How do you know if the questions and answers in a member survey are the right ones? You might not. Survey participants will select an answer because that is what they are expected to do or because the survey makes them, but the answer they select may not be the right answer. The answer they select might be the closest answer to the real answer, but not the correct answer.
I like qualitative research methods because they allow members the opportunity to steer the conversation to the topics that are most important to them. If a question is wrong or boring they have every opportunity to feed you the correct question or answer a more important question. With qualitative methods respondents have the freedom to articulate their most correct answer; they are not forced to pick from a list of answers pre-selected for them.
Early in an interview project, I may ask a question and members will correct me. I hear what you are asking they say, but this question, which is similar, is more interesting/important/urgent. Additionally, there is room in each interview for members to talk about what is most important to them whether they want to talk about the association, or the profession, or the industry, or their career.
Qualitative research helps us do a deep dive on what matters most to our members.
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