research interviews software

No products in the cart.

#1 QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS SOFTWARE FOR 30 YEARS

NVivo 14 - Leading Qualitative Data Analysis Software with AI Solution

Enhance Your Use of NVivo 14

Harness the Power of AI in NVivo

Harness the Power of AI in NVivo for Qualitative Analysis

The NVivo Getting Started Bundle includes all the essentials you need for your content analysis.

An NVivo license:  The most cited and powerful QDA software for data analysis. Choose a Windows or Mac individual license.

NVivo Core Skills Online Course: Includes videos, live coaching and a Q&A forum to help you analyze qualitative data fast.

Access the entire bundle for just the normal price of NVivo. That’s a saving of $279.99 USD! Available for a limited time only, don’t miss out.

Click more with your research team, less with your mouse, collaborate, discover all the ways nvivo 14 works for you, enhance team research, boost productivity, collaborate easily, uncover richer insights, make robust conclusions, deliver comprehensive findings, enjoy a more streamlined user experience, looking to upgrade.

Collaboration Cloud

Collaboration Server

Transcription

NVivo Academy

NVivo 14 Licenses

Student Licenses provide access to all the features of NVivo, limited for 12 months.

Individual and small group licenses (up to nine) can be bought online.

Organization licenses are available. If you want to purchase ten or more licenses, or enter an entreprise agreement, contact our sales team.

Enterprise Licensing: Better Research, Insights, and Outcomes for all

Lumivero’s team-based solutions allow you to:, need help choosing qda software, what is nvivo, what can i do with nvivo, who is nvivo for, how much does nvivo cost.

It's easy to buy student, individual and small group licenses (student license limited to one per account, individual and small group licenses up to nine) online.

To purchase ten or more NVivo licenses for your team or organization, Contact Us to reach our sales team or one of our international NVivo partners.

Are there free qualitative data analysis tutorials?

How do i upgrade nvivo.

Get Started with NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDA) Today

Begin your journey towards deeper insights and more robust results. NVivo provides better research collaboration, deeper integration, and is easier to use than ever.

Interact directly with PDF or text documents by asking questions about them.

28 February - 1 March, 2024, Berlin, Germany

The #1 qualitative data analysis software with the best AI integration

Streamline your data analysis with automatic transcription, powerful analysis tools, ease of use, and smart AI integration. Explore the possibilities now.

Start your free trial

Free MAXQDA trial for Windows and Mac

Chat with your data

Use AI Assist to analyze your documents via chat. Try it now.

Organize. Analyze. Visualize. Present.

One software, many solutions

Qualitative data analysis meets AI. Discover how the new virtual research assistant can simplify your work.

Interview Analysis

Transcribe and code interviews. MAXQDA has powerful functions to support the analysis and visualization of your results.

Literature Review

Organize and analyze literature. MAXQDA comes with many features to make your literature review faster and easier.

Mixed Methods

MAXQDA is the best choice for your mixed methods analysis. It works with a wide range of data types and offers powerful tools.

Content Analysis

Use MAXQDA to manage your entire research project. Easily import and organize your data. Link relevant quotes to each other, and share your work.

Questionnaire Analysis

Whether your survey contains standardized or open-ended questions, with MAXQDA you can easily import and analyze both types.

Why MAXQDA ?

World-leading mixed methods software.

Do you want to include quantitative analysis methods in your qualitative data analysis? MAXQDA offers you an unbeatable variety of mixed methods functions for this purpose.

Intuitive and easy to learn

Thanks to the self-explaining interface, you will quickly find your way around. Numerous tutorials, guides, and webinars, as well as an active community, help you dive deeper into MAXQDA.

Efficient teamwork

It has always been easy to collaborate with MAXQDA. The new TeamCloud makes it even easier. It takes care of file management and team communication for you.

Comprehensive customer support

If you have any questions, our customer service is happy to help – by phone, e-mail or chat. In addition, helpful FAQs and practical online manuals are available.

Identical on Windows & macOS

One license, two operating systems. The identical interface and functions make teamwork and teaching with MAXQDA easy. Decide flexibly what you want to work with.

Take it from researchers who work with MAXQDA

We consult with our worldwide stakeholders in free-form letter and survey format and analyze feedback to inform our standard setting processes. We found the software and expert services from MAXQDA invaluable in conducting a smooth and efficient analysis process, even where the volume of data to be analyzed was significant.

Chad Chandramohan

Chief Technology Officer, IFRS Foundation

Having used several qualitative data analysis software programs, there is no doubt in my mind that MAXQDA has advantages over all the others. In addition to its remarkable analytical features for harnessing data, MAXQDA’s stellar customer service, online tutorials, and global learning community make it a user friendly and top-notch product.

Sally S. Cohen

NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing

I spent several months researching the options, and ultimately decided to trial MAXQDA. We brought in a MAXQDA certified trainer, and bought a network license so that our large team at Microsoft could use the tool. We were not disappointed[…] I was so convinced in its efficacy in the applied qualitative field that I bought MAXQDA for my team when I joined Amazon. I was especially delighted when they added the Stats package, which allows us to avoid the extra expense of buying SPSS.

Sam Ladner, Ph.D.

Former Senior Principal Researcher at Workday

I have been fascinated by qualitative research as it makes us reconsider reality from a new perspective. For such reconsideration, it is essential to read data from various viewpoints and write your ideas in notes and memos, continuing to renew your perspective. I have found MAXQDA to be an excellent tool for readily recording and organizing ideas that come up with at various stages of research […]. More than that, however, I feel the potential of MAXQDA is to promote dialogue within the researcher and facilitate new discoveries.

Masahiro Nochi

Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo

Understanding and analyzing production and work processes is an important part of my work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF, and MAXQDA supports me in this. MAXQDA has convinced me in every respect with its versatility, intuitive design, and the ability to work together as a team. In our interdisciplinary projects with innovative companies, this allows us to work effectively and efficiently.

Sebastian Häberer, M.Sc.

Expert Engineer, Fraunhofer IFF

With MAXQDA I saved a lot of time coding my research interviews, and with the Visual Tools I was able to show the results in a clear and simple way.MAXQDA has the advantage that it is very intuitive and therefore easy to learn and handle. In addition, they listen to users and provide continuous updates to improve the experience.

Luis Daniel Vazquez Cancino

PhD candidate in Architecture from the National Autonomous University of Mexico

Integrations

What's new?

Prototype Testing

Live Website Testing

Feedback Surveys

Interview Studies

Card Sorting

Tree Testing

In-Product Prompts

Participant Management

Automated Reports

Templates Gallery

Choose from our library of pre-built mazes to copy, customize, and share with your own users

Browse all templates

Financial Services

Tech & Software

Product Designers

Product Managers

User Researchers

By use case

Concept & Idea Validation

Wireframe & Usability Test

Content & Copy Testing

Feedback & Satisfaction

Content Hub

Educational resources for product, research and design teams

Explore all resources

Question Bank

Research Maturity Model

Guides & Reports

Help Center

Future of User Research Report

The Optimal Path Podcast

Maze Guides | Resources Hub

What is UX Research: The Ultimate Guide for UX Researchers

0% complete

Meet the 19 top-rated UX research tools & software for 2024

Building your UX research tool stack is an essential step in establishing an effective research practice. Read on for a round up of essential tools that will help you conduct UX research and move the needle in your organization.

What tools do UX researchers use?

UX researchers use a wide variety of tools to conduct user experience research . These tools have unique functions—each of which helps conduct different research and uncover insightful data.

Here’s a look at some of the tools that UX researchers use to get the insights they need to improve UX:

• Tools for user and usability testing : These tools help UX researchers evaluate how easy to use their products and features are
• Tools for user interviews: These tools help conduct live interviews to get direct feedback from users
• Tools for recruiting research participants: These tools help find participants for user research interviews
• Tools for testing information architecture: These tools help evaluate the layout of your website and how users expect your navigation to work
• Tools for product analytics: These tools provide data on how users interact with your website
• Tools for user surveys and feedback: These tools enable you to create surveys that collect feedback and insights from users

We’ve hand-picked a number of the best UX research tools for each of these categories to help you improve your UX research processes and workflows. Take a look at this overview before we take a closer look at each.

Tools for usability testing

UX research tools do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to user research. From recruiting participants and planning the interviews to getting feedback, and sharing your findings, having a great tool stack is important for running a great research practice .

Selecting the right UX research toolkit depends on where you are in the research process, the research method you’ll be using, the size of your organization, and the type of product you’re researching. Ready to get hands-on with research? Here are some tools to consider.

Maze is a continuous product discovery platform that empowers product teams to collect and consume user insights, continuously. With solutions for participant recruitment, product research, and reporting, Maze helps teams build the habit of continuous product discovery in a platform that enables everyone to run great research.

Maze integrates directly with Adobe XD, Figma, InVision, Marvel, and Sketch, and allows you to import an existing prototype from the design tool you use.

You can create and run in-depth usability tests at any stage of your research plan , to get actionable insights in minutes. Its usability testing solution includes task analysis, multiple path analysis, heatmaps, A/B testing, guerrilla testing, and more.

Maze allows you to run surveys and collect user feedback early in the design process, and also enables you to test your information architecture with features such as Card Sorts and Tree Tests.

Maze's reporting functionality automatically records and documents completion rates, misclick rates, time spent, click heatmaps, and more. Maze also generates a usability test report instantly for each test, that you can share with anyone with a link.

Key features: Integrations with leading design platforms, remote testing, surveys, IA testing, real-time reports, question repository , collaboration features, pre-built templates Pricing: Free for one project and five seats per month, then from $99 per month

Collect UX research insights at scale

Optimize your user experience with actionable insights from card sorting, tree testing, prototype testing, usability testing, and more.

Loop11 helps you conduct moderated and unmoderated usability testing on live websites, prototypes, and competitors’ websites, among others. With Loop11, you can start testing at the wireframing and prototyping stage to ensure your designs are headed in the right direction.

Beyond usability testing, Loop11 can help user researchers conduct competitive benchmarking , A/B testing, and IA testing.

Key features: Online usability testing, prototype testing, benchmarking, A/B testing, IA testing Pricing: From $63 per month

3. Userlytics

Userlytics is a user testing platform that helps you conduct research at scale by testing digital assets like websites, applications, mobile apps, prototypes, etc. You can collect both qualitative and quantitative data and set up advanced metrics and graphical reports.

With Userlytics, you can run any combination of moderated or unmoderated user experience studies, usability tests, card sorting, and tree testing using a diversity of features.

Key features: Usability testing, user experience studies, prototype testing, live conversations, card sorting, tree testing Pricing: From $49 per month

4. UsabilityHub

UsabilityHub is a remote research platform that offers a range of testing tools, including first click testing, design surveys, preference tests, and five-second tests. These tests enable you to collect data and validate design decisions.

With UsabilityHub’s Panel, researchers can recruit test users from a pool of participants based on criteria such as age, gender, education, and more to get feedback from a relevant target audience.

