The Ultimate Guide to Writing Qualitative Research Questions

Your marketing team wants to understand customer responses to a recent product launch campaign. While quantitative data, such as ad views or approval rates, provide surface-level insights, a deeper understanding requires qualitative research questions.

Qualitative questions reveal deeper insights into customer experiences and perceptions, helping you understand the “why” and “how” behind behaviors and beliefs. While quantitative questions gather measurable data, qualitative questions explore non-measurable aspects.

In this article, we’ll explain why and when teams should use qualitative research questions in market research. We’ll also provide examples and tips on writing effective research questions.

What is a qualitative research question?

Qualitative research questions are open-ended questions designed to explore people’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and experiences. Teams use qualitative research questions to gain detailed insights, improve customer satisfaction, and build brand loyalty by collecting rich, non-numerical data.

While qualitative questions will vary, their commonly shared characteristics include:

Open-ended: Unlike quantitative research, qualitative questions allow respondents to answer in their own words rather than from predefined choices.
Exploratory in nature: Effective qualitative research questions are designed to uncover insights into respondents’ thoughts and feelings.
Context-focused: Qualitative research methods seek to understand the “why” and “how” behind decisions.
Flexible and adaptable: Based on participants' responses, good qualitative research questions can be adjusted in an interview or focus group.
Subjective: Qualitative data isn't easily measurable but provides rich details.

Qualitative research question examples

Qualitative research offers a wide range of question types, each designed to uncover different kinds of insights. To help you craft compelling questions, we’ll first break down the key types and then share five real-world examples of each to bring them to life.

Descriptive questions

Descriptive questions are designed to gather straightforward information about respondents’ experiences or behaviors. These questions help qualitative and quantitative researchers understand the respondent's circumstance—or the who, what, when, and where.

Example questions:

What does your typical workday look like?
What tools or products do you use most often in your work?
Where do you usually go when you're looking for information about [topic]?
Who is typically involved in your decision-making process for purchases?
When did you first start using our service, and how did you hear about it?

Exploratory questions

Exploratory questions invite respondents to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in depth. Researchers ask exploratory questions to uncover motivations and underlying reasons behind certain behaviors.

Example questions:

What expectations did you have before using our product?
How did you feel during your first interaction with our brand?
What motivated you to choose our product over others?
Why is this feature important to you?
What thoughts came to mind as you navigated our website?

Comparative questions

Comparative questions ask respondents to assess the similarities or differences between two or more choices. Researchers use this type of question to identify preferences, perceived value, or trade-offs.

Example questions:

How does our product compare to others you’ve used?
What differences have you noticed between our customer service and that of other companies?
Which platform do you find more user-friendly, and why?
How did your experience with our competitor differ from your experience with us?
What factors led you to choose us over another provider?

Predictive questions

Predictive questions enable researchers to predict and understand future behaviors. These questions often begin with “What would you do if…” or “How likely are you to…”

Example questions:

What would make you more likely to purchase from us again in the future?
How do you think your needs will change over the next year?
If we introduced [feature/product], how likely would you be to use it?
What challenges do you anticipate in reaching your goals, and how might we help?
What would cause you to stop using our service or switch to a competitor?

Process-oriented questions

Process-oriented questions are used to map customer journeys and focus on the customer's decision-making process. They examine a customer's steps to achieve a specific outcome.

Example questions:

Can you walk me through the steps you took before making your purchase?
How do you typically research solutions for a problem like this?
What was your decision-making process when choosing between options?
What steps do you take from discovering a product to completing a purchase?
How do you onboard new tools or services within your organization?

Experiential questions

Experiential questions focus on personal experiences and how they impacted the respondent. Experiential questions often lead to detailed, story-like answers.

Example questions:

Can you describe your experience using our product for the first time?
What stood out to you most during your interaction with our support team?
How did it feel when you encountered [specific issue or moment] during your journey?
What was the most memorable part of your experience with our brand?
Can you share a story about a time our service made a difference for you?

How to write qualitative research questions

Writing effective qualitative research questions in your market research surveys doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ll guide you step-by-step in crafting focused, open-ended questions suited for qualitative research. Read on for expert tips and best practices.

1. Start with broad questions before narrowing them down

In market research, start with broad qualitative questions before narrowing down. This encourages respondents to share open, uninfluenced insights, which can uncover unexpected perspectives and guide more targeted follow-up questions.

For example, in a focus group for a new product launch, begin by asking for general impressions. Based on responses, you can tailor follow-up questions to explore specific features, pricing, or other key details.

What is your first impression of the new product launch?
What do you like most about the new product?
Do you have any suggestions for improving the new product?

Flexible qualitative research questions in focus groups allow for in-depth exploration.

2. Use “how” and “why” to explore behaviors, opinions, or experiences

Ask qualitative questions that begin with “how” or “why” to explore people’s experiences in depth. These types of qualitative research questions help uncover the motivations, feelings, and behaviors behind customer actions. For example, asking why someone chose a product or how they felt during the purchase can reveal valuable insights.

This type of qualitative data is especially useful for marketing teams. It can inform campaign messaging, enhance customer experience strategies, and refine product positioning based on genuine customer perspectives.

3. Avoid yes/no questions or leading questions

When conducting qualitative research, avoid yes/no questions as they often limit the depth of responses. Instead, rephrase them to encourage richer, more detailed answers. While not inherently wrong, yes/no questions generally provide less insight than open-ended alternatives.

For example, rather than asking, “Did you enjoy your online shopping experience today?” ask, “How would you describe your online shopping experience today?”

Also, steer clear of leading questions, which can bias responses by implying a preferred answer.

For example, “How much did you enjoy our excellent customer service today?” This question suggests that the customer service was excellent, which may bias the respondent’s answer.

This approach invites more honest, nuanced feedback.

4. Ensure the questions are clear and simple to avoid confusion

Sometimes, researchers believe that because they are seeking a detailed answer, they need to ask a detailed question. This isn’t usually the case. Researchers can get highly contextual and detailed responses to simple questions.

Don’t overcomplicate the research questions. Keep your language clear and straightforward, avoiding industry jargon.

For example, you can expect a fairly detailed response to a question like, “Why do you shop at our company?”

Likewise, it’s best not to overwrite questions or combine two questions into one. This confuses respondents and often results in vague or unfocused answers.

For example, "How was your experience, and how likely are you to tell your friends about this experience?"

5. Focus on the scope

Scope is critical when crafting qualitative research questions. A question that's too narrow may restrict meaningful responses, while one that's too broad can confuse respondents and yield vague, unfocused answers. The key is to strike a balance.

To do this, align your questions with your research objectives while allowing space for varied perspectives.

For example, instead of asking, “What do you think about our entire product lineup?” try, “How did our recent release of the product influence your perception of our brand?” This keeps the question focused yet open-ended enough to generate rich insights.

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