The Qualitative Research Glossary

An Activity is the core unit of structured research in Recollective. It works like a survey: a collection of Tasks with a defined start and end date, but far more flexible. Activities are built by Analysts and Moderators and can be assigned to all participants in a Study or targeted at specific Segments. A single Activity can mix asynchronous tasks, journal entries and live video sessions in whatever combination the research design requires.

Admin is a collective term for any Recollective account holder with administrative access to a site or Study. It covers three distinct roles: Analyst, Moderator and Client. It does not include Panelists or research participants.

A Recollective AI feature that surfaces the most prominent topics discussed across a research session or Activity. Key Takeaways are generated automatically to give researchers an objective read on the data, helping to reduce confirmation bias and reveal patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.

An automatically generated overview of participant responses produced by Recollective AI. Summaries identify the most impactful insights and link them back to their source verbatims, reducing the time spent on manual analysis without removing the researcher from the interpretive process.

The automatic conversion of audio, video and screen recording responses into searchable, indexed text. Transcripts are the foundation for AI Summaries, Key Takeaways and Ask AI queries, and can be used to create video clips and highlight reels directly within the platform.

The highest-level administrative role in Recollective. Analysts have full access to Site Administration, including the ability to manage all Panelists, Studies and other Admin users across the site.

A Recollective feature that lets researchers query their qualitative data using natural language questions. Instead of manually reviewing responses, researchers type a question like “What frustrated participants most about the checkout experience?” and Ask AI returns an answer drawn from actual participant data, with links back to the original verbatims.

A research method in which participants complete Activities, Tasks and Discussions at their own pace within a set timeframe, rather than joining a live, real-time session. Async research gives participants time to reflect and respond thoughtfully, enables global participation across time zones and allows researchers to collect data at scale without scheduling overhead. Recollective supports both asynchronous and live research within a single platform.

A Recollective AI feature that translates participant responses, study content, Activities and comments across all supported languages in real time. Teams can run a single, unified study across multiple markets without building separate local versions, and can export data in any target language. Automatic Translations remove the cost and coordination overhead of third-party translation services.

A private, real-time collaboration space visible only to researchers, clients and translators during a live video IDI or digital focus group session. Backroom observers can observe the conversation, exchange notes and pass suggested questions to the moderator, all without interrupting or being seen by the participant.

An online qualitative research format in which participants respond to questions asynchronously over a defined period, typically three to five days, on a shared, moderated platform. Bulletin board studies are well suited to exploring attitudes, behaviors and reactions to stimuli without the constraints of live scheduling. In Recollective, they are delivered natively through Activity and Discussion features.

A qualitative and UX research Task type in which participants organize a set of items, such as product features, concepts or content categories, into groups that make sense to them. Card sorting helps researchers understand how people mentally categorize information, which informs information architecture, navigation design and product development. In Recollective, card sorting exercises are facilitated using the Sort & Rank Task type.

A limited administrative role in Recollective, typically used for research clients or stakeholders who need access to observe a Study in progress. By default, Clients have read-only access; additional permissions, such as the ability to comment or view specific reports, can be granted within individual Study settings.

A qualitative research approach in which participants actively contribute to developing or refining ideas, products or concepts alongside the research team. In Recollective, co-creation is typically facilitated through Discussion Topics, open-ended Tasks, image review exercises and collaborative Activities designed to gather and iterate on ideas in real time.

A Study-specific reference document in Recollective that contains all the labels (codes) used to classify and tag Excerpts. The Code Book is managed by Analysts and Moderators within Study Settings and is applied during the excerpting process. A consistent Code Book makes thematic analysis structured and repeatable across large volumes of qualitative data.

A research method used to evaluate how a target audience responds to a new product, message, design or idea before it is launched. In Recollective, concept tests can incorporate image markup, video review, open-ended Tasks, polls and discussion boards to capture qualitative reactions alongside quantitative ratings.

A Recollective feature that uses an AI moderator to conduct one-on-one, chat-based, in-depth interviews with participants at any scale and in any supported language, without requiring a live human moderator. The AI follows the researcher’s defined conversation objectives, adapts in real time based on participant responses and produces a full transcript, AI summary and indexed dataset for analysis. The Conversation Task makes it possible to run hundreds or thousands of qualitative interviews in parallel.