Key features: Remote user testing, first-click testing, design surveys, preference tests, five-second tests, participant recruitment Pricing: From $79 per month

💡 Want more? Check out our full list of usability testing tools here .

Tools for user interviews

5. lookback.

Lookback is a comprehensive user research tool that offers you the ability to do live user interviews contextualized through a live recording of the user’s screen. Lookback helps you conduct moderated, unmoderated, and remote research and includes a collaborative dashboard that lets you sync all your research and customer feedback and share it with your team.

Lookback sessions are recorded automatically, so you can rewatch them at your convenience and create highlight clips to share with colleagues and stakeholders. Among other things, the team plan allows you to do remote or in-person research, test with prototypes and invite observers to see in real-time.

Key features: Remote user research in real-time, moderated and unmoderated testing, collaborative dashboard, live note-taking Pricing: From $99 per month

6. Userzoom

Userzoom is a UX research platform for remote usability testing and includes features such as participant recruiting, heatmap and analytics recording, etc. You can use it to collect quantitative or qualitative feedback and create A/B tests with mock-ups to get feedback from users before product development.

With Userzoom, you can run unmoderated task-based studies with test participants from all around the world on a website, prototype, wireframe, or mock-up.

Key features: Usability testing, interviews, surveys, intercept testing, click testing, tree testing, card sorting, participant recruiting Pricing: Available upon request

dscout is a remote qualitative research platform that helps you collect in-context insights from the people who use your products. One component of the platform is dscout Live, which lets you run remote user interviews and collect feedback from participants. You can also run diary studies with dscout Diary to see people’s everyday product experience as it happens either on video or in photos. And with dscout Recruit, you can recruit research participants without the hassle and cost associated with traditional recruiting.

dscout is also helpful because it streamlines the most time-consuming parts of interviews with research-centric features such as participant scheduling, automatic transcriptions, on-call observers, and an interactive timeline for taking notes and clips.

Key features: Unmoderated research, remote user interviews, participant recruiting, automatic transcriptions, on-call observers, interactive timeline for taking notes Pricing: Available upon request

Tools for recruiting research participants

8. user interviews.

User Interviews is a well-known platform that helps you make better product decisions with seamless access to quality participants. The platform is known for allowing you to build your own pool of participants or access their panel of over 350,000 vetted research participants who can be filtered by profession.

User Interviews offers features like screener surveys, scheduling interviews, and participation tracking for your existing users. The median turnaround time is 2 hours, though it can vary based on the project.

Key features: Participant recruitment, screener surveys, scheduling interviews, messaging participants, automatic incentives, participation tracking Pricing: From $40 per session or $250 per month

Another user research tool for selecting participants is Ethnio, which enables you to create screeners for intercepting people on your website or app so that you can find the right participants for user research. Ethnio provides various filters for screeners and automated scheduling options that help streamline the process of getting in touch with users.

Within the platform, Ethnio also includes a tool called Research Incentives, a calculator that helps you reward your participants by instantly paying them using different online services.

Key features: Participant recruitment, central participant database, incentives, screeners, intercepts, scheduling options Pricing: From $79 per month

Ribbon is an all-in-one participant recruitment and screening tool that allows you to find users, screen them, and automatically schedule user interviews.

If you’re looking for a simple does-what-it-says recruitment tool, then Ribbon’s a great choice. They’re also currently working on features including interview transcripts and participant incentives.

Key features: Participant recruitment, screeners, automatic interview scheduling, incentive management, moderated interviews Pricing: From $79 per month

Tools for information architecture testing

11. optimal workshop.

Optimal Workshop offers a suite of testing tools to help you conduct information architecture (IA) tests. For card sorting, you can use their OptimalSort tool to understand how people think your content should be organized and categorized.

Another component of Optimal Work is Treejack, which helps you conduct unmoderated tree tests to identify if users are currently getting lost on your site and where they expect to find key information.

Key features: Card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, IA testing, online surveys, qualitative research, participant recruitment Pricing: From $99 per month

12. kardSort

kardSort is an online card sorting tool which offers moderated, unmoderated, and hybrid card sorting.

As user-friendly as they come, kardSort operates in a simple drag-and-drop function which makes card sorting easy for researchers and participants alike.

Working on all browsers, you can set up and run a card sorting session incredibly quickly, and it’s ideal for asynchronous sessions due to its simplicity and ability to add pre or post-study questions.

Key features: Moderated, unmoderated and hybrid card sorting, pre and post-study interviews, tool tips Pricing: Free

UXarmy provides a variety of user testing solutions to help you run information architecture testing via tree tests and card sorting. You can create tests on the platform, or import existing ones.

The platform makes evaluating your layout easy, and in-depth analytics help you uncover insights from tests—including participant analysis, path analysis, and destination matrixes. It’s quick and easy to get started, and provides an intuitive process for your participants.

Key features: Card sorting, tree testing, moderated and unmoderated usability testing Pricing: All solutions are stand-alone, with card sorting costing $79 per month and tree testing $99 per month

Tools for product analytics

Hotjar is a remote research tool which allows you to view real-time user behavior via heatmaps and screen recordings.

With a huge amount of data available, plus in-app surveys, Hotjar is a great solution if you’re looking to focus on heatmapping as a research method and want to really understand the nuance of user behavior.

Key features: Heatmaps, screen recordings, unmoderated research, in-product feedback widgets and follow-up surveys Pricing: Free for 35 sessions, then from $39 per month

15. Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics is an event analytics platform that helps you track user behavior across your site. By giving you information about how customers interact with your product, Kissmetrics helps you acquire qualified prospects, convert trials to customers, and reduce churn.

It gives you tools to gain insights into how users interact with your product—especially if your primary focus is revenue.

Key features: Custom event tracking, entry and exit pages, on-page engagement, custom reports dashboards, segmentation, session analytics, and funnels Pricing: Billed per event ($0.0025/event) or build your own plan (starting at $25.99 per month for 10k events)

15. Mixpanel

Mixpanel is an events analytics tool that lets you see every moment of the customer experience. It lets you splice and dice data to uncover trends and find the root of the problem.

It’s a great tool for getting insights the whole team can understand and use, with collaborative notes, goals, and boards. With an easy learning curve, it’s a fast tool to pick up and get started with.

Key features: Customizable dashboards, anomaly explanations, filters, event tracking, demographic breakdowns, user journey analysis Pricing: Free plan with limited features and paid plans starting from $20 per month

Tools for user surveys and feedback

17. surveymonkey.

SurveyMonkey is a popular survey tool that helps you collect customer feedback via online questionnaires. It’s easy to use and easily customizable—from the in-survey branding and background to the font and URL.

SurveyMonkey’s AI feature—SurveyMonkey Genius—provides guidance and support to help you create optimized surveys. It’s a quick and easy tool for making surveys that get the insights you need.

Key features: Fully-customizable online surveys, market research solutions, Genius AI solution, online form embedding Pricing: Free plan with basic features, team plans start at $25 per user/month

18. Typeform

Typerform is another online survey builder that helps you build forms which stand out and collect the information you need.

Typeform integrates with your existing workflow to help streamline the customer feedback collection process, and provides a smooth, effortless experience for the users you’re surveying—ideal when UX is crucial and you don’t want a clunky experience to get in the way of authentic insights.

Key features: Simple form builder, branded forms, key integrations, varied question formats Pricing: Typeform starts at $25 per month for one user and 100 responses per month

19. Jotform

Jotform is an online form builder that provides templates for you to use in your customer feedback process. It shares many key features with the other survey tools on our list, but also offers a number of other solutions—like a no-code app builder and online storefront builder.

It’s an intuitive platform that helps you create branded surveys in minutes, making it a great all-in-one platform if you’re limited on budget.

Key features: Intuitive form builder, ample integrations, report generations, workflow automation Pricing: Free plan with survey limits, paid plans from $34 per month

Bonus tools to help with UX research

Alongside the dedicated user research tools, there are also a number of other tools that will help improve your user research process. Here’s the honorable mentions from our list to add to your tool stack.

For documenting research: Dovetail, Notion, Evernote, Miro For transcriptions: Otter.ai, Rev, Reduct For remote user testing: Zoom, Google Meet, Slack

How to select the best UX research tool

As you can see, there are lots of UX research tools to choose from. Your primary considerations when selecting a tool is the type of research you’re looking to conduct, but there are a number of other things to keep in mind:

• Ease of use and interface: Is the tool easy to use? Can you pick it up and get started straight away?
• Scalability: Can the tool grow with your research needs? Does it require technical help for scaling up, or can you scale rapidly?
• Support available: Is anyone on hand to help you when you get stuck? Is there a dedicated help center to support your success?
• Free trial/account: Can you try before you buy? What can you get done with the free version of a tool?

Whatever your needs, there’s a UX research tool out there for you.

If your needs include concept and idea validation, wireframe and usability testing, moderated interview analysis, and more—give Maze a try.

Maze enables you to get user insights fast, helping you to make informed decisions that improve your product.

Accelerate and scale your UX research

Get the insights you need to build better user experiences, with Maze’s suite of user research solutions.

Frequently asked questions about UX research tools

Some common tools that UX researchers use include tools for usability testing, user interviews, surveys, card sorting, tree testing, and first-click testing. A UX research tool stack may also include solutions for recruiting participants, documenting research, and transcribing interviews. Other examples are analytics and heat-mapping tools and remote user testing tools .

What is user experience (UX) design?

User experience design is the process designers use to build products that provide great experiences to their users. UX design refers to feelings and emotions users experience when interacting with a product. It focuses on the user flow and how easy it is for the user to accomplish their desired goals.

What is a UX research tool?

A UX research tool is a piece of software, tool, or app that enables UX researchers to maximise their research effectiveness and gather insights. Popular research tools include survey, recruitment, and interview software.

How to establish a strategic UX research process

The Best 10 Qualitative Data Analysis Software Platforms in 2023

Published: June 08, 2023

Qualitative data analysis software has become essential in helping businesses know their customers. In fact, 63% of customers expect you to know their wants and expectations.

Qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) can help you review trends and consumer behavior. You'll then know what your target audience wants and give them great experiences.

In this post, we'll break down some of the best qualitative data analysis software you can use with your team. But first, let's define qualitative data analysis software.

What is qualitative analysis software?

Qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) gathers information beyond pure numbers to help you make better decisions.

These tools scrape your digital presence, chat messages, reviews, and files for customer insights. They then review the details in bulk, saving your team valuable time during reporting.

Additionally, QDAS minimizes data loss, as data is either stored in the cloud or on your computer. These tools account for errors and bias during analysis — common challenges when working with data manually.

With QDAS, your business can test and refine theories to predict future events or customer actions. With great data accuracy, you can reduce risks and achieve greater results.

Survey Tools vs. Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Traditional survey tools just provide you with reporting for quantitative data, such as age and number of visits per month. This narrow view of data limits your analysis to questions with quantifiable answers.

Alternatively, qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) gathers insights beyond numbers. That includes insights from interviews, focus groups, and online reviews. You can then get a broader view of customer concerns.

