Blumenthal Qualitative Research

Internet/E-Commerce Selected Project Summaries
Type of Client	Methodology	Specific Research Objectives	Business Application
Provider of E-Learning Infrastructure	In-depth phone interviews with Directors of Training and Education in Fortune 500 companies	Gain a better understanding of the e-learning marketplace Investigate reactions to different language used to describe the company and its position in the marketplace	Provide marketing direction for the company Guide how the company communicates its position to its target audience
Chinese-Language Internet Portal	Focus groups and in-depth phone interviews with media decision makers employed at global: Corporations Advertising agencies	Gain insight into the media decision-making process with regard to global and ethnic advertising on the Internet Explore reactions to print advertising	Aid in the development and refinement of the portal's offline advertising campaign
Major Financial Institution	Individual interviews, entailing: Observation as individuals performed specific tasks on the bank's website Intermittent probing as needed Follow-up questions after the tasks were completed	Uncover problems with the website in terms of: Ease of navigation Clarity of instructions and options User friendliness	Provide input for making the website more user friendly
Privacy-Based Website	Focus groups with consumers	Gain insight into consumers' attitudes toward credit management and privacy issues Explore reactions to proposed privacy and credit-management tools to be offered on the website	Help prioritize and optimize the proposed tools
Publisher in the Home-Improvement Category	Focus groups with home owners who had completed a home-improvement project	Probe reactions to proposed features and functions of the proposed website, which was being built to complement the company's books Explore perceptions of how the books and website would complement one another	Help guide product development
Web Portal Targeted to Children	Assignment to visit the website and perform certain tasks (prior to the session) Observation of the children as they revisited the site, navigated it, and interacted with it In-depth interviews with parents and children	Gain feedback to the site in terms of: Ease of navigation Content Explore differences in interests, reactions, and abilities of children at different ages Uncover problems and elicit suggestions for improvement	Provide guidance for optimization of the website/portal
Media-Oriented Website	In-depth in-person interviews with representatives of the following target audiences: Advertising agencies Graphics departments/ companies Sound effects and design studios Small broadcast station	Explore reactions to the site in general and to specific services to be offered on the site Gain insight into how the site would be used by different segments of the target audience Uncover barriers to usage Identify issues for further investigation in a quantitative research study	Help determine how to best describe and position the site