Qualitative analysis synthesizes, examines, and interprets non-numerical information, especially unstructured or free-form language recorded as text. section 3.2.1
It connects analytical findings with people’s experiences through interviews, focus groups, free-text survey responses, and language-processing methods. Quotes and themes can make quantitative results more concrete for stakeholders. section 3.2.1
Choose methods according to the size and purpose of the inquiry:
- Use one-to-one interviews and focus groups as starting points for small-sample research. section 3.2.1
- Use natural language processing, including sentiment analysis and topic modeling, to generate insights from larger text samples. section 3.2.1
- Set clear expectations about the deliverable and how its interpretation was derived. section 3.2.1
Small-sample methods can struggle with generalizability when used independently, so qualitative findings will often need quantitative complements. Automated language methods can also confuse stakeholders unfamiliar with them. section 3.2.1