The 10 Best Qualitative Data Analysis Software

• Raven's Eye
• Square Feedback
• QDA Miner Lite

HubSpot offers a customer feedback tool that generates detailed analytics from surveys and customer reviews. The tool can analyze these responses and provides a detailed breakdown of customer satisfaction.

You can access data from one dashboard. This lets you view different charts and graphs summarizing your customers' responses. With a simple setup, your team has a quick, clean way to review customer insights.

HubSpot's customer feedback tool is part of HubSpot's Service Hub tools. It can collect both quantitative and qualitative customer feedback.

What We Love

• The tool connects with HubSpot's NPS surveys, so you can seamlessly collect and analyze customer data.
• There's an easy-to-use interface.
• The interface gathers customer service KPIs so you can discover growth opportunities.

MAXQDA is a qualitative data analysis software designed for companies analyzing a range of customer data.

The software allows you to import data from interviews, focus groups, surveys, videos, and social media. This way, all your qualitative data can be reviewed in one central location.

Once imported into MAXQDA, you can organize your information into different categories. You can mark specific data with tags and leave notes for other employees to review your work.

MAXQDA even lets you color code data so your team knows exactly what to work on each day.

• You can use MAXQDA with multiple data formats, including social media posts, videos, and images.
• MAXQDA supports both mixed method analysis and statistical analysis.
• You can store project data in one project pack to make collaboration easy.

Quirkos includes a variety of tools that analyze and review qualitative data. That includes comparative analysis, which shows side-by-side views of your data.

Your team can more easily spot trends and identify roadblocks in the customer experience.

With Quirkos, you'll also have unparalleled customization options. Quirkos, unlike other QDAS, has 16 million colors that you can use in your theme, making coding quicker.

This is useful if you have a large coding framework, as you can label your themes with different colors for easy identification and reading.

• Quirkos is compatible with many operating systems, including Linux and Mac.
• There's a drag-and-drop feature for coding sections of text.
• You can connect to SPSS, Word, or Excel to generate custom reports.

4. Qualtrics

Qualtrics comes with two key tools for simplifying your qualitative research process: TextIQ and DriverIQ.

TextIQ uses AI to analyze open-structured data. You can then assess customer sentiment and draw helpful insights from the data.

The DriverIQ tool helps you see what matters most for your customers, from purchase intent to satisfaction. You can then focus on what will have the most impact on your business.

• The TextIQ tools help uncover trends, problems, and opportunities from customer survey responses. Additionally, it acts as a social listening tool, so you can use it to identify brand mentions on social media.
• The advanced drag-and-drop feature allows you to visualize data quickly.
• Sophisticated intelligence tools (AI+ML) make advanced research for different metrics easier.

5. Raven's Eye

Raven's Eye is a qualitative data analysis software that can process and analyze natural language data. One of its most popular features is its audio converter, which uploads audio files into the software and transforms them into text files.

Then, it analyzes the text for unique insights into customer behavior. Raven's Eye is perfect for audio interviews with customers. You can upload the recorded session to Raven's Eye for analysis.

In addition to audio, Raven's Eye processes text documents. The text analyzer can review text samples written in over 65 different languages.

It then uses a "natural language" analysis to determine a variety of unique metrics, ranging from word count to reading ease.

• Raven's Eye quickly, accurately, and reliably convert audio and text files. This will help you understand how customers think and communicate.
• The program is cloud-based, meaning it can be accessed from multiple devices.
• You can explore text and spoken word (or natural language data) in the same way human beings can.

6. Square Feedback

Square Feedback is a free customer feedback collection tool that provides qualitative data reporting. It can analyze survey responses to see how satisfied your customers are.

Square Feedback also comes with historical filter options. With this feature, you can compare past data to current customer information.

• Square Feedback integrates into your digital receipts and easily collects feedback.
• You can privately track customer comments and responses.
• Square Feedback provides rich customer insights that you can use to make informed decisions.

LiGRE can be used by students, business professionals, and researchers to analyze interviews and large bodies of text. It has both free and premium plans.

LiGRE's most important analysis tools include the following:

• Automatic transcription (for transcribing both audio and video files).
• A survey builder.
• Data merging.
• A laboratory (a teaching platform where you can open your own qualitative research laboratory for a team).

• LiGRE Laboratory lets you teach your team about qualitative research.
• You can work with various media types, including books and articles.
• You can transcribe video and audio in more than 90 languages.

8. QDA Miner Lite

QDA Miner can analyze interviews, open-ended questions, and transcripts. Best of all, the user interface is easy and free.

QDA Miner can quickly analyze interviews, open-ended responses, journals, and still images. Plus, there are seven text search and retrieval tools, helping you reliably code your text in less time.

QDA Miner Lite also offers a Boolean text search tool. This gives you the unprecedented ability to retrieve and code text segments.

• QDA Miner Lite has an easy-to-use interface for coding, retrieving, and reviewing data. You can also present results in a variety of file formats.

Dedoose has qualitative and mixed method capabilities for anyone looking to analyze text, audio, images, videos, and surveys.

It claims to support traditional qualitative data management, coding, and analysis. Dedoose is a wise choice for analyzing raw consumer or market research data.

Dedoose is free for 30 days. Afterward, you can upgrade to a premium plan with rates adjusted depending on your needs or your group size.

• Dedoose encourages teamwork and collaboration.
• Dedoose presents information in interactive visuals, such as charts, plots, and tables for easy analysis.

10. Glimpse

Glimpse is ideal for customer success teams that want to analyze qualitative data related to consumer behaviors.

The easy-to-use tool comes with a qualitative sentiment analysis survey. This collects data from different sources and presents it in a straightforward format, whether chart, graphs, or heat maps.

• Information is organized or displayed concisely for easy analysis.
• You can collect information from various platforms and display them simultaneously.
• It identifies trends and patterns in products, industries, and companies.
• The software uses machine learning and what-if analysis tools to collect and present real-time data.

Choosing the Right QDAS

Ever since qualitative data analysis software was invented in the 80s, these tools have helped businesses harness data. For those in customer success, QDAS allows businesses to create memorable experiences for customers.

If you're looking for a QDAS to help you reach the right buyer, consider which tool aligns most with your business needs.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

27 Top Customer Feedback Tools for 2024

How to Write the Perfect Customer Feedback Report

10 Types of Customer Feedback (+Examples)

The Best 15 Sentiment Analysis Tools in 2024

How to Respond to Negative Feedback from Customers

Customer Insights: How to Use Feedback to Improve Experience

‘How Did You Hear About Us’ Survey Options: All-In-One Guide [+ Examples]

How to Write an Apology Letter to Customers [12 Templates & Examples]

What's Customer Responsiveness? (+ 5 Ways to Create a Customer Responsive Culture)

How to Ask for & Actually Get Customer Feedback

Lean more about customer service stats and best practices for this year.

Service Hub provides everything you need to delight and retain customers while supporting the success of your whole front office

Product Design Bundle and save

User Research New

Content Design

UX Design Fundamentals

Software and Coding Fundamentals for UX

• UX training for teams
• Hire our alumni
• Student Stories
• State of UX Hiring Report 2024
• Our mission
• Advisory Council

Education for every phase of your UX career

Professional Diploma

Learn the full user experience (UX) process from research to interaction design to prototyping.

Combine the UX Diploma with the UI Certificate to pursue a career as a product designer.

Professional Certificates

Learn how to plan, execute, analyse and communicate user research effectively.

Master content design and UX writing principles, from tone and style to writing for interfaces.

Understand the fundamentals of UI elements and design systems, as well as the role of UI in UX.

Short Courses

Gain a solid foundation in the philosophy, principles and methods of user experience design.

Learn the essentials of software development so you can work more effectively with developers.

Give your team the skills, knowledge and mindset to create great digital products.

Join our hiring programme and access our list of certified professionals.

Learn about our mission to set the global standard in UX education.

Meet our leadership team with UX and education expertise.

Members of the council connect us to the wider UX industry.

Our team are available to answer any of your questions.

Fresh insights from experts, alumni and the wider design community.

Success stories from our course alumni building thriving careers.

Discover a wealth of UX expertise on our YouTube channel.

Latest industry insights. A practical guide to landing a job in UX.

The 10 best UX research tools to use in 2023

In this guide, we introduce 9 of the best UX research tools on the market right now. We’ll also share some advice on how to choose the most suitable tools for your work.

Free course: Introduction to UX Design

What is UX? Why has it become so important? Could it be a career for you? Learn the answers, and more, with a free 7-lesson video course.

All good UX begins with user research—and all good user research relies on the right tools. 

But, with so many tools to choose from, where do you even start? 

Look no further. In this guide, we introduce 9 of the best UX research tools on the market right now. We’ll also share some advice on how to choose the most suitable tools for your work.

What is UX research and why does it matter?

• 9 of the best UX research tools available in 2023

How to choose the right tools for your UX research

Ready to become a user research pro? Let’s begin. 

[GET CERTIFIED IN USER RESEARCH]

Before we explore the best tools for the job, let’s recap on what exactly UX research is—and why it’s so important.

UX design is all about solving a real problem for real, human users. UX research helps you to identify the problem you need to solve, and to understand how best to solve it based on what you know about your users. 

Without user research, you’re basing your work on assumptions. This inevitably leads to a mismatch between the user experience and the people you’re designing it for—i.e. bad UX!

That’s why all good designers start their UX process with research. UX research involves:

• Conducting interviews, surveys, card sorting exercises and focus groups (to name a few!) with real or representative users to see what they expect from the user experience and what pain-points they currently encounter
• Analysing the data gathered to uncover key themes and user problems
• Defining the scope of the problems uncovered and determining what to prioritise
• Sharing your findings with key stakeholders
• Continually testing and iterating on your designs to optimise the user experience

You can learn more about what UX research is in this dedicated guide .

What’s the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

As you consider what tools to use for your UX research, it’s important to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research. 

Quantitative user research gathers objective, measurable data that can be quantified (i.e. counted). Some examples of quantitative data might be the number of clicks it takes a user to complete their desired task on a website, or the percentage of users who bounce in a given time frame.

Qualitative user research isn’t concretely measurable, but it can give you much deeper insights into how your users think, feel and behave. For example, if you conduct interviews to find out how your users feel about a particular product, that’s qualitative research. Likewise, if you observe a user trying to navigate an app and note down that they get really frustrated, that’s qualitative data. 

UX designers tend to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research for a broad and detailed picture of their users. 

What’s the difference between moderated and unmoderated user research?

Another distinction to be aware of is that between moderated and unmoderated research. 

Moderated UX research takes place with the user researcher present. If you’re interviewing a user live via video call, or observing them while they complete a certain task and asking follow-up questions, you’re conducting moderated UX research.

Unmoderated UX research takes place without your supervision. This includes things like surveys which the user answers in their own time, or usability tests where the user might record their screen while they interact with your website.

What are the best UX research tools?

Now we know about the different types of user research you might conduct, let’s explore some of the best UX research tools on the market right now. 

1. Optimal Workshop for card sorting, tree testing and first-click testing

Optimal Workshop isn’t just a user research tool—it’s an entire toolbox. You can use it to conduct both qualitative and quantitative user research, and to recruit participants.

