Platform overview
Data quality
Analysis
By Use Case
Brand tracking
Consumer profiling
Market analysis
New product development
Multi-market research
Creative testing
Concept testing
Campaign tracking
Competitor analysis
Quant & qual insights
Seasonal research
By Role
Marketers
Insights professionals
Data storytelling playbook
2025 UK F&B trends report
2025 US F&B trends report
2024 UK media consumption report
Consumer Research Academy
Survey templates
Help center
Blog
Careers
There’s something very satisfying about being asked a great question that really gets you thinking. And in qualitative market research, it’s especially valuable.
If you ask the right person the right question, you’ll be able to uncover next steps — both small ones and big leaps — that will lead you to a better brand.
If you approach qualitative research right, you can get rich and valuable insights into your customers’ behaviors, and how to play into them.
You’ll learn about how customers interact, their motivations, and how to be there when they need you. And, you’ll uncover things about your brand that are difficult to find out from the inside.
We’re about to show you 25 qualitative research questions across six categories, that will allow you to take a deep dive into your target customers’ brain. These research questions are perfect to use in focus groups or with Attest’s Video Responses feature.
Qualitative research questions come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve split them up in several categories to inspire you to mix it up in your next survey or interview and make them work for your choice of qualitative research question types and methods.
Descriptive questions are effective qualitative research questions that allow participants to describe experiences, opinions and more.
Understand the nuance in your audience’s behaviors
Getting that nuance through qual research will help you explain thy why to your quant ‘whats’, and give you much-needed inspiration during ideation
Using comparative qualitative research questions you can invite respondents to talk about your brand, product or services in comparison to others. It can help you understand the differences between you and your competitors, from your consumers’ perspective.
These qualitative research questions are a great addition to numbers, scores and other numerical data derived from quantitative research questions in a quantitative study.
Exploratory qualitative research questions are used in qualitative methods to tap into potential opportunities, and uncover insights that haven’t been previously considered. Add these research questions to your qualitative research studies if you’re on the hunt for new ideas.
These qualitative research questions focus on the personal experiences of your users, and try to understand their journey and interactions with the product or service deeply.
Behavioral qualitative research questions seek to understand the actions and behaviors of consumers, particularly in relation to your product or service. Adding these to your qualitative study will make it more relevant to daily life applications.
These qualitative questions explore the emotional connections and reactions participants have towards a particular topic, product, service, or brand. The qualitative questions examples below specifically bring a human side to quantitative research.
How this team aced their pitch with qual insights
Qual research helped Barrows understand glasses wearers’ pain points and wow a prospective client.
Got a burning question? Here’s how to make it part of a successful qualitative research project.
Knowing why you’re asking something is what helps you ask it the right way. Ask yourself what your general research objective is and how each of your qualitative research questions helps you get to the main answer.
Whether you’re looking for insights for your food brand, or market research for the automotive industry, the principle is the same…
For every qualitative research question you ask, find out IF it leads you closer to your goals, and make sure you can explain HOW it does so.
There’s an art in asking great open-ended questions. Here’s an example of both seemingly similar open-ended, qualitative research questions, but one’s good, and one’s not:
“Why do you think people say this new smartwatch is better than others on the market?”
“What feedback are you hearing about this smartwatch in comparison to other smartwatches you know?”
The first one already works with the assumption and bias that your product is great. You’re practically putting words into your respondent’s mouth/answer box. The next one lets them come up with their own, unbiased response.
Good qualitative research questions should be:
If you tick these boxes, your respondents will feel encouraged to express their opinions and motivations freely, which in turn will add depth and context to your research findings.
Let’s talk about flow. Imagine the panic that would set in if your first question in a job interview would be ”and how do you tackle problems with coworkers?”
Timing matters. Mixing up the question matters. This will create a great flow and keep respondents engaged and enthusiastic, and will avoid confusion.
Make sure to give respondents space to add comments or feedback where needed, but do so in a structured way, so your data remains easy to analyze.
We’re circling back to bias for a second, but just because there’s more to be said and done. Avoiding bias in your surveys and qualitative research questions isn’t just about avoiding certain words or biased language, it also helps to choose a well-mixed and representative audience. On top of that, make sure your survey churns out high-quality data, not just high-volume. Read more about how we work on keeping your data in great shape.
Do a mic-check before you send your qualitative research survey out to thousands of people. With pilot testing, you make sure your survey’s research questions are as-to-the-point as you hoped it to be. Send it to a small slice of your total audience, but make sure that the pilot group is just as representative as the total one will be.
When you hit that sweet spot of the right qualitative research questions and a perfectly represented audience, the feedback you receive from qualitative research isn’t just data—it’s a roadmap to deeper understanding and connection with your audience. For those looking to dive into the rich world of conducting qualitative research, Attest offers the market research tools and audience reach you need to make every question count. Check out how Attest can help bring your qualitative research to life.
VP Customer Success
Sam joined Attest in 2019 and leads the Customer Research Team. Sam and her team support brands through their market research journey, helping them carry out effective research and uncover insights to unlock new areas for growth.
13 min read
4 min read
Fill in your email and we’ll drop fresh insights and events info into your inbox each week.
* I agree to receive communications from Attest. Privacy Policy.
You're now subscribed to our mailing list to receive exciting news, reports, and other updates!