using blended research techniques to develop deeper engagement and insights from a small population
DESCRIPTION
What happens when you have a very small target patient population and you want to understand—in depth—their patient journey, the ongoing therapy experience, and triggers and barriers to therapy choice? This challenge of small sample size affects many decisions in the pharmaceutical world, given the emphasis on niche drugs and narrowly defined patient populations. The patient experience we wished to understand occurs over a period of time, so we recruited respondents for an eight-week online bulletin board. Our session will give insight into the recruiting methods, and examples of how we used a creative combination of qualitative and quantitative tools and exercises to keep the questions fresh, keep respondents engaged, and develop insightful information about their patient journeys.TRANSCRIPT
Hannah Baker Hitzhusen
SKIM
DEVELOPING DEEP INSIGHTS From Small Samples
Using Blended Methods
UNDERSTANDING The Patient Journey
FINDING
SMALL SAMPLE our pharmaceutical world
is full of small samples
Find Small Sample
Gain Deep Insights: Blended Methods
Ensure Deep Insights to Client
1 2 3
BEFORE WE BEGIN
Online bulletin boards
Not a free-for-all
Recruited traditionally
Professional moderators
Comfortably anonymous
OVER THE PAST DECADE we have asked respondents to be online…
Respondents Engaged for
Longer
Participants not limited by geography
More time, deeper levels of
information
Find Small Sample
Gain Deep Insights: Blended Methods
Ensure Deep Insights to Client
1 2 3
FIND SMALL
SAMPLE
Fabry disease patients switching
medications
Phenylketonuria patients who have
stopped medication and restarted
Any patient who is in the midst of a
“drug holiday”
Flexibility & Understanding
of how difficult it would
be to find these people
With no relaxing of recruiting standards
GAIN DEEP INSIGHTS Blended Methods
In-depth probing combined with
exercises for fun
MaxDiff as a conversation
tool to capture,
compare, and contrast
Clickable graphics
and mark-up exercises
Sorting exercises including
drag & drop
Collage building
Ensure Deep Insights
for clients
So MUCH Data
Avoid getting mired
DELIVER DEEP INSIGHTS
Create a draft Insights Report
template before the research
starts.
Prepare
What happens at each
fork in the road?
Use the discussion guide as an
iterative process.
Execute
Debrief daily or weekly with
moderators and clients.
Create report templates
(weekly, daily?) at the
respondent or country level.
Continuous Feedback Loop
where are they now?
And now?
Depending on length of study,
interim client reports to address the
needs of the client & to ensure on
track to deliver targeted insights.
Deliver
8-week board could equal
20 respondent profiles. 2-week board could equal
10 country profiles
“It feels like the winter
season for me...cold,
barren and not much
color. Gray and white
represent this season of
my life.”
Deep feelings
How are you feeling?
Fine, good, itchy
Yes.
Yes. Toast and
peanut butter
No, thank you, honey.
Did you take the meds?
Did you eat with it?
What did you have?
Can I help?
He is always concerned. Calling me at work in
the middle of the day just to check on me... At
first I felt well cared for. Now I just feel like the
sick person in his life. I hate that, being the sick
one. I want to be fun, vibrant & sexy in his eyes. It
feels like my shine has worn off.