Another name for the Conversational AI Task type. See Conversational AI for the full definition.

A qualitative research method that follows participants through a real-world experience, whether a purchase decision, service interaction or product adoption, to map key moments, pain points and emotional reactions at each step. In Recollective, customer journey studies combine Activity sequences, Journal Activities, photo and video tasks and discussions to capture feedback as it happens, not after the fact.

Another name for a Journal Activity in Recollective. See Journal Activity for the full definition.

A qualitative research method in which participants document their natural behaviors, environments and daily routines over time using digital tools like photos, videos and written responses, rather than being observed in person. Digital ethnography delivers rich, longitudinal insights that traditional fieldwork cannot match at scale. In Recollective, it is delivered through Journal Activities and mobile Task responses.

A Recollective feature that enables real-time, synchronous research sessions with up to 25 participants on video or hundreds in a live text-based chat room. Moderators can share stimuli, run polls, manage speakers and monitor attendance in real time, while clients and observers collaborate privately in the Backroom. AI-generated transcripts and summaries are produced automatically after the session.

A threaded, community-style conversation within a Recollective Study. Topics are typically started by Analysts or Moderators, though Studies can be configured to allow participants to create their own. Responses support text, photos and videos and can be rated, liked or commented on, creating a dynamic, searchable record of participant dialogue. Discussions are well suited to open-ended exploration and ongoing community engagement.

Saved verbatim selections of participant responses, including text, video or audio, that researchers identify as significant during analysis. Excerpts can be tagged with codes from the Code Book, shared with stakeholders and assembled into evidence-rich reports. Coding Excerpts in real time as a Study is running means the analysis process begins before fieldwork ends.

A qualitative research method used at the early stages of an inquiry to uncover attitudes, behaviors, motivations and unmet needs before the team has formed specific hypotheses. In Recollective, exploratory studies can be conducted through open-ended Activities, Discussions, digital diaries and Conversational AI interviews.

A visual overlay applied to an image in a Recollective Image Review Task. Participants place markers on areas of the image to indicate interest, concern or preference, and the aggregate data is displayed as a heat map showing where attention or reaction was concentrated across the participant group. Heat maps are commonly used in packaging research, advertising evaluation and UX testing.

A curated selection of video clips drawn from AI-generated transcripts of live or asynchronous video or audio responses in Recollective. Researchers select and sequence clips to create a shareable, evidence-based narrative for stakeholders, directly within the platform.

A research design that combines asynchronous Activities and live sessions, such as video IDIs or focus groups, within a single Recollective Study. Hybrid studies allow teams to use async tasks for depth and breadth, then follow up with live conversations to probe the most important themes in real time.

A structured research and co-creation method in which participants generate, evaluate and build on new ideas. In Recollective, ideation sessions can be run through Discussion Topics, open-ended Tasks and Activity sequences designed to rapidly seed and iterate on concepts before committing to development.

A one-on-one qualitative interview designed to explore a participant’s attitudes, experiences and motivations in depth. IDIs can be conducted live via video within Recollective, or asynchronously at scale through the Conversation Task.

A Recollective Task type in which participants annotate an image by clicking, drawing on or commenting on specific areas to indicate reactions, preferences or issues. Aggregate responses generate heat maps and individual annotation data that can be analyzed alongside other qualitative responses.

A private, invitation-only online research community made up of recruited participants who engage in ongoing research Activities, Discussions and studies over an extended period. Insight communities, also known as MROCs (Market Research Online Communities), enable brands to access timely qualitative feedback without re-recruiting for each new project. Recollective supports always-on insight communities through its platform and through Recollective Connect.

A qualitative research approach that captures participant reactions and behaviors as they happen in real life, whether in a store, at home or during a service interaction, using mobile devices. Participants complete Activity Tasks in context, providing immediate, natural data that retrospective methods cannot replicate.

An Activity type in Recollective designed to capture repeated participant input over time: a daily diary, a weekly check-in or a product usage log. Journal Activities are ideal for tracking how attitudes, behaviors or experiences evolve across the duration of a study. Also referred to as a Digital Diary.