Optimal Workshop allows you to see participant responses as they come in, and to view your data in the form of easy-to-understand visualisations—ideal for sharing your insights with others. 

You can use Optimal Workshop to conduct card sorting exercises, tree testing, first-click testing, and surveys. 

Optimal Workshop comprises 5 tools:

• OptimalSort , a card sorting tool that shows you how your users categorise information. This is useful when mapping out the information architecture of a website or app.
• Treejack , a tree testing tool that shows you how easily people can find information on your website or app—and where they get lost.
• Chalkmark for first-click testing. This enables you to test the usability of an existing design. You can upload screenshots, sketches or wireframes and test to see if users are able to navigate with ease.
• Questions for creating and sending out online surveys. You can attach wireframes or sketches for more specific feedback.
• Reframer for note-taking and documentation. This is useful for organising all your qualitative research insights in one place. Reframer is actually number 8 on our list, so more on that later!

Main features at a glance:

• 1 platform, 5 tools for card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, surveys, and documenting qualitative research insights
• Participant recruitment service (available in 70+ languages)
• View participant responses as they come in
• Data visualisations accessible via the Optimal Workshop dashboard

How much does it cost?

Optimal Workshop offers a free plan with no requirement to upgrade. If you do want more functionality, paid options include:

• The Starter plan for small-scale research projects at $99/month (approx. €88).
• The Pro plan for unlimited studies at $166/month (approx. €150) for 1 user.
• The Team plan for unlimited studies at $153/month per user (approx. €140) for up to 3 users. 

2. Looppanel for user interviews and usability tests

Looppanel is an AI-powered research analysis & repository product that makes it 5x faster to discover and share user insights.

Looppanel acts like your research assistant: it records, transcribes, creates notes, and organizes your data for easy analysis.

Teams like PandaDoc, Huge Inc., Airtel, and others use Looppanel to streamline research analysis and build their insights repository.

Main Features at a glance

• Automatically generated notes for user interviews
• 90%+ accuracy transcription in 8 languages
• Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams to auto-record calls
• Time-stamped notes taken live during interviews
• Ability to tag and annotate on transcripts
• 1-click to create shareable video clips
• Analysis workspace to view project data by question or tag
• Search across projects

Looppanel offers a free 15-day trial. After that, you can choose from a range of paid plans:

• Starter (for small teams / solo researchers): An affordable starter plan for $30/month that includes 10 transcription hours / month
• Teams: For teams of 3+ researchers, this plan is priced at $350/month and comes with 30 transcription hours / month
• Business: For organizations with large teams or significant security requirements, the business plan costs $1,000/month for 120 transcription hours / month
• Custom: For enterprise teams of larger sizes

3. Lookback for user interviews 

Lookback is a video research platform for conducting both moderated and unmoderated user interviews and usability tests. 

The collaborative dashboard allows you to sync all your research, tag your teammates, and create highlight reels of all the most useful insights. You can set up virtual observation rooms, record users’ screens as they navigate your app or website, and transcribe your user interviews. 

• Moderated and unmoderated video interviews and user testing sessions
• Timestamped notes captured live during sessions
• Virtual observation rooms: Invite stakeholders to observe user research sessions and chat with each other in a separate virtual room
• Screen capturing: Watch and record participant touches on mobile screens during interactions
• Create highlight videos and compile them into highlight reels
• Collaborative dashboard 

Lookback offers a free 14-day trial. After that, there are a range of paid plans to choose from:

• Freelance: An affordable solo plan for $17/month (approx. €15). Includes 10 sessions/year.
• Team: $99/month (approx. €90) for 100 sessions/year. 
• Insights Hub: $229/month (approx. €205) for 300 sessions/year. 

4. Typeform for surveys

Surveys are a UX research staple, offering a quick, easy and inexpensive way to gather user insights. When sending out surveys for UX research, you’ll usually ask questions about the respondents’ attitudes and preferences in relation to the product or service you’re designing. 

Typeform is one of the most popular survey tools among UX designers. With Typeform, you can design your own surveys from scratch or choose from a range of templates. After you’ve distributed your survey, you can see responses and completion rates and generate shareable reports. 

• Dozens of UX research templates, including a user persona survey template , a product research survey template and a product feedback template
• Conditional logic to ensure that users only see relevant follow-up questions based on their previous answer
• Shareable reports after survey completion
• Integrations for Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable and more

Typeform has a free plan with unlimited forms, 10 questions per form, and 10 responses per month. You can stay on the free plan for as long as you like, or upgrade for additional features:

• Basic: €21/month (1 user, unlimited typeforms, up to 100 responses/month)
• Plus: €46/month (3 users, unlimited typeforms, up to 1,000 responses/month)
• Business: €75/month (5 users, unlimited typeforms, up to 10,000 responses/month)

View all price plans and features on the Typeform website .

5. Maze for user surveys, concept validation, and wireframe & prototype testing

Maze is another UX research all-rounder with a focus on rapid testing. You can use it for card sorting, tree testing, 5-second tests, surveys, and to test wireframes and prototypes on real users. 

Maze integrates with all the industry-standard UX tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD and InVision. It’s even got a built-in panel of user testers, promising user insights in less than 2 hours. 

Maze also handles the analytics, presenting your research insights in the form of a visual report. 

• Prototype testing to validate your designs before developing them
• Tree testing to ensure your information architecture is user-friendly
• 5-second testing to assess user sentiment when first interacting with your product
• Surveys to scale your UX research
• Card sorting to help plan or test your product’s information architecture
• Built-in panel of over 70,000 testers
• Analytics and visual reports

[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]

6. UserZoom for surveys, card sorting, click testing, and usability tests

Similar to Optimal Workshop and Maze, UserZoom is a complete UX research toolbox used for card sorting, usability testing, surveys, click testing, tree testing, and user interviews. The platform also includes a fully-integrated participant recruitment engine with over 120 million users worldwide. 

• Moderated and unmoderated usability testing
• Surveys for quickly gathering user feedback at scale
• Click testing to evaluate early stage concepts
• Open and closed card sorting to inform your information architecture and understand your users’ mental models
• Interviews to gather self-reported insights from your users
• Tree testing to assess your information architecture
• Participant recruitment engine with over 120 million users worldwide
• Integrations with Adobe XD, Miro, Jira, Mural, Typeform and more

UserZoom offers custom price plans depending on your needs. Find out more here .

7. dscout for remote user interviews and diary studies

A versatile suite of research tools, dscout is ideal for conducting remote user studies. 

There are four main pillars of the dscout platform: Diary, Live, Recruit, and Express. 

Diary is a remote diary studies tool which allows you to gather contextual, qualitative insights into user behaviour and experiences. If you’re new to diary studies, dscout has put together a helpful guide on how and why to conduct diary studies here . 

Live is a user interview tool, and Express is a flexible user survey solution. Recruit is the final piece in the puzzle: a panel of over 100 thousand users you can enlist for your UX research.

• Diary for conducting remote diary studies
• Live for user interviews with auto-transcribe, real-time note-taking and screen-sharing capabilities
• Express for user surveys
• Recruit, a built-in panel of 100 thousand user research participants
• Research synthesis and analysis: automatically generate charts and word clouds
• Loads of guides, resources and templates to help you get started

dscout offers customisable subscription plans depending on your needs. You can learn more about the different plans and request a quote here .

8. Hotjar for analytics and heatmaps

Hotjar is a powerful behaviour analytics tool that enables you to really see how your users engage with an existing product. 

You can use Hotjar to send out surveys, capture and watch screen recordings of people interacting with your website, create heatmaps, and gather real-time user feedback. Hotjar is all about stepping into your users’ shoes and improving the user experience accordingly!

• Heatmaps to see where users click and how they navigate your site. This is helpful for identifying any usability issues or UX flaws
• Screen recordings to see first-hand how people interact with your product
• Real-time user feedback via a suggestion box integrated into your website
• Surveys and survey templates 
• Integrations with Slack, Miro, Jira, Asana and more

Hotjar’s basic free plan is pretty extensive, offering up to 35 daily sessions, unlimited heatmaps, and up to 1,050 recordings per month. For more research capability, paid plans include:

• Plus: €31/month —ideal for small teams
• Business: €79/month —for growing companies and websites
• Scale: €311/month —for large companies and websites

See Hotjar’s price overview for more information.

9. Reframer for analysing qualitative research

Reframer is part of the Optimal Workshop suite of UX research tools (number 1 on our list), but we think it’s worth a special mention. As UX designer Carrie Nusbaum notes in her own review of Reframer : “There are many tools that support the act of actual user testing, and many that facilitate design. Relatively few tools, however, specifically support some important steps that take place in between, namely: data organisation, research synthesis, and presentation of findings.”

Reframer seeks to fill this gap. It’s a unique tool dedicated to capturing all your qualitative research notes in one place, helping you to analyse and make sense of them. It’s your “qualitative research sidekick”, bringing some much-needed structure to the often messy task of qualitative research. 

• Directly capture research observations straight into Reframer; no Post-it notes or separate Google Doc needed
• Theme builder: easily construct a coding system with tags and build out themes for your research findings
• Chord and bubble charts to visualise your findings and easily spot patterns and trends
• XLS export: you can export your research as a .xls file, enabling you to transfer it to other tools and platforms if needed

You can use Reframer as part of the Optimal Workshop toolbox. Optimal Workshop offers a free plan which you can use for as long as you like. For increased functionality, the following paid plans are available:

10. Asana for planning and organising your UX research

Asana isn’t a UX research tool per se, but it’s an excellent tool for organising and keeping track of all your research projects. 

With the Timeline feature, you can create project plans to see exactly what’s happening and when, or visualise your workflow with a Kanban-style board . This allows you to drag and drop cards into different columns depending on their status (e.g. in progress, awaiting feedback, done). 

You can add multiple collaborators to different projects, assign various tasks to individual team members, and provide updates via the commenting function. 

Asana essentially has everything you need to manage your research projects collaboratively from start to finish. 

• Shared team calendar for an overview of who’s working on what, and when
• Visual project management in the form of lists or boards, with the ability to break projects down into smaller subtasks and assign them to different stakeholders
• Project briefs and templates to standardise and streamline your workflows
• In-platform communication via task comments or private messaging
• Integrations with Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, email, and more

You can use the free basic version of Asana for as long as you like, with extensive capabilities (ideal for individuals and smaller teams). For more robust project management, Asana offers two paid plans:

• Premium at €10.99/user per month
• Business at €24.99/user per month

You’ll find more information on Asana’s pricing overview page .

Ultimately, the tools you choose to work with will depend on the UX research methodologies you want to use, and on the scale of your research. 

If you’re conducting small-scale research with just a few participants, you may not need an entire suite of tools with recruiting and analytics built in—a good survey tool and reliable video conferencing software should suffice. 

But, if you’re conducting large-scale research with dozens or even hundreds of participants, and working as part of a team, you’ll want a set of UX research tools that are collaborative and versatile, covering everything from recruiting to synthesis and analysis. 

