Explain
Description
The man had quite a lot of white wine, Emmental cheese (grated), and Gruyere
cheese (grated). He also had a small amount of garlic, lemon juice, cornflour, and
kirsch. As well as a large number of cubed bread pieces and seemed to be getting
ready to cook using a large, heaving metal pot.
Synthesis
He was making a classic, Swiss-style fondue.
If I am asking you what the man was doing, I may only want to know he was
cooking, I might want to know he was preparing fondue, but in very few cases
would I simply want a description/list of the things you had observed.
I might also be interested in why he was making a fondue, how did making a
fondue meet his needs, what impact did this have on the the people around him.

Overarching Structure
No uniform
No books
Travel costs
School fees
Worry
Mind elsewhere
Tired in School
Headaches
Lack school
materials
Unable to pay
school costs
Worry about
dependents
Feeling
exhausted
Physically &
emotionally
stressed
Can’t
afford
school
These children
have tangible
problems
Adapted from: www.open.edu/openlearnworks/mod/resource/view.php?id=52658
Codes
Concepts
Categories
Theory

Coding for Counting
ID Age Gender Likes Boy Pack Music Nothing
1001 21-30 M The boy and the music 1 0 1 0
1002 41-50 M The new pack 0 1 0 0
1003 41-50 F
The way the young man opens the
packaging 1 1 0 0
1004 31-40 F Nothing 0 0 0 1
1005 51-60 O Nothing in particular 0 0 0 1
1006 21-30 M The tune 0 0 1 0
1007 61-70 M The main character, very charming 1 0 0 0
1008 21-30 F The colours on the pack 0 1 0 0

Coding for Structure
No uniform
No books
Travel costs
School fees
Worry
Mind elsewhere
Tired in School
Headaches
Lack school
materials
Unable to pay
school costs
Worry about
dependents
Feeling
exhausted
Physically &
emotionally
stressed
Can’t
afford
school
These children
have tangible
problems
Adapted from: www.open.edu/openlearnworks/mod/resource/view.php?id=52658
Codes
Concepts
Categories
Theory

Formal Methods
for Qual Analysis
A wide range of alternative
approaches:
• Grounded Theory
• Narrative Analysis
• Thematic Analysis
• Discourse Analysis
• Conversation Analysis
• Sensemaking

Conversation Analysis
Q. What did you take into account when you decided to buy this new
technology?
What did we... we looked at cost, we looked at reliability and we sort of,
we compared a few different types, talked to some people that had
them.
Q. When you say you talked to some people who were they?
Some dental colleagues. There's a couple of internet sites that we talked
to some people... people had tried out some that didn't work very well.
Q. So in terms of materials either preventive materials or restorative
materials; what do you take in account when you decide which one to
adopt?
Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I suppose we [laughs] look at
reliability. I suppose I've been looking at literature involved in it so I quite
like my own little research about that, because I don't really trust the
research that comes with the product and once again what other
dentists are using and what they've been using and they're happy with.
I'm finding the internet, some of those internet forums are actually quite
good for new products.
Conversation Analysis
Pauses/Repairs/Disconnects:
Person is portraying that they are
not confident.
Restructured answer
“Well, that’s a good question.” –
Indicates the question was not a
good question, deals with it by
saying ‘Don’t know’ and then
proceeds to answer what he/she
thinks the questioner is hoping to
learn.
From an example of Grounded Theory
www.biomedcentral.com/imedia/4037816045634649/supp3.doc

Discourse Analysis
Q. What did you take into account when you decided to buy this new
technology?
What did we... we looked at cost, we looked at reliability and we sort of,
we compared a few different types, talked to some people that had
them.
Q. When you say you talked to some people who were they?
Some dental colleagues. There's a couple of internet sites that we talked
to some people... people had tried out some that didn't work very well.
Q. So in terms of materials either preventive materials or restorative
materials; what do you take in account when you decide which one to
adopt?
Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I suppose we [laughs] look at
reliability. I suppose I've been looking at literature involved in it so I
quite like my own little research about that, because I don't really trust
the research that comes with the product and once again what other
dentists are using and what they've been using and they're happy with.
I'm finding the internet, some of those internet forums are actually
quite good for new products.
DA - Footing
The role the dentist is filling?
Somebody who is not confident,
and who is doubtful about the
sources available to him/her.