A participant-facing feature in Recollective that displays rankings based on points earned through research participation. Leaderboards can be used to increase engagement and motivate completion within a Study. They are enabled and configured per Study within Study Settings.

Another name for a Digital Focus Group in Recollective. See Digital Focus Group (Live Group Chat) for the full definition.

A one-on-one video interview conducted in real time within Recollective. Interviewers can share screens and stimuli with participants, record the session and collaborate with clients or translators in a private Backroom. AI-generated transcripts and highlight reels are produced automatically after the session.

A persistent online research environment in which the same group of participants engages with a brand over months or years. Long-term communities reduce per-project recruiting costs, build participant familiarity and enable longitudinal tracking of how attitudes and behaviors evolve over time. Recollective Connect is designed specifically for managing long-term community programs.

A research task that sends participants into the real world, whether to a retail store, a home environment or an event, to complete an Activity using a mobile device. Participants capture photos, videos, ratings and written observations in context, providing immediate, situational data. A specific type of In-the-Moment Research.

An administrative role in Recollective with full control over the Studies they have been assigned to. Moderators can build and manage Activities, review participant responses, lead live sessions, code Excerpts and communicate with participants. Unlike Analysts, Moderators do not have access to Site Administration.

An acronym for Market Research Online Community. An MROC is a private, invitation-only group of participants recruited specifically for research who engage in ongoing studies, discussions and activities over an extended period. The terms MROC and Insight Community are widely used interchangeably in the qualitative research industry.

The process by which new participants are registered and introduced to a Recollective Study or community. Onboarding can include screening questions, consent to custom user terms, quota management and a personalized Home Page experience. Participants can be onboarded via email, file upload, shared registration link or API integration from an existing panel or CRM system.

In market research, a panel is a pre-recruited group of participants who have agreed to take part in ongoing or recurring research. In Recollective, panel members are referred to as Panelists. An always-on insight community built on Recollective functions as a proprietary research panel for a brand or agency.

Any person with an account on a Recollective site who is not an administrator. Panelists can join and participate in the Studies they are invited or recruited into. While active within a Study, a Panelist is referred to as a Participant of that Study. Panelist profiles are managed by Analysts through the Site Administration area.

Any Panelist who is currently active in a specific Study. Managing a Participant refers to managing their membership within that Study, not their overall site account. All Participants are also Panelists of the site.

A Recollective feature that rewards participants for completing Tasks and Activities. Points accumulate over the course of a Study and can be used to drive engagement through leaderboard rankings or to support differentiated incentive structures based on activity levels. Points are enabled and configured per Study within Study Settings.

Qualitative research (commonly shortened to “qual”) focuses on understanding the why behind human attitudes, motivations and behaviors through open-ended, exploratory methods, rather than counting or measuring responses. Core qualitative methods include in-depth interviews, focus groups, community discussions, diary studies and ethnographic observation. Recollective is purpose-built for qualitative research, supporting both asynchronous and live methods within a single platform.

A recruiting control that limits the number of participants admitted to a Study or community based on predefined criteria, such as demographic profile, segment membership or screening responses. Quotas are applied during the onboarding process to ensure the participant mix accurately represents the intended audience.

Recollective’s suite of AI-powered capabilities, built into the platform and included in standard licenses at no additional cost. Recollective AI encompasses AI Transcription, AI Summaries, AI Key Takeaways, Automatic Translations, Ask AI and the Conversation Task. These features work across the Recollective platform, primarily within Recollective Qual, with core capabilities also available in Recollective Connect. The intent is to reduce the time and cost of analysis at every stage, from transcription through to insight delivery, without requiring researchers to leave the platform or use separate tools.

Recollective’s enterprise insight community management platform, designed to sit alongside Recollective Qual for organizations that run always-on customer advisory panels, shopper communities or employee insight programs. Connect provides tools for participant engagement, advanced segmentation, personalized homepages and integration with third-party survey and research tools. Participants recruited and managed in Connect can be directed into qual studies running on Recollective Qual, creating a fully connected research ecosystem.