You can mix and match your research tools, too: you might use Typeform for surveys, Lookback for user interviews, and Asana to collate all your findings. Before you settle on a specific tool, try it out with a free trial, read up on what other designers have said about their experience with the platform, and compare it to a few alternatives on the market. 

Hopefully this guide has given you a good starting point from which to build out your UX research toolkit. If you’d like to learn more about UX tools, check out this complete guide to the best tools for every stage of the UX design process .

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the best UX insights and career advice direct to your inbox each month.

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter

You'll now get the best career advice, industry insights and UX community content, direct to your inbox every month.

Upcoming courses

Professional diploma in ux design.

Learn the full UX process, from research to design to prototyping.

Professional Certificate in UI Design

Master key concepts and techniques of UI design.

Certificate in Software and Coding Fundamentals for UX

Collaborate effectively with software developers.

Certificate in UX Design Fundamentals

Get a comprehensive introduction to UX design.

Professional Certificate in Content Design

Learn the skills you need to start a career in content design.

Professional Certificate in User Research

Master the research skills that make UX professionals so valuable.

Upcoming course

Build your UX career with a globally-recognised, industry-approved certification. Get the mindset, the skills and the confidence of UX designers.

You may also like

The 10 best user interface (UI) design tools to try in 2024

The 6 Best AI Tools for Content Design in 2024

AI for UX: 5 ways you can use AI to be a better UX designer

Build your UX career with a globally recognised, industry-approved qualification. Get the mindset, the confidence and the skills that make UX designers so valuable.

4 June 2024

Learn / Guides / User interviews guide

Back to guides

7 best user interview tools for remote usability research

Choosing the right user interview tool will mean fewer hours spent on time-consuming admin like finding participants, scheduling calls, and sifting through notes—and more time putting valuable user insights into action. You know, that part you actually need your brain for!

Last updated

Reading time.

This guide compares the best features (and not-so-good bits) of seven self-service user interview tools (including our own, Hotjar Engage 👋) so you can find the right one for your next project. 

User Interviews

UsabilityHub

Run remote user interviews with Hotjar

Reach your target users, save admin time, and combine insights all in one place.

Top user interview tools compared

Use the table below to quickly compare popular user interview tools based on their main features, and pick the right one to streamline your workflow .

7 best user interview tools, apps, and platforms

The below tools are all self-service usability testing and UX research tools with dedicated interview features to help you find answers to your most burning research questions . There’s no one-size-fits-all solution: pick software that suits your team’s goals, whether that’s increasing empathy for your users, deciding which product features to prioritize, or validating assumptions .

What it is: Hotjar Engage , formerly known as PingPong , is an online user interview tool for recruiting, scheduling, running, and analyzing moderated remote user research sessions. Here’s how it works in 83 seconds:

Price: from $0/month for five interviews

Key features:

Recruit your own users or choose from Hotjar’s pool of 200,000+ participants

Schedule calls and send out calendar invites 

Manage and pay incentives

Use the built-in call software or integrate with your Zoom account 

Run interviews without testers needing software or browser extensions to participate 

Invite observers to your interview calls

Automate interview recording

Automate transcripts in 20 languages

Add notes and create and share highlights with your team to improve cross-functional collaboration

The not-so-good bits:

You can’t run unmoderated research tasks in Hotjar Engage, but you can create concept tests in Hotjar Surveys

You’ll need to integrate with Zoom to run remote mobile user tests (Plus plan or higher, from $350/month)

🏆 Use Hotjar for user interviews if: 

You want an all-in-one user interview tool to recruit, schedule, run, and analyze moderated user interviews

You want to start with a free plan and scale up as you grow

You want to combine user interviews with Hotjar’s other UX tools like Heatmaps , Recordings , Surveys , and Funnels

What it is: Ethnio is a UX research recruiting platform.

Price: from $79/month for five screeners

Use screener templates to find your own research participants

Target screeners by device, browser, or location

Integrate with Zoom, Google Calendar, and Outlook to schedule and run interviews

Manage and send cash and gift card incentives worldwide

You’ll need to be on the Pro or higher plan (from $349/month) to send incentives to more than one country

Ethnio only helps you find users and schedule interviews; you’ll need to use other tools to run the call, take notes, and analyze results

🏆 Use Ethnio for user interviews if: 

You need a dedicated tool to recruit and manage your own participants

3. User Interviews

What it is: User Interviews is a user research recruiting platform for moderated and unmoderated research.

Price: from $45/session or $2100/year for 60 sessions

Source participants from a pool of more than three million users in seven countries

Use advanced targeting to find users by segment or attribute

Manage incentive payments and set rates yourself

Sync your calendar and automatically schedule sessions

You can’t recruit your own users without adding an integration (e.g. with Loop11; charges apply)

Not many features beyond recruiting—you’re on your own with running the interview and analyzing key insights

🏆 Use User Interviews if: 

You want to quickly screen users from a huge testing pool

You need to use precise targeting to find a very niche audience

You want to combine moderated and unmoderated user interviews with focus groups

You want the option of pay-as-you-go pricing

What it is: Loop11 is a UX research and insights platform with moderated and unmoderated remote usability testing​ tools.

Price: from $199/month for three projects

Recruit your own participants using pop-up invitations or email links

Run tests on any device using the browser extension or app

Invite observers to interviews

Create highlight clips and time-stamped notes

Generate AI summaries from automated interview transcripts 

You can only recruit your own participants. If you want to use a testing panel, you’ll need to contact Loop11 for more information or integrate another tool like User Interviews or TestingTime (charges apply).

Additional features like heatmaps and video downloads are only available on Pro or higher plans (from $399/month)

🏆 Use Loop11 for user interviews if: 

You want to combine user interviews with other UX testing tools, like information architecture and prototype testing

You want to recruit your own test participants

You want a quick way to summarize interview highlights

5. Lookback

What it is: Lookback is a qualitative user research platform for remote tests, including card sorting, tree testing, and 1:1 interviews.

Price: from $300/year for 10 sessions

Recruit your own participants using an email template

Run moderated or unmoderated user interviews on any device

Invite observers to sessions

Generate automatic transcriptions

Create shareable highlights and time-stamped notes 

Get support from very detailed help docs and tutorials

No monthly pricing plans

No participant pool and limited help recruiting your own participants

Participants need to add a browser extension to share their screens

🏆 Use Lookback for user interviews if: 

You want a tool to regularly run and analyze interviews with your team

You want to combine interviews with other usability tests like remote ethnography

You want to use a self-service tool with detailed help docs

6. Userfeel

What it is: Userfeel is a pay-as-you-go user testing tool for running moderated and unmoderated user interviews remotely.

Price: from $30/60-min unmoderated session; $60/60-min moderated interview

Recruit your own users or screen from 850,000+ participants in 40+ countries

Run moderated and unmoderated sessions

Schedule moderated interviews

Create interview highlight videos and notes

Automate transcriptions

All testers must download Userfeel’s app to participate, which could be a barrier if you’re trying to recruit your own users

There’s no built-in way to share video highlights with your team—you’ll need to download or send them to YouTube as a workaround

You can’t provide incentives to users you recruit yourself

🏆 Use Userfeel for user interviews if: 

You need to pay per interview instead of committing to a monthly or annual subscription

You want to run unmoderated and moderated user interviews

You need access to a large pool of global testers

7. UsabilityHub

What it is: UsabilityHub is a remote user research platform focusing on unmoderated tests like card sorting, first click, and five-second testing. A beta interview tool was added in July 2023.

Price: from $0/month for three seats

Create survey screeners to find qualified participants

Schedule interviews using Google Calendar

Run moderated remote interviews using Zoom

Manage incentive payments

The interview feature is only included in the free plan while in beta (subject to change)

No built-in call software

No participant screen sharing, so you can’t watch users navigate your website during interviews

No analysis tools like video highlights or transcription

🏆 Use UsabilityHub for user interviews if: 

You’re looking to test a new beta tool for free

You want to combine interviews with unmoderated tests like prototype and preference tests

Pick a tool to save time; spend it making better user experiences

User interview projects have a lot of moving parts. Instead of trying to recruit, schedule, run, and analyze interviews on your own, give an all-in-one interview tool like Hotjar Engage a try. You’ll save time (and mental energy) by having everything in one dashboard—plus, you’ll be in the right place to view your results alongside insights from our other tools like Heatmaps , Recordings , Surveys , and Funnels .

FAQs about user interview tools

What are user interview tools.

User interview tools are software, apps, or platforms that allow you to recruit participants, schedule and conduct interviews, take notes, and analyze and share insights. Some tools, like Hotjar Engage , help you manage every step of the process, while others focus on specific activities like participant recruitment.

What is the best way to record a user interview?

While you can use standard meeting tools like Zoom or Google Meet to run and record user interviews, you’ll get more features with a user interview tool with built-in recording capabilities. For example, if you run interviews in Hotjar Engage, your calls are automatically recorded and transcribed, ready for you to clip and share highlights with your team.

Which remote usability testing tools can be used for moderated interviews?

Depending on what you need, you can use any of the seven tools included in this guide for running moderated user interviews remotely:

Hotjar Engage (participant recruitment, interviews, and analysis)

Ethnio (participant recruitment only)

User Interviews (participant recruitment only)

Loop11 (participant recruitment, interviews, and analysis)

Lookback (participant recruitment, interviews, and analysis)

Userfeel (participant recruitment, interviews, and analysis)

UsabilityHub (participant recruitment and interviews)

Conducting user interviews

Previous chapter

User interview questions

Next chapter

8 Great Tools To Perform Qualitative Data Analysis in 2022

Collecting qualitative customer data unlocks a potential goldmine of growth for your organization.

That is, if you know what to do with it. 

Qualitative data tells you how your customers feel and what they want from you. Examining your customer’s experience (CX) and putting the customer at the center of everything you do is likely to lead to an increase in your bottom line. 

However, in order to extract meaningful insights, you have to effectively analyze the data you collect. For this you’ll need the right qualitative data analysis tools.

Traditionally these tools were used exclusively by data specialists or analysts. Nowadays, however, data is so ubiquitous that even those outside of those remits can find themselves needing to make sense of large amounts of data. 

There are a lot of options out there and choosing the ideal software for your needs is not always easy. Here we’ll explain exactly what qualitative data analysis software is, then talk you through some of the best tools on the market. . 

What is Qualitative Data Analysis Software?

The 8 best qualitative data analysis software.

In order to understand what qualitative software can do for us, we need to start with what qualitative data actually is. 

Essentially, qualitative data is data that is non-numerical. It is descriptive and conceptual. Qualitative data is collected from a number of different sources. Some popular types include interviews, focus groups, surveys, e-mails, customer feedback, customer service tickets, observation notes, and phone calls.

This data, when it comes back to you, can be immense. Qualitative data analysis tools can help you organize, process, and analyze data for actionable insights. 

Qualitative data analysis software is used across a wide range of sectors and industries such as healthcare, the legal industry, e-commerce businesses, marketing departments - and everything in between. If your company has large amounts of data, you most likely need QDA software. 

