Research Methods
Qualitative Research I Survey Research I Semiotics I Discourse Analysis
We offer decades of experience in a vast array or research methods from traditional focus groups and individual interviews through to accompanied shopping, digital ethnography, online qualitative, online and phone surveys, semiotics and much more. We custom design the research for each unique client and project. No cookie-cutter approach here.
Qualitative Research: The Essential First Step

If you want insight, you need to start with qualitative research. Qualitative research is when you listen to your customers and your members as they explain their world., in their words.
Marketers who skip the qualitative research stage and go straight to a survey end up measuring only about what they already know. You cannot learn anything new unless you do qualitative research first.
At the completion of one of our qualitative research projects – even small ones – our clients have a new understanding and empathy for how their customers think and feel. They are then able to measure the extent of these thoughts and emotions in survey research and from that can develop marketing, policies, services and products that engage their customers, in the language that their customers use.
We are experts in qualitative research. Indeed, because of her innovative approach Susan Bell has been called one of ‘four prominent voices’ in qualitative research worldwide.
Qualitative research is interactive
The first important point is that qualitative research works when people interact with and talk to each other. Conversations are therefore at the very heart of qualitative research.
Based on insights from social psychology and linguistics, we have developed a technique we call ‘looping conversations’ that encourage our respondents to engage and interact with us because we talk about what matters to them. This is a powerful form of qualitative research conducted by highly skilled moderators who know how to encourage people to open up and talk freely. It is not the stilted question and answer interviews that some agencies pretend will give them insight.
“Every meaningful conversation is made up of countless small choices. There are fleeting moments when the right deep question, or a vulnerable admission, or a kind word can completely change a dialogue. A silent laugh, a barely audible sigh, a friendly expression during a tense moment …” (Charles Duhigg)
Qualitative research methods
We are highly experienced in online and face-to-face individual / couple interviews, face to face focus groups, and digital and in person ethnography.
Qualitative research techniques
Techniques include looping conversations, journey mapping, projective and enabling questions, sensory qualitative research and co-creation.
Qualitative research specialities
We have particular expertise in any category where rituals are important – such as many food and personal care categories, and in the concept of liminality.
Survey Research To Measure

We have designed and conducted surveys for many of Australia’s largest organisations including government agencies, as well as a broad range of smaller companies and not-for-profit organisations. The result: they have made smarter decisions, with confidence.
Doing surveys differently by focussing on the words
Our clients will tell you that our approach to survey research is different because of the time we spend on question wording. Many researchers overlook how important this is. Surveys must be both clear and engaging, written in the language of the people answering the survey. We also must work hard to engage people to want to take our surveys. Surveys have to be interesting for the people we want to take part.
We will not force-fit your research objectives into some kind of global model or a statistical technique that you are not comfortable with. We design our surveys from scratch. For you.
Here are some of the questions we ask before we launch our surveys:
- Do our questions meet your research objectives?
- Will the survey engage the intended audience, so they want to complete it?
- Have we written the questions in a way that our respondents can understand and answer easily?
- Is the wording impartial?
- Have we tested the survey so we know that we have included all relevant answer options and avoided using jargon?
Survey research types
Our survey expertise includes:
- customer and non-customer tracking studies
- behaviour and attitude studies
- segmentation studies
- concept development and testing
- stakeholder surveys
Survey research methods
While most surveys are conducted online, we are committed to a mixed methods approach, using the method most suited to the target audience.
Semiotics: Culture And Imagery

Semiotics helps you understand cultural change
Australian culture is changing all the time, but often in ways that are hard to see as they are happening. As an example, think about the influence of Asian culture on everyday shopping. At one time, “Asian” in Australia meant ‘local Chinese restaurant’ . These days, Asian supermarkets ae a feature of many suburban shopping centres, and there are queues at the Bubble Tea Stall. This then affects the meals we want to make at home which in turn shapes the foods we buy in the supermarket. All this starts with culture change.
One of the main reasons why our clients commission semiotics projects is to understand culture change.
Semiotics also helps you choose the right imagery
Do you want to use imagery or symbolism on your packs, landing page or ads that convey meaning that your market understands immediately and unequivocally? Then you need the unique nuanced insights that a semiotic image analysis brings. Semiotics is the study of how signs and symbols convey meaning or ‘signify’ and how they cluster into patterns called ‘codes’.
Semiotics methods
- Top-down semiotics: how is luxury represented in today’s world? (In semiotic speak: ‘what are the Codes of Luxury in the Australian market?’)
- Bottom-up semiotics: what signs and symbols can we use on pack or in an ad to convey freshness, or pain relief or .. the examples are too numerous to mention.
Semiotic analysis requires years of training to conduct well. We have been doing it since the 1980’s which makes us one of the longest-standing semiotics experts in the world!
Semiotics agencies we have worked with
Semiotics and cultural insights agencies that we have worked with include Creative Semiotics, Space Doctors, Athena Brand Wisdom and Verve.
Discourse Analysis For Written Language

Discourse analysis is a desk-based qualitative research method that focuses mostly on written language such as the language of social media, or corporate reports and letters.
This technique can reveal rich insights about what people believe and how they perceive their social world, for example the language that people use about older people reveals what they believe about ageing.
We can combine Discourse Analysis with Semiotics or you can commission us to conduct Discourse Analysis as a stand-alone project.
We would love to hear from you. We are always happy to talk about research methods and options if you are unsure what you need.