The core Recollective research platform. Recollective Qual is where qualitative studies are designed, run and analyzed. It supports asynchronous Activities, live video IDIs, digital focus groups, journal studies, discussion boards and AI-moderated Conversation Tasks, all within a single environment. It is the foundation of the Recollective product suite, and where the full depth of Recollective AI features is applied. Organizations that also run ongoing insight communities typically pair Recollective Qual with Recollective Connect.

The process of qualifying participants before they enter a Study or community. Screening in Recollective uses a series of questions, including those that can disqualify applicants based on their responses, to ensure the right people participate. Screening can be configured per Study or applied at the site registration level.

A defined group of Panelists within a Recollective site. Panelists can belong to multiple Segments simultaneously. Segments can be site-wide or limited to specific Studies and can be created manually, via bulk import or dynamically through Smart Segment criteria. Segments are used to target Activities, filter analysis data and personalize the participant experience.

The identification and classification of emotional tone within participant responses: positive, negative or neutral. Recollective AI applies sentiment analysis automatically as part of its theme and pattern detection, helping researchers quickly identify emotional drivers within large volumes of qualitative data.

A mobile research method in which participants complete a shopping task, online or in-store, while documenting their experience through photos, videos and written responses in Recollective. Shop-alongs capture purchase decision behavior, category navigation and brand reactions in context and in real time.

The top-level environment within Recollective. Each Recollective site has its own unique URL (for example, yourorganization.recollective.com), its own set of Panelists and Admins and can host multiple Studies simultaneously. Sites are the foundation on which all research programs are built.

A dynamic Segment in Recollective that automatically assigns Panelists based on defined criteria, such as screening responses, profile fields or behavior within the platform. Smart Segments update in real time as participants meet or no longer meet the criteria, removing the need for manual reassignment.

An authentication integration that allows participants and Admins to log into a Recollective site using credentials from an existing identity provider, such as a corporate directory or a third-party platform. SSO removes the need for participants to manage a separate Recollective password and supports enterprise security policies. SSO is a premium feature that requires custom configuration.

A live, newsfeed-style view of all participant contributions within a Study, including Tasks, Discussion responses, comments and ratings, presented in reverse chronological order. The Stream allows moderators and participants to quickly catch up on recent activity and engage with responses without navigating through individual Activities. Streams are filterable by Activity, Discussion Topic, Segment or participant, and each participant profile also includes their own personal Stream.

The core organizational unit in Recollective, equivalent to a single research project or a group of related research objectives. A Study contains one or more Activities, is conducted with a defined group of Participants and can run for any duration, from a few days to several months or longer. A single Recollective site can host multiple Studies simultaneously.

A Recollective AI feature that lets researchers define the specific goals of a Study before analysis begins. Study Objectives shape how Recollective AI identifies and prioritizes relevant themes, patterns and sentiments, aligning AI-generated outputs with the research brief rather than producing generic summaries.

The individual question or prompt within an Activity. Tasks define the type of response participants are asked to provide and include open text, fill-the-blank, polls, photo uploads, video recording, screen recording, audio responses, image markup, card sorting, ranking, grids, conversational AI interviews and more. Recollective supports 20+ Task types.

The process of labeling qualitative data, typically participant responses or Excerpts, with descriptive tags (codes) that represent recurring themes, ideas or patterns. In Recollective, thematic coding is applied to Excerpts using the Code Book. Recollective AI accelerates coding by automatically detecting themes and surfacing patterns across large datasets.

Another name for a Discussion in Recollective. See Discussion (Discussion Topic) for the full definition.

Qualitative research focused on understanding how people interact with a product, service or digital interface, and identifying opportunities to improve usability and experience. In Recollective, UX research can be conducted using screen recording Tasks, image markup, card sorting and Activity-based feedback flows that simulate real product interactions.

A participant’s response quoted exactly as it was written or spoken, in their own words. Verbatims are the raw material of qualitative analysis and can be preserved in Recollective as Excerpts. Recollective AI maintains direct links between generated summaries and their source verbatims, so researchers can verify and cite every finding.

A visual representation of the most frequently used words or phrases across a set of participant responses. In Recollective, word clouds are generated dynamically from Activity or Study data and are filterable by Segment, Activity or individual participant. Clicking into a word cloud surfaces the underlying responses that contain that term, enabling rapid thematic exploration.