The functionality of these tools varies greatly. At one end of the spectrum, you have software which allows you to tag and highlight important parts of your research. At the other end you have the fastest, most efficient kinds of software which employ the help of artificial intelligence to help you tag, analyze and visualize your research at record speed. 

Let’s jump straight into the ins and outs of 8 of the best qualitative data analysis tools out there.

Here is our list of the 8 top qualitative data analysis software. 

• MAXQDA - A well-established, reliable QDA Software 
• NVivo - Intuitive software offering some automation 
• ATLAS.ti - A powerful QA tool that offers some AI-improved functions 
• QDA Miner - Offers both a free and paid version 
• Quirkos - An easy to use, simplified tool 
• Dedoose - A tool that enables collaboration and team work
• Taguette - A free, open-source, data organization option 
• MonkeyLearn - AI-powered, qualitative analysis and visualization tool 

MAXQDA is a qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method data analysis tool. It lets you input data from a range of sources such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups to name a few. You can then tag and categorize this data for analysis. 

Best for:  In their words, MAXQDA was “created by researchers, for researchers.” This is across the education, non-profit and commercial sectors. 

Strengths: It’s easy to use and can support a number of different languages. It also uses AI to help users with audio transcription. 

This software was founded in 1989, so they have been around for a while and you can trust that their offerings are reliable. 

Weaknesses: Using it collaboratively in a team is not easy as individual users have to save their work and then merge the versions. This can be cumbersome. It’s also not the most attractive to look at compared with other software. 

Pricing: They have three different pricing plans that come with both an annual and perpetual price. They also offer a free trial. You can find more information here .

Like MAXQDA, NVivo is a software tool that allows its users to organize and store their qualitative data ready for analysis. You can also import word docs, PDFs, audio, images, and video. 

Best for: Researchers or academics looking for software with autocoding. 

Strengths: The interface is easy to use and is quite like Microsoft - this makes it instantly familiar and intuitive for many users. It’s much more powerful than some other offerings and offers automated transcription and autocoding. 

Weakness: NVivo struggles with languages that have characters, this isn’t a problem, for instance, for MAXQDA. 

While it is powerful compared to some of its competitors like Taguette, it doesn’t have the power to work with large data sets. After you’ve coded your data, you will still have to analyze your data manually, which could take a long time. 

Pricing: The price will vary according to a few factors, for example, whether you are a student or whether you are purchasing for an organization. More information can be found here.

3. ATLAS.ti

ATLAS.ti is a powerful QDA software tool, it supports large bodies of textual, graphical, audio and video data. Unlike other software in this category such as Quirkos, it has incorporated AI technology as it has evolved. 

Best for: This is best for research organizations, corporations, and academic institutions due to the extra AI features and the added cost.   

Strengths: Its interface is cleaner and sleeker than both Nvivo and MAXQDA, and collaboration is easier than in MAXQDA. It is also more powerful, boating both sentiment analysis and autocoding. 

Weakness: It can get expensive for individual users (such as students). Some users have also complained that the coding features are not that intuitive. 

Pricing: They offer a free trial and an extensive amount of licensing options based on sector and individual needs. More information can be found here.

4. QDA Miner

QDA Miner is a qualitative and mixed-method software that helps you to organize, code and analyze your data. They offer both a paid and free version called QDA Miner Lite.

Best for: Those looking for advanced visualizations and who are working alone.

Strengths: The latest version, QDA Miner 6, which was released in 2020, can link up with Tableau, a top data visualization tool , to give you an array of visualization options. 

Weakness:   QDA Miner doesn’t allow for collaboration which would be a big drawback if you are working on data with a team. Within the free version, the import and export functions are limited, as are the analysis functions. However, it might be enough to get you started or if you’re looking to test the waters. 

Pricing: They offer a number of packages according to sector and needs. Find details here.

Quirkos describes itself as a simple software tool that can help in the analysis of qualitative data. It is affordable and is popular within the education sector.  

Best for: Students and academics. 

Strengths: Quirkos offers a free trial which can be great if you are not sure what software is right for you. It’s also more affordable than some of the more advanced options like Atlas.ti. The drag and drop text functions make it simple and easy to use. You can also work collaboratively in Quirkos, and in real time.

Weakness: Its simplicity means that it offers less functionality. You have to code manually and this could be a deal-breaker if you have a lot of data. It also has fewer import options than other software. 

Pricing: There are three different options. Student, academic, commercial. Prices vary according to version and whether you want it cloud or offline. You can find more information here.

Dedoose is a 100% web-based tool for qualitative analysis. It was created by academics from UCLA and was designed to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. It’s capable of importing data from a range of different formats, including documents, images, audio, video, and spreadsheets. 

Best for: Those who want a fully web based option where they can easily collaborate with team members.

Strengths: This software is team-oriented and user-friendly. It’s easy to import both text and visual data. It’s also compatible with mobile. 

Weakness: While they boast affordability, Dedoose can work out to be more expensive than other software as they only charge a monthly fee rather than a yearly license. The fact that it’s 100% web based may also be a negative for some. Like Quirkos, there is no AI or machine learning used in this tool. 

Pricing: Dedoose offers different prices depending on whether you’re an individual, student or group. More information can be found here.

7. Taguette

Taguette is a free open source qualitative data analysis tool that allows you to tag your data so you can then export it for analysis. 

Best for: Those looking for a basic, free option to organize their data for analysis. 

Strengths: It is very simple and easy to use. The fact that it’s open-source is also beneficial for many. It offers both an online and local version. 

Weakness: The fact that it is so simple means some drawbacks. Taguette doesn’t support images or video like some of the others. It also comes with zero automation compared to some of the bigger players and can’t analyze your data for you. 

Pricing: Taguette is free to use.

8. MonkeyLearn

MonkeyLearn is a powerful qualitative analysis software. It differs from most of the tools we have listed here in that it harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to make your data analysis process as efficient as possible. 

It offers an intuitive no-code interface that gets you to the stage of analyzing and visualizing your data in much less time. It’s also useful if you are not a data expert and you don’t have hours to spend coding manually or if, due to the size of your datasets, it’s simply impossible to do so. 

The MonkeyLearn Studio comes with pre-trained text analysis models, or, for more accurate insights, you can go ahead and build your own with your data and criteria. 

Once you’ve chosen your model you can start uploading your data from a range of options. Then you’ll be able to analyze this data with different tools like keyword extractor , feedback classifier , or sentiment analyzer . 

With that done, you can then view all your analysis in the interactive Studio dashboard (pictured below).

You can also learn more about our pricing and plans here . 

There are a number of qualitative data analysis software out there which will suit different needs. However, many of these tools require you to manually code your data in order to analyze it. 

If you are not that comfortable with coding or if you are working with datasets so large that this level of manual work is not feasible, you’ll need a tool like MonkeyLearn to help you process your qualitative data. 

MonkeyLearn provides a high level of automation, while still allowing you control of your data. This can make all the difference in terms of speed and cost. You can use your regained time to really understand the insights that crop up. 

Sign up for a free trial today to see how you can use MonkeyLearn Studio to best analyze your qualitative data.

Rachel Wolff

September 29th, 2021

Posts you might like...

Omnichannel Customer Experience: How To Build Omnichannel CX in 2022

Customer experience (CX) and customer experience management (CXM) , the business of curating CX, will be what determines whether brands…

How to Successfully Harness Your Customer Data

The success and profitability of your company depends on how well you understand your customers’ wants, needs, and motivations. The…

Customer Churn and How You Can Reduce It

With an abundance of choice and competitive offerings, customers these days don’t need much of a reason to jump ship. Losing customers is…

Text Analysis with Machine Learning

Turn tweets, emails, documents, webpages and more into actionable data. Automate business processes and save hours of manual data processing.

Build org-wide consensus with Zoho’s cloud-based qualitative research tool

Conduct remote interviews and get auto-generated transcriptions, tag your observations using AI for efficient data synthesis, and deliver powerful insights with Zoho ResearchStudio.

Collect data

Import data from spreadsheets, CSV files, and audio/video recordings, or conduct remote interviews right from ResearchStudio.

Analyze findings

Tag observations with AI, and make sense of the collected data with powerful analytics and data visualization.

Discover insights

Consolidate findings, notes, graphs, and charts about a specific topic into skimmable insights.

Share results

Publish your insights and recommendations as detailed reports to the rest of your team.

Host secure and reliable remote sessions

Record your remote sessions and get timestamped notes and transcripts.

• Conduct live interviews with participants
• Share a unique session link for each project
• Transcribe interviews automatically
• Use timestamps to skim recordings faster
• Assign moderator and notetaker roles
• Collaborate with peers during sessions

Synthesize raw data into shareable insights

Tag all of your observations to quickly generate actionable, data-backed insights that are ready to share.

Auto-tag data to quickly start analysis

Highlight, annotate, and tag observations.

Build research taxonomies for all your projects

Visualize data with pie charts, bar graphs and more

Publish insights to project stakeholders

Create and publish engaging reports

Build detailed reports to clearly convey research results to all stakeholders with key findings, actionable insights, and recommendations.

• Create complete reports with powerful formatting, editing, and proofing tools.
• Build reports from scratch or using built-in template.
• Insert cover pages, TOCs, charts, and citations in just a few clicks.
• Link findings to the corresponding observations and insights.
• Create and publish reports to share your findings with stakeholders.

Report : Threat to movie theatres due to OTT platform

The rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms has revolutionised the entertainment industry, providing audiences with convenient access to diverse content. However, this has posed challenges for traditional movie theatres, prompting a closer examination of the evolving landscape.

Qualitative data analysis for any field

Ethnography.

Solve complex design challenges with usability tests, or gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and customs around the world.

Build personas for market research, study health and illness experiences, or gain context for your next historical nonfiction novel.

Case Studies

Build a database of individual experiences that can help guide further research, marketing intiatives, policy decisions, and more.

Grounded Theory

Find emerging trends in your field, whether that’s analyzing how consumers respond to your brand or how sports help develop life skills in athletes.

Phenomenological

Discover how students are responding to e-learning, how a new hybrid work model impacts employee motivation, or how a war has affected veterans and their families.

A complete qualitative research tool powered by the Zoho suite

The Sheridan Libraries

• Qualitative Data Analysis Software (nVivo, Atlas.TI, and more)
• Sheridan Libraries

Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS) overview

Choosing qda software, core qdas functions.

• Other QDAS Software
• Qualitative Data Sources

For direct assistance

Contact us , JHU Data Services   for assistance with access to nVivo and ATLAS.ti at the Data Services offices on A level, JHU Eisenhower Library.

Visit our website for more info and our upcoming training workshops !

Qualitative research has benefited from a range of software tools facilitating most qualitative methodological techniques, particularly those involving multimedia digital data. These guides focus on two major QDAS products, nVivo and ATLAS.ti.  Both programs can be found on the workstations at the Data Services computer lab on A-level, Eisenhower Library, and nVivo is available through JHU's SAFE Desktop . This guide also lists other QDA software and linked resources.

