Technology-Assisted Qualitative Research: How Does Modality Affect Outcome? [Methods Study], North Carolina, 2014-2018

To learn about people's experiences, researchers often use one-on-one interviews and group interviews, called focus groups. Researchers can do interviews and focus groups in person or online.
In this study, the research team wanted to learn if people shared more or different information in person versus online. The team did interviews and focus groups with women about safety during pregnancy and compared the information collected in person or online. To collect information online, the team used either online video, chat, a message board, or email. The team then compared differences in the average number of words and what women discussed across the methods.