Creating Better Insights with Younger Participants
By Tristan Shook
The emergence of Gen Z as a distinct cohort that is poised to change consumer culture has expectedly created interest in the market research industry.
Companies and agencies are dedicating resources to the time honored impulse to ‘know more about what the kids are up to’ so they might capture market share, ‘influence hearts and minds,’ and ‘appeal to the younger generation.’ But here within the qualitative practice at W5 our concern is different―how do you have a conversation with a young person that is comfortable, honest, and revealing about what they think and what they do?
Here are a few guardrails, principles, or general things to think about when conducting qualitative research with younger audiences:
Building rapport and opening up: As with any audience it is essential to make the respondent comfortable sharing with you. Make sure there is time within the interview or research format to understand expectations and ease into the conversation.
Keep it short: Adults have attention spans shorter than you would imagine (famously shorter than a goldfish), so you can imagine the challenge in engaging a young person for an extended period too. Shorter time commitments are more effective.
Get active: Along these lines, incorporate activities and creative exercises that break up the conversation into smaller pieces and encourage different modes of expression.
The right moderator matters: It takes specific experience to get the most from conversations with younger audiences.
Check in on the parents: It goes without saying that parental permission and consent are important check marks before conducting research with anyone under 18 years old. But also consider what you are trying to learn and whether a parent’s perspective on behavior could complement the child’s, particularly in situations where self-reporting and reflection might not be reliable.
But trust their voice: It is easy to dismiss the perspectives of younger audiences as immature or ill-informed but it might lead you to miss important details. Listen, engage, and try to empathize with what they say and do.