Many university libraries have produced comprehensive guides on nVivo, ATLAS.ti, and other QDA software, to which we will provide links with our gratitude

Schmider, Christian. n.d. What Qualitative Data Analysis Software Can and Can’t Do for You – an Intro Video . MERIT Library at the School of Education: School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Accessed January 7, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLKfaCiHVic .

• Supported Methods
• Decision Factors
• Compare QDA Software

Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Software supports a variety of qualitative techniques and methodologies

Qualitative techniques supported by  QDAS

• Coding and Classifying
• Writing: analysis, description, memos
• Relating: finding and annotating connections, relationships, patterns
• Audio/Visual analysis: marking, clipping, transcribing, annotating
• Text mining: computer-aided discovery in large amounts of unstructured text
• Visualization: diagramming, relationship and network patterns, quantitative summary 

QDAS  supported methodologies

• Ethnography
• Case studies
• Grounded theory/ phenomenology
• Discourse/narrative analysis
• Sociolinguistic analysis
• Collaborative qualitative research
• Text analysis & text mining

Overview of qualitative methods from ATLAS.ti:  https://atlasti.com/qualitative-research-methods/

Decision factors for your research

• Methods to feature facilitation (in disciplinary context): How many features directly support your methodology?
• Interface for collection, analysis, reports: Do features accommodate most phases of your research workflow?
• Visualization and outputs: Does it produce and successfully export needed visualization without extensive modification?
• Cost and access to software: Is it worth the investment cost as well as in learning to use it? Look for education discounts.
• Software Comparisons: Commercial & Free. (George Mason University) Lists of flagship software, free software, and tools for converting codebooks among QDA software.
• QDA Software Comparison Chart (NYU Libraries) Comparison chart of QDA software from NYU Library's LibGuide
• Top 14 Qualitative Data Analysis Software Guide with descriptive summaries of the main QDA software, several with business focus.
• Dueling CAQDAS using ATLAS.ti and NVivo Webinar comparing features and use of ATLAS.ti and NVIvo for qualitative data analysis. Includes live demos.

Basic functions common to most QDA programs, and to NVivo and ATLAS.ti in particular:

• Application of a maintained set of terms and short phrases linked to segments of text or audio/video that can be queried and gathered for comparative analysis. 
• Longer narrative notes attached to text or a/v segments, or to codes
• Quick access to codes and segments that can be brought together in panel views for comparison, advanced Boolean search options, and flexible interlinking of segments, codes, and annotation
• Most QDAS facilitates transcribing audio and video, ideally maintaining the links between transcript and A/V segments. 
• Gathering codes, segments, and annotations facilitates pattern discovery and further description of relationships. Some QDAS support social network analysis techniques and visualization
• A range of reports using queries and filters to assemble data and annotations facilitates analysis and writing results.
• ​ Typically includes code tables, social network graphs, and annotated A/V clips.
• Shared access to data & analysis, facilitating comments and discussion, and tracking contributor actions and changes.
• Next: NVivo >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 3:54 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/QDAS

The interview analysis tool that helps you leverage every piece of data

Make the right choice when it comes to qualitative data analysis software: With ATLAS.ti, you can simplify making sense of interview data and get instant access to interview analysis tools that uncover more valuable insights.

Unlock qualitative insights from interview data – without a hassle

Easily organize and analyze qualitative data from interviews in one powerful research platform. Whether you have basic analytical needs or more complex requirements – with ATLAS.ti, you can effortlessly discover qualitative findings for your projects.

Easy-to-use workflow with no stone left unturned

With ATLAS.ti, use our qualitative data analysis tools to analyze every piece of data from your interview participants – whether it's transcriptions, audio and video files, or even pictures. Easily code your data, make sense of motivations behind responses and discover qualitative insights that make a difference.

Harness the power of visualization for your interview analysis

With a qualitative data analysis tool like ATLAS.ti, you can analyze data to create beautiful charts, networks, and diagrams that actually make sense. Streamline your interview analysis process with help from the leading qualitative research platform instead of trying to figure out how to deal with complex data.

Deepen your interview analysis effortlessly

Import and organize interview data.

Import and analyze any type of interview data – ATLAS.ti supports all standard text and transcription files such as Word and PFD, as well as audio and video recordings.

Analyze interview data with ease and speed

Utilize easy-to-learn workflows in your data analysis that save valuable time, such as auto coding, sentiment analysis, team collaboration, and more.

Leverage AI-driven tools

Make efficiency a priority and let ATLAS.ti do your data analysis work with AI-powered research tools and features for faster results.

Visualize and present findings

With just a few clicks, you can create meaningful visualizations like charts, word clouds, tables, networks, among others for your qualitative data analysis.

The faster way to make sense of your interview data. Try it for free, today.

A qualitative interview is an excellent tool for gathering meaningful insights from respondents. For example, suppose that you have statistical data that draws correlations between age and customer satisfaction with a particular product.

Customer interviews can allow a company to conduct more profound data collection of customer feedback regarding why younger consumers are more satisfied with that product than older consumers. Data points from interview research can help data analysts support basic assertions with more insightful perspectives.

Other use cases for interview research include:

• Performing needs assessment or program evaluation
• Documenting past events or experiences
• Elaborating on customer feedback from survey data
• Gathering qualitative customer data about brand reputation
• Conducting mixed methods research

Your research goals will determine the most effective data analysis you should choose. The more commonly used analysis methods include content analysis, thematic analysis, and narrative analysis.

Content analysis

Content analysis can help generate quantitative data extracted from qualitative analysis. It analyzes text for the frequency of:

These frequencies provide an understanding of hidden patterns embedded in interview respondents' utterances and ideas. Content analysis is helpful for researchers conducting interviews with a large number of respondents who need to determine what words or concepts appear most frequently in the data.

Thematic analysis

Thematic analysis is similar to content analysis except for the frequency of topics or themes that interview respondents explore. Researchers who can identify common topics in their data can develop a theoretical framework that may be useful in future research.

Narrative analysis

Qualitative researchers who employ narrative analysis are more interested in how interview respondents construct narratives such as:

• personal anecdotes
• biographies
• retelling of stories

This analytical approach can help guide researchers design future interview studies to more effectively elicit personal narratives.

Analysis of multimedia

You can also analyze the video or audio data from interviews in ATLAS.ti. For example, the respondents' facial expressions or tone of voice may provide important insight into what they say. You can add transcripts to video or audio files and assign codes to both. This combination will allow you to, for example, code for themes in the transcript and code for emotions (e.g., happiness, stress) in the corresponding multimedia file. You can then see whether those themes and emotions co-occur together.

Three commonly conceived types of interviews are structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.

Unstructured interviews

Unstructured interviews involve open-ended questions without a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews are suitable for market research, for example, if entirely new insights from respondents who are more comfortable with an open-ended conversation.

Semi-structured interviews

In the semi-structured interview, the researcher determines some questions in advance but may also ask follow-up questions so that the respondent can elaborate on their answers. Researchers may ask prepared questions to address their main research questions, but the follow-up questions are not predetermined.

Structured interviews

A structured interview is the most restrictive form of an interview, as all the questions are predetermined. In some cases, respondents must answer a question using only a set of choices provided by the interviewer. The structure ensures that neither the interviewer nor the respondent can stray off-topic. At the same time, the resulting data set might allow for a more straightforward quantitative analysis given the narrow set of questions and possible answers.

A content analysis mainly relies on the frequency of words or phrases present in interviews. ATLAS.ti is a qualitative data analysis software that allows researchers to determine and visualize these frequencies in interviews.

Word Clouds and Concepts

The Word Cloud tool counts how many times a word appears in a set of documents. You can then create a visualization of the terms that appear the most often in an interview or a group of interviews. The Concepts tool makes a similar visualization, except it seeks out phrases that commonly occur in the data. Either tool helps conduct a content analysis by converting text into quantitative data.

Synonyms in Text Search

You can use the Text Search tool with Word Clouds to search for synonyms. This can allow you to analyze the frequency of words that have a similar content or meaning.

For example, if a Word Cloud tells you that "happy" occurs frequently in your text, the Text Search function will suggest synonyms such as "joyful" and "delighted" and search for quotations that include those words. You can then directly apply a code such as "positive feelings" to all quotations with any of those words. In turn, these broader codes can be analyzed for their frequency to provide a sense of which ideas are most common in your data.

A thematic analysis requires making sense of the data by identifying prominent themes or topics apparent in the data. Coding in ATLAS.ti allows researchers to mark segments of text with short but descriptive codes. You can organize these preliminary codes into more significant categories and themes. The resulting thematic analysis can tell you what key topics appear most commonly in the data.

ATLAS.ti has code groups and code folders for organizing codes. You can then use these groups and folders in Code-Document Table to analyze the frequency of larger themes apparent in different documents or document groups.

For example, you may have the following themes as code groups:

• opportunities
• shortcomings

You may also have the following document groups:

• office work
• remote work
• domestic travel
• international travel

Analyzing all of these elements in Code-Document Table can give you a sense of which themes appear more often in which document group.

Narrative analysis also involves coding the interview data. However, while analyzing respondents' perspectives, you also analyze how they talk and develop ideas. You can employ either inductive coding or deductive coding. Think of these strategies as bottom-up coding or top-down coding, respectively.

Inductive coding

In inductive coding, you develop codes based on what you see in the data. If, for example, you are interviewing customers about their experiences with a product, you may find that they usually talk about a problem they want to solve by buying the product and the results they have when using the product. What is common in each interview study will depend on the research questions you are trying to answer. You can use those commonalities to conduct a deeper data analysis (e.g., what problems are most common when customers buy the product).

Deductive coding

For deductive coding, you can identify parts of a narrative using a predetermined framework that defines the narrative. For example, you might guess before the qualitative analysis that stories about immigrants involve life in their country of origin, their reason for moving to another country, and their experiences adjusting to their new lives. As a result, your coding process should involve seeking out those parts of respondents' anecdotes and analyzing each aspect of the narrative for commonalities (e.g., the most common reasons why immigrants move to a new country).

Beyond data collection, coding, and analysis, good interview research requires analysts to clean the data, organize the interviews, and reflect on the qualitative analysis.

Data cleaning

The purpose of cleaning data is to ensure that the data analysis is as efficient as possible. For example, consider analyzing only the interview respondent's answers and not the interviewer's questions using the Word Cloud or Concepts tools. This task may mean analyzing a modified interview transcript with only the respondent's answers so that the data analysis does not include the interviewer's words.

Data organization

Organizing the interviews also helps to ensure a smooth data analysis process. There are various ways to organize qualitative data effectively, but one good organization strategy is giving each interview respondent their own document in an ATLAS.ti project. Using the Code-Document Table tool, you can determine the frequency of codes associated with each interview to identify differences in themes or patterns among interview respondents.

Reflecting on respondent bias

It is also essential to consider the inherent biases in any set of qualitative data. Interviews involve interactions between people. As a result, there is always the possibility that respondents could provide answers they think the interviewer would like to hear. Some examples of social desirability bias include situations where the respondent says they always eat healthy food or donate to charity.

