Definition:
thought•cast (noun) [thawt-kast, -kahst]
  1. an online asynchronous qualitative research methodology -- That means respondents provide daily input when it suits their schedules. Everyone makes the same time commitment of about two hours over the course of a three day period.

  2. an online anonymous qualitative research methodology -- Despite minimal time commitment, participants have freedom to think, review, and find information. The anonymity of the online environment also elicits honest responses from participants, providing more reliable data.

"ThoughtCast™is an extremely flexible research methodology in both the scope and rate of its use. It is useful for just a one-shot research project, or on an ongoing basis."

"The benefits associated with conducting research this way make ThoughtCast™ perfect for an ongoing customer advisory panel, whether you use it to talk to your customers directly, or leverage the insight of your front line employees."

Origin:
Online qualitative research has always made sense theoretically. In practice, however, it has consistently failed to live up to its full potential.

We have made a few key distinctions about using this environment, and combined the best of online discussion forums (cost savings and efficiency) with the strengths of in-room focus groups (the ability to probe deeply and elicit expository, emotional responses).

The result is ThoughtCast™

How It Works:

1. Formulate Objectives & Design Questions
We don't begin any research study without first understanding client needs, and the project background.

Once we're all on the same page, we work with you to outline a set of research objectives, desired outcomes, and potential applications for findings.

Asking better questions leads to deeper insights. Since we take the time to fully understand client needs from the outset, we know exactly what we need to learn from your customers.

This makes developing questions for the discussion relatively straightforward, and also ensures that participants provide relevant answers. We write a baseline discussion guide for the moderator using our proprietary questioning technique (Opportunity Analysis), and creative thinking framework (Systematic Inventive Thinking). Not only do these tools provide a proven structure for asking questions, they also assist in the analysis and reporting of findings.

2. Recruit Target Sample
Online research by its very nature eliminates the geographic constraints and other logistical considerations of traditional discussion groups. It allows easy access to your target, whether it's a wider, more diverse sample, or a low incidence, difficult to reach audience.

We have developed our own set of online recruiting techniques that target "super-respondents" - those most passionate and most influential and interested among targets in the category.

We know how to incorporate social media and other internet technologies in helping you find and communicate with your target audience.

3. ThoughtCast™ Discussion
Discussions typically last three days, but have lasted as long as two weeks. We bring together the three most important research variables - your objectives, your questions, and your target audience.

A thoughtCast™ discussion is truly a team effort, and our unique online interface incorporates input from three key players - the participants, the moderator, and the client. Everyone is assigned a unique username and password for the discussion room. Participant usernames can be coded by segment for easy identification and analysis, or totally random to protect privacy.

The showpiece of any thoughtCast™ discussion is of course, the interface itself. This is how we provide clients rich and instructive feedback, while providing the best of both worlds in terms of research environment.

4. Analyze Transcript & Report Findings
After the thoughtCast™ discussion, we download the complete transcript and get to work.

Responses can be sorted by respondent, segment or question, and a Goodmind Account Executive will analyze the full transcript and begin to organize key findings based on client objectives.

Goodmind clients learn their customers' views, values, and vocabulary. Then they learn what they can do to make their business stronger through their customer.

We provide the means to elicit customer insight, and the analysis and reporting to turn this feedback into sound strategy.

5. Make Strategic Recommendations & Present Final Report
The thoughtCast™ process works so well because we have a macro view of every project, anchored in an in-depth understanding of overall client objectives.

Discussions are always designed in the context of broader strategic objectives, and all analysis, findings, and recommendations are calibrated to your business.

We provide a proactive, prescriptive blueprint for action, rather than merely a descriptive report. We identify and separate critical findings (insight) from secondary findings (data), and present them to you as they relate to the business as a whole, rather than as unrelated facts.

When we work with clients on a project, we see our role as an analytic partner, not just a fieldwork supplier, moderator service or data processor.

Applications:

When we first started performing research via thoughtCast™ discussions, we wanted to help clients achieve a new level of customer feedback and insight, and recommend how to apply it vis-à-vis strategic objectives.

We still want to do that, but we've also found that thoughtCast™ is a surprisingly adaptable platform for researching the views, values, and vocabulary of both internal and external audiences.

The more studies we perform using thoughtCast™, the more potential applications we uncover. The possibilities for this research methodology are nearly endless, and totally dependent upon your strategic objectives.

Read a brief Case Study

ThoughtCast™ FAQ

Q: Is ThoughtCast™ easy enough for novice web users?
A: We created ThoughtCast™ with user-friendly technology that will enable most would-be participants to navigate through it with ease. We provide an online help screen and a toll-free number for additional support.

Q: Can we ensure that participants answer questions in a particular order?
A: Yes, this is easy to facilitate.

Q: Will we be able to communicate privately with the moderator during the session?
A: Yes, absolutely. Your input is embedded but invisible to the participants.

Q: Can we display graphics within the ThoughtCast™ study? We want to get a gauge on some new logo ideas we have.
A: Yes, it’s very easy to upload and display visual content such as JPEGs, PDFs and video. You can also view an entire website in the same screen or click to open in a separate window.

Q: What happens if we want to add or remove participants once the session has started?
A: Your Goodmind Moderator is always able to accept or remove participants. Just let your moderator know as soon as possible.

Q: Can we change the moderator’s guide once a study is already in progress?
A: Yes, you can edit it at any point during the study.

Q: Can ThoughtCast™ participants see each other’s responses?
A: We can set up a study either way. In some cases, we will want respondents to react to others’ ideas and build upon them through a threaded response procedure. In other cases, IDI's are better suited, especially in instances when the topic is more personal. We will tailor it based on your specific needs and objectives.

Q: How will a ThoughtCast™ report look?
A: Even before the report is generated, clients can download data from the study and sort by respondent or by question. For a sample report please contact us or fill out the short form on our contact page.

Q: How long following the study will we have access to the data?
A: Transcripts are emailed in sortable .xls format, an html page or as a word document at the conclusion of your study. Your data will be archived for one year (or longer, upon request).

Q: What kinds of customers can be studied using ThoughtCast™?
A:
Geographically dispersed
College and high school students Physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other medical personnel
Patient populations
Distributed national sales force members
Retail managers
Low incidence consumers
Senior executives
Professionals of all kinds

Q: Can I get a project done without a report?
A: We believe analysis is a significant component of value in our service. However, we do offer a transcript-only option.

Q: How fast does a ThoughtCast™ take?
A: Typically, 2 weeks, start to finish. However, projects can take longer or significantly less time, depending on incidence of the target and your needs.

Q: How much does ThoughtCast™ cost?
A: Prices will vary by objectives and incidence of the target. Savings go up as the total number of respondents increases, as fixed costs are amortized over a larger group. As a rule of thumb, however, one ThoughtCast™ is qualitatively equivalent to 4 in-room focus groups and will be about 25% less expensive.

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