It was a whirlwind year
Every event this year underscored the same truth. Research is no longer defined by the method we choose. It is defined by the experience we create and the speed at which we can deliver.
From TMRE to Quirks NY and every GRIT cycle in between, a few themes kept surfacing:
- The need for trust - Data quality concerns climbed as AI-generated responses, bots and disengaged participants became part of the reality we all had to contend with. Trust in respondents, trust in sample, trust that the data represents real humans… none of it can be taken for granted anymore.
- Communities expanding their role - Instead of being tied to one-off projects, communities are transitioning to ongoing connection hubs. Longitudinal learning paired with quick pulse snapshots helps restore confidence while building participant relationships that feel less transactional and more like true partnership.
- AI moving from experimental to expected - Yes, it accelerated analysis and broadened access but AI has also forced everyone to rethink how they approach getting answers to key business questions and research across the board.
- Is “qual at scale” the new quant? - With rising expectations for both depth and speed, new tools and features are reimagining what qual can bring to the table and how fast we can act on the data being collected.
Across it all, researchers had to navigate the biggest shift in workflows we have seen in decades while still delivering clarity in a world that feels anything but clear. What stood out was not the volume of new tools. It was how quickly researchers were asked to integrate them into their day to day lives.
This year was a reminder that the industry is evolving faster than anyone anticipated and that there is a real shift in how we need to think moving forward.
What we learned this year
Kendra Speed’s TMRE session captured this perfectly. Researchers are navigating change that feels both urgent and ambiguous. They want a sense of control but the landscape keeps shifting. Her message was simple. Growth is not a destination. It is a practice. The researchers who leaned in early experimented often and shared openly were the ones who felt most prepared for the next wave of AI adoption.
The AI+HI conversations this year were some of the most honest I have heard. Not “robots taking jobs” or “AI doing it all” but a real acknowledgement that AI can be the brain while humans remain the heart. Tools can scale understanding but they cannot replace context, nuance or interpretation.
Even in highly technical sessions the takeaway was universal. Better input leads to better output. Models work best when built with intention and validated by people who understand the audiences behind the data.
What this means for Recollective and the teams we support
If earlier years were about proving digital qual could keep up, 2025 was the year it stopped apologizing and started owning what only it can do. Work that once required travel and tightly scheduled focus groups shifted into communities and ongoing engagements where activities, diary tasks, quick pulses and deeper discussions coexist, capturing people in their own worlds without losing momentum every time a study ended.
This year validated something we have believed for a long time. Technology should expand what is possible in qual not narrow it.
We watched customers run longitudinal ethnos inside communities without ever stepping into a home. We saw teams replace static open ends with adaptive conversations. We saw researchers blend multimodal studies to round out the why behind the what.
This is where Recollective helps teams thrive. When technology becomes a partner not a replacement. When AI enhances the work rather than flattening it. When the friction disappears and researchers get back the space they need to make sense of it all.
The result is a more fluid way to understand people. Less about singular moments more about patterns behavior and context.
That is why we invested in expanding asynchronous depth, supporting multimodal studies and analysis, launching Conversational AI and site wide Ask AI to keep researchers in control and to go beyond. It is about giving qual the room to scale without losing what makes it powerful.
Why we are excited about 2026
If 2025 was the year of acceleration, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of intention.
Teams are much clearer about what they need and what they will no longer compromise on. They want workflows that reflect how they actually work. They want tools that support the full spectrum of qual not pieces of it. They want trust back at the center because without it nothing else lands. And they want collaboration. Not just between humans and AI but across insight functions - product teams, marketing and strategy.
Next year is not about more tools. It is about better use of the tools and a renewed focus on what actually drives understanding.
The industry is shifting. Expectations are rising. The role of the researcher is expanding. But for the first time in a long time the momentum feels hopeful. We are not just adapting. We are designing the next version of this industry and heading into a moment where researchers get to redefine their role not defend it.
And that is something I am genuinely excited for.
Thank you for joining us in 2025. We wish you and yours a Happy New Year ahead!
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