Discover why focus groups distort ad testing results and why one-on-one qualitative research delivers more accurate consumer insight.
Blog
To Why or Not to Why: That Is the Question
A deep dive into why asking “why” still matters in qualitative research, psychology, focus groups, and behavioral insight.
From Freud to Focus Groups: A Century of Reckoning with How We Listen
Explore how AI, nonverbal intelligence, and behavioral science are reshaping qualitative research beyond traditional focus groups.
The Sous Vide Moment for Qualitative Research: When AI Meets Human and Nonverbal Intelligence
Discover how AI, body language, and human intelligence are transforming qualitative research into a more precise emotional insight tool.
Seeing What Words Can’t Say—The Emotional EKG™
Discover how AI and body language analysis uncover emotional truth in qualitative research beyond what participants verbally express.
Between Duty and Doom
A humorous true story about a Roomba disaster and what it reveals about AI, product design, and real-world customer behavior.
BACKBONE: Surviving the Road Less Quantified Wins Award!
By David Schneer 1-Minute Read I’m honored to share that my book, BACKBONE: Surviving the Road Less Quantified, has been named a winner by the 2025 International Impact Book Awards in the category of Business of Marketing and Branding Excellence, Entrepreneurship. This book was born not only from decades of research and thousands of interviews, but […]
“What Research Can and Can’t Do: A Field Guide for Corporate Decision Makers”
By David Schneer 3-Minute Read When describing Merrill Research services to others, I often fall into the trap of telling them what we do. Rather, I should be telling people the problems we can solve. After all, that’s why they’ve reached out to us—to help solve some sort of problem. And that’s the point of […]
Inside the Room, Outside the Bubble: The Role of Neutral Moderators
By David Schneer 3-Minute Read Why and When External Moderators for Market Research are Needed When budgets are tight and insights are critical, it’s tempting (and sometimes necessary) for companies to keep research in-house—including the moderation of focus groups and one-on-one interviews. After all, who knows your customers better than your internal team? But when […]
They Told Me to ‘See the Forest for the Trees’—I See Nothing but Trees.
By David Schneer 3-Minute Read Recently, I was asked what the difference between qualitative research and quantitative research is, and when do you use one versus the other. That is a great question, and the answer describes aptly what we researchers do—choose the best methodology to satisfy the objectives. I mean, you wouldn’t use a […]