Basic Info

Qual vs Quant research

How to distinguish qualitative and quantitative approaches and when each one is appropriate.

  • Method Design
  • Foundations

Qualitative research

Qualitative work helps you explore language, meaning, motivations, and context. It is strongest when the goal is discovery, reframing, or understanding how people make sense of a category.

Quantitative research

Quantitative work helps you size, compare, prioritize, and estimate. It is strongest when the goal is measurement, segmentation, modeling, or tracking.

A useful rule

Use qual to shape the hypothesis. Use quant to test how widespread or commercially meaningful it is.

Related topics

Jump to connected concepts, techniques, or implementation notes.