Discourse Analysis
Q. What did you take into account when you decided to buy this new
technology?
What did we... we looked at cost, we looked at reliability and we sort of,
we compared a few different types, talked to some people that had
them.
Q. When you say you talked to some people who were they?
Some dental colleagues. There's a couple of internet sites that we talked
to some people... people had tried out some that didn't work very well.
Q. So in terms of materials either preventive materials or restorative
materials; what do you take in account when you decide which one to
adopt?
Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I suppose we [laughs] look at
reliability. I suppose I've been looking at literature involved in it so I
quite like my own little research about that, because I don't really trust
the research that comes with the product and once again what other
dentists are using and what they've been using and they're happy with.
I'm finding the internet, some of those internet forums are actually
quite good for new products.
DA – Repetition
Reliability & “Internet sites”
No repetition of cost. Cost is a
‘preferred response’ – it is used
and discarded.

Discourse Analysis
Q. What did you take into account when you decided to buy this new
technology?
What did we... we looked at cost, we looked at reliability and we sort of,
we compared a few different types, talked to some people that had
them.
Q. When you say you talked to some people who were they?
Some dental colleagues. There's a couple of internet sites that we talked
to some people... people had tried out some that didn't work very well.
Q. So in terms of materials either preventive materials or restorative
materials; what do you take in account when you decide which one to
adopt?
Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I suppose we [laughs] look at
reliability. I suppose I've been looking at literature involved in it so I
quite like my own little research about that, because I don't really trust
the research that comes with the product and once again what other
dentists are using and what they've been using and they're happy with.
I'm finding the internet, some of those internet forums are actually
quite good for new products.
DA – Evaluative terms
I quite like my own little research
I don’t really trust the research that
comes with the product
Some of those internet forums are
actually quite good for new
products

DA Thoughts
Q. What did you take into account when you decided to buy this new
technology?
What did we... we looked at cost, we looked at reliability and we sort
of, we compared a few different types, talked to some people that
had them.
Q. When you say you talked to some people who were they?
Some dental colleagues. There's a couple of internet sites that we
talked to some people... people had tried out some that didn't work
very well.
Q. So in terms of materials either preventive materials or restorative
materials; what do you take in account when you decide which one to
adopt?
Well, that's a good question. I don't know. I suppose we [laughs] look
at reliability. I suppose I've been looking at literature involved in it so I
quite like my own little research about that, because I don't really
trust the research that comes with the product and once again what
other dentists are using and what they've been using and they're
happy with. I'm finding the internet, some of those internet forums
are actually quite good for new products.
The story?
The dentist lacks confidence,
he/she mentions cost, but comes
back to the topic of reliability.
He/she distrusts the research from
the manufacturers, so tries to do
his/her own research, by
connecting with people who have
used the new products, via internet
forums
Sales Recommendation
Connect this type of dentist with
happy users. Encourage reliability
testimonials and SM posts.

Finding the Story
• Use the client’s question as the lens
• Tag, code, memo the material as you
analyse
• Challenge what is
known/believed/predicted
• Find the main story
• Find the relevant exceptions/differences
• Create an overall structure, the plot
• Is it good news or bad news?

Finding the Clues
in the Data
1. Using the question as a lens
2. Look for:
• Connections
• Contradictions
• Curiosities
• Surprises
• Omissions
3. Assemble the story

Connections
Looking at the feedback about a pub restaurant in a hiking area there was a
common pattern
1. Many people at the end of day’s walking liked the pub, service and
food
2. Many people who had driven to the pub did not like the service and
food (but they liked the building/location).
Ideas to investigate
a) Did the two groups have different expectations/needs?
b) Did the staff have more affinity with the hikers?
c) Did the presence of the hikers detract from the experience for some of
the non-hikers?

Contradictions
Looking at reviews of visits to the Eiffel Tower, there is an interesting group who
A. Felt they had to visit it
B. Did not really enjoy the visit
C. Still felt afterwards they had to visit it
This is a contradiction in terms of what we expect the rationale for a visit to be.
Ideas to explore:
Would not knowing what it was like have been a worry? Did they worry what
others would say if they did not visit it? Did they feel it was a necessary duty?
(like visiting a relative when in the neighbourhood)
Does this create a business opportunity – get the hit quicker, with less fuss, for a
fee?

Curiosities
Just before the year 2000 there was a growth in the supply of
handheld GPS devices, to help hikers navigate the wilds
In conversations with the early adopters, it became clear that the
main actual use was to collect information on how many steps had
been taken, how far the route had been, what was the average
speed, and how much height was gained and lost. (This predated the
rise of things like the Fitbit and the Apple Watch collecting exercise
data.)
Ideas to explore
Always look at what people are doing, if what they are doing is not
what was intended, it could be the best next step

Surprises
Surprises often stem from having the wrong expectations
One client asked for groups with tech engineers to see why they
were choosing chip X over chip Y, given chip Y was better. Were there
advertising, marketing, logistical reasons?
We discovered that the engineers who used X and Y had found X was
actually better than Y – time to tear up the discussion guide and
pivot
Ideas to explore
What criteria were the engineers using to define ‘better’? Were they
wrong in any of their ‘facts’? What had the client misunderstood
about the comparison between X and Y?

