This article explains how to use Genie effectively to answer qualitative research questions. It includes best practices for writing focused questions, structuring concept testing, and enabling cross-group comparisons.
General Guidelines
Genie is optimized to answer your key research questions by analyzing what was actually said in the transcript. Follow these tips to get the clearest and most actionable results:
- Ask only one focused question per text field. This allows Genie to concentrate on a single task at a time. You can manually enter any questions you need.
- Genie is designed for qualitative analysis. Avoid questions that ask for calculations (e.g., percentages, averages) or about the absence of ideas.
- Phrase questions based on what was said, rather than what was missing. For example:
✓ “What suggestions did respondents give to improve our message?”
✗ “Did anyone fail to mention price?”
- Use questions pulled directly from your Discussion Guide to align answers with interview flow.
Select which discussion guide you'd like to pull questions from, then select your question and hit save.
You can select multiple questions, and you can have at the end a mix of questions from the discussion guide and questions that are not in the discussion guide.
Concept Testing Best Practices
When testing multiple concepts in interviews, clear and consistent labeling is key. This ensures Genie can identify and analyze each concept correctly. Use the methods below:
- Upload-media filenames: Name stimulus files descriptively when uploading (e.g., “Concept A – 30s Video”). These names are injected into the transcript and tag the related discussion.
- Verbal call-outs: Ask the moderator to clearly say the concept name during the session (e.g., “Now let’s look at Concept B”). This becomes part of the transcript.
- Transcript edits post-session: If a concept was not labeled live, insert cues like “<<Concept C starts>>” manually into the transcript.
- Concept labels in the Summary setup: In the Summary page, enter the name and a brief description for each concept (e.g., “Concept C = eco-friendly pack design”). This adds context to Genie’s analysis.
Tip: Use the same concept names consistently across all interviews. Consistency matters more than the specific label you choose.
Asking Concept Questions
Ask specific and comparison-driven questions that reference the labeled concepts:
- “Focus on Concept C. How did respondents react?”
- “List each concept and summarize positive versus negative reactions.”
- “Rank the concepts by overall sentiment and explain why.”
- “Identify every concept mentioned and summarise the key reactions to each.” (for large sets)
Segmentation and Cross-Group Comparisons
To compare responses across audience segments, structure your interviews and labeling carefully:
- Include segment names in interview titles (e.g., “Japan – Interview 07”, “US – Interview 12”).
- Use short, standardized segment tags such as “Gen Z”, “Millennial”, “Boomer”.
- Compare no more than 2–4 segments at a time for the clearest, most useful insights.
- Once segments are properly labeled, ask Genie: “Compare reactions between the US and Japan segments.”
Following these updated best practices will help Genie deliver deeper, more accurate insights from your qualitative research.
Self-Paced Summary Segmentation
When running Self-Paced Summaries, it's important to include segment labels in the correct places so Genie can differentiate responses:
- In source data: Include the segment name in the Activity or Task title (e.g., “Japan – Activity 1”).
- For Human-Led summaries: Use segment labels in the interview titles.
- For Self-Paced summaries: Label each Activity or Task with the appropriate segment.
- Use consistent, short segment names such as “Gen Z”, “Millennial”, “Boomer”.
- Limit comparisons to 2–4 segments at once for clarity.
- When selecting interviews, activities, or tasks for analysis, only include those that belong to the segments you want to compare.
- Once segment titles are in place, ask: “Compare reactions between the US and Japan segments.”
Following these updated best practices will help Genie deliver deeper, more accurate insights from your qualitative research.
Here is where to create self-paced summaries. To know more what self-paced summaries, you can review this article : Self-Paced Summaries With Genie