Omissions
• What did people not say? What did they not do? What did
they not take a photo of?
• A class of Masters students were asked to capture photos of
their meals over the weekend as part of their research
course
• When we (as a group) analysed the pictures, it was
noticeable that almost nobody had collected a photo of a
boring meal
When you read a reference for a prospective new employee, you should always
pay attention to omissions. Did they mention punctuality, did they mention
accuracy, did they mention ability to get on with others? If it is not there, it speaks
loudly!

Confirming
and
Disconfirming
Processes
• If people who love you don’t like it, then ‘it’
is really is bad
• If people who don’t like you, like it, then it
is good
• If people who say they would buy it, can’t
say when and how they would use it, then
their purchase is disconfirmed
• If people who say they would buy it can
describe how they buy it, where they would
store it, how and when they would use it –
we have confirming evidence

Find the root
cause – by
using the ‘5
Whys’
The car won’t start
1. Why? – The battery is dead. (First why)
2. Why? – The alternator is not functioning.
(Second why)
3. Why? – The alternator belt has broken. (Third
why)
4. Why? – The alternator belt was well beyond
its useful service life and not replaced.
(Fourth why)
5. Why? – The vehicle was not maintained
according to the recommended service
schedule. (Fifth why, a root cause)

The Lead
Nora Ephron
When Harry Met Sally
Sleepless in Seattle
1st Day in Journalism School
5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where & Why?)
Asked to write the Lead for the school newspaper
“The entire school faculty will travel to Sacramento next
Thursday for a colloquium in new teaching methods.
Among the speakers will be anthropologist Margaret
Mead, college president Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, and
California Governor Edmund Brown.”
All the students wrote about the 5Ws – good, but not
right.
The Lead?
No school next Thursday!

Qualitative
Analysis and
Numbers
In qual analysis we tend to work
with the following quantities
• Nobody
• Almost nobody
• A few
• Many
• Almost everybody
• Everybody

Qualitative
Analysis
and
Numbers

Using Automation,
Algorithms and AI

The Building Blocks of Stories
Fact 1 Fact 2 Fact 3 Fact 4 Fact 5 Fact 6 Fact 7 Fact 8 Fact 9
Finding
1
Finding
2
Finding
3
Finding
4
Finding
5
Finding
6
Finding
7
Finding
8
Insight

Categorizing the Facts
Fact a Fact d
Fact c
Nice to Know
Fact b
Fact f
Fact g Fact l
Fact e
Fact h
Fact i
Fact j
Fact k

Extract the Findings
Fact a Fact d
Fact c
Nice to Know
Fact b
Fact f
Fact g Fact l
Fact e
Fact h
Fact i
Fact j
Fact k
Finding
a
Finding
b
Finding
c
Finding
d
Finding
e

Secondary Findings
Fact a Fact d
Fact c
Nice to Know
Fact b
Fact f
Fact g Fact l
Fact e
Fact h
Fact i
Fact j
Fact k
Finding
a
Finding
b
Finding
c
Finding
d
Finding
e
Finding
f

Extract the Insight
Fact a Fact d
Fact c
Nice to Know
Fact b
Fact f
Fact g Fact l
Fact e
Fact h
Fact i
Fact j
Fact k
Finding
a
Finding
b
Finding
c
Finding
d
Finding
e
Finding
f
Insight

So What?
Fact a Fact d
Fact c
Nice to Know
Fact b
Fact f
Fact g Fact l
Fact e
Fact h
Fact i
Fact j
Fact k
Finding
a
Finding
b
Finding
c
Finding
d
Finding
e
Finding
f
Insight
Action

Using ‘Cut Up’ for Narratives
Dadaism
William S Burroughs
Beat poet & artist David Bowie

Using ‘Cut Up’ for Narratives
Mind mapping software can also be used
For each discussion, set of images,
or smartphone videos – find the
main story.
Write this story on a card – perhaps
with colour coding.
Move the cards around to find the
story. Similar cards close together.
Missing links suggest more analysis
required.
Build the story architecture.

Finding the
Patterns in the
Data
1. Using the question as a lens
2. Making the patterns easier
to see
3. Look for Connections,
Contradictions, Curiosities,
Surprises & Omissions
4. Assemble the story

Not a shopping list of what was said
Describe the meal

Questions?