Respondents may experience a tendency to adjust their answers toward such socially desirable practices. This bias can also occur in focus group discussions, especially when respondents feel pressured by others in the group to express more desirable opinions than they otherwise would. Bias and subjectivity are unavoidable in qualitative research, but what is important is that researchers carefully reflect on how biases can affect respondents' perspectives and the resulting qualitative data analysis.

Root out friction in every digital experience, super-charge conversion rates, and optimize digital self-service

Uncover insights from any interaction, deliver AI-powered agent coaching, and reduce cost to serve

Increase revenue and loyalty with real-time insights and recommendations delivered to teams on the ground

Know how your people feel and empower managers to improve employee engagement, productivity, and retention

Take action in the moments that matter most along the employee journey and drive bottom line growth

Whatever they’re are saying, wherever they’re saying it, know exactly what’s going on with your people

Get faster, richer insights with qual and quant tools that make powerful market research available to everyone

Run concept tests, pricing studies, prototyping + more with fast, powerful studies designed by UX research experts

Track your brand performance 24/7 and act quickly to respond to opportunities and challenges in your market

Explore the platform powering Experience Management

• Free Account
• For Digital
• For Customer Care
• For Human Resources
• For Researchers
• Financial Services
• All Industries

Popular Use Cases

• Customer Experience
• Employee Experience
• Net Promoter Score
• Voice of Customer
• Customer Success Hub
• Product Documentation
• Training & Certification
• XM Institute
• Popular Resources
• Customer Stories
• Artificial Intelligence
• Market Research
• Partnerships
• Marketplace

The annual gathering of the experience leaders at the world’s iconic brands building breakthrough business results, live in Salt Lake City.

• English/AU & NZ
• Español/Europa
• Español/América Latina
• Português Brasileiro
• REQUEST DEMO

QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Add empathy and context to your insights.

Complement your quantitative research by adding empathy back into your insights — because behind every data point and experience is a person. With Qualtrics Strategy & Research, get to know the people who make your business tick — from what they really care about to what you could do better — and transform the experiences you deliver, today.

Video feedback analysis

Hear the human stories behind the data.

Whether it’s mobile, laptop or desktop , let your audience tell you exactly how they feel — wherever and whenever they want to — with video feedback. Then, plug those insights into everything you do.

• Automatically transcribe and analyze video responses using Text iQ — a cutting-edge, AI-powered text analytics platform that helps to uncover trends, sentiment and more
• Filter and clip videos to create your own highlight reels using an intuitive, built-in video editor, and then share them with stakeholders to bring findings to life

QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS AT SCALE

Discover how your respondents really feel.

From the words respondents use to how they convey emotion, delve deeper into the qualitative feedback you receive and glean more meaningful, actionable data for your organization.

• Access best-in-class machine learning and natural language processing to analyze videos, tag content based on topic, and determine how people truly feel based on what they say
• Automatically translate videos into your languages of choice -- making them easy for everyone to use while scaling feedback across the organization
• Qualtrics AI summarization allows deeper insights generation from every video with less time and effort required

Qualitative research design handbook

In qualitative research, you’re seeking to understand the feelings and perceptions behind the number — the why behind the what. But to do qualitative research well, it’s important to understand the fundamentals and how best to apply qualitative techniques at every stage of the process. This handbook outlines the basics of great qualitative research design, providing you with a clear and concise resource on everything from concept to delivery.

EFFICIENT RESEARCH

Go deeper with in-depth interviews.

Extract high-quality, actionable insights at scale from your video interviews. Just upload them directly to our platform and let the video editor and analysis do the rest.

• Transcribe and analyze video responses for both topics and sentiment, whether people are excited, angry, frustrated or otherwise, to get more authentic findings
• Leverage robust analysis that can identify and capture insights from up to 10 unique speakers per video interview, helping streamline your efforts and reduce admin

See how Qualtrics combines qualitative and quantitative research

More about qualitative & quantitative research, experience management_, more experience management solutions for you.

Serve customers with unmatched care. Build high-performing teams. Make the smartest business decisions.

• Strategic Market Research
• Survey Software
• Qual & Quant Research
• Research Hub
• Panel Management
• UX Research
• Market Segmentation
• Concept Testing
• Product Naming
• Pricing Research
• Brand Research
• Brand Tracking
• Conversational Brand Analytics
• Conjoint Analysis

Request Demo

Ready to learn more about Qualtrics?

10 Powerful AI Tools for Academic Research

• Serra Ardem

AI is no longer science fiction, but a powerful ally in the academic realm. With AI by their side, researchers can free themselves from the burden of tedious tasks, and push the boundaries of knowledge. However, they must use AI carefully and ethically, as these practices introduce new considerations regarding data integrity, bias mitigation, and the preservation of academic rigor.

In this blog, we will:

• Highlight the increasing role of AI in academic research
• List 10 best AI tools for academic research, with a focus on each one’s strengths
• Share 5 best practices on how to use AI tools for academic research

Let’s dig in…

The Role of AI in Academic Research

AI tools for academic research hold immense potential, as they can analyze massive datasets and identify complex patterns. These tools can assist in generating new research questions and hypotheses, navigate mountains of academic literature to find relevant information, and automate tedious tasks like data entry.

Let’s take a look at the benefits AI tools offer for academic research:

• Supercharged literature reviews: AI can sift through vast amounts of academic literature, and pinpoint relevant studies with far greater speed and accuracy than manual searches.
• Accelerated data analysis: AI tools can rapidly analyze large datasets and uncover intricate insights that might otherwise be overlooked, or time-consuming to identify manually.
• Enhanced research quality: Helping with grammar checking, citation formatting, and data visualization, AI tools can lead to a more polished and impactful final product.
• Automation of repetitive tasks: By automating routine tasks, AI can save researchers time and effort, allowing them to focus on more intellectually demanding tasks of their research.
• Predictive modeling and forecasting: AI algorithms can develop predictive models and forecasts, aiding researchers in making informed decisions and projections in various fields.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration: AI fosters collaboration between researchers from different disciplines by facilitating communication through shared data analysis and interpretation.

Now let’s move on to our list of 10 powerful AI tools for academic research, which you can refer to for a streamlined, refined workflow. From formulating research questions to organizing findings, these tools can offer solutions for every step of your research.

1. HyperWrite

For: hypothesis generation

HyperWrite’s Research Hypothesis Generator is perfect for students and academic researchers who want to formulate clear and concise hypotheses. All you have to do is enter your research topic and objectives into the provided fields, and then the tool will let its AI generate a testable hypothesis. You can review the generated hypothesis, make any necessary edits, and use it to guide your research process.

Pricing: You can have a limited free trial, but need to choose at least the Premium Plan for additional access. See more on pricing here .

2. Semantic Scholar

For: literature review and management

With over 200 million academic papers sourced, Semantic Scholar is one of the best AI tools for literature review. Mainly, it helps researchers to understand a paper at a glance. You can scan papers faster with the TLDRs (Too Long; Didn’t Read), or generate your own questions about the paper for the AI to answer. You can also organize papers in your own library, and get AI-powered paper recommendations for further research.

Pricing: free

For: summarizing papers

Apparently, Elicit is a huge booster as its users save up to 5 hours per week. With a database of 125 million papers, the tool will enable you to get one-sentence, abstract AI summaries, and extract details from a paper into an organized table. You can also find common themes and concepts across many papers. Keep in mind that Elicit works best with empirical domains that involve experiments and concrete results, like biomedicine and machine learning.

Pricing: Free plan offers 5,000 credits one time. See more on pricing here .

For: transcribing interviews

Supporting 125+ languages, Maestra’s interview transcription software will save you from the tedious task of manual transcription so you can dedicate more time to analyzing and interpreting your research data. Just upload your audio or video file to the tool, select the audio language, and click “Submit”. Maestra will convert your interview into text instantly, and with very high accuracy. You can always use the tool’s built-in text editor to make changes, and Maestra Teams to collaborate with fellow researchers on the transcript.

Pricing: With the “Pay As You Go” plan, you can pay for the amount of work done. See more on pricing here .

5. ATLAS.ti

For: qualitative data analysis

Whether you’re working with interview transcripts, focus group discussions, or open-ended surveys, ATLAS.ti provides a set of tools to help you extract meaningful insights from your data. You can analyze texts to uncover hidden patterns embedded in responses, or create a visualization of terms that appear most often in your research. Plus, features like sentiment analysis can identify emotional undercurrents within your data.

Pricing: Offers a variety of licenses for different purposes. See more on pricing here .

6. Power BI

For: quantitative data analysis

Microsoft’s Power BI offers AI Insights to consolidate data from various sources, analyze trends, and create interactive dashboards. One feature is “Natural Language Query”, where you can directly type your question and get quick insights about your data. Two other important features are “Anomaly Detection”, which can detect unexpected patterns, and “Decomposition Tree”, which can be utilized for root cause analysis.

Pricing: Included in a free account for Microsoft Fabric Preview. See more on pricing here .

7. Paperpal

For: writing research papers

As a popular AI writing assistant for academic papers, Paperpal is trained and built on 20+ years of scholarly knowledge. You can generate outlines, titles, abstracts, and keywords to kickstart your writing and structure your research effectively. With its ability to understand academic context, the tool can also come up with subject-specific language suggestions, and trim your paper to meet journal limits.

Pricing: Free plan offers 5 uses of AI features per day. See more on pricing here .

For: proofreading

With Scribbr’s AI Proofreader by your side, you can make your academic writing more clear and easy to read. The tool will first scan your document to catch mistakes. Then it will fix grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors while also suggesting fluency corrections. It is really easy to use (you can apply or reject corrections with 1-click), and works directly in a DOCX file.

Pricing: The free version gives a report of your issues but does not correct them. See more on pricing here .

9. Quillbot

For: detecting AI-generated content

Want to make sure your research paper does not include AI-generated content? Quillbot’s AI Detector can identify certain indicators like repetitive words, awkward phrases, and an unnatural flow. It’ll then show a percentage representing the amount of AI-generated content within your text. The tool has a very user-friendly interface, and you can have an unlimited number of checks.

10. Lateral

For: organizing documents

Lateral will help you keep everything in one place and easily find what you’re looking for. 

With auto-generated tables, you can keep track of all your findings and never lose a reference. Plus, Lateral uses its own machine learning technology (LIP API) to make content suggestions. With its “AI-Powered Concepts” feature, you can name a Concept, and the tool will recommend relevant text across all your papers.

Pricing: Free version offers 500 Page Credits one-time. See more on pricing here .

How to Use AI Tools for Research: 5 Best Practices

Before we conclude our blog, we want to list 5 best practices to adopt when using AI tools for academic research. They will ensure you’re getting the most out of AI technology in your academic pursuits while maintaining ethical standards in your work.

• Always remember that AI is an enhancer, not a replacement. While it can excel at tasks like literature review and data analysis, it cannot replicate the critical thinking and creativity that define strong research. Researchers should leverage AI for repetitive tasks, but dedicate their own expertise to interpret results and draw conclusions.
• Verify results. Don’t take AI for granted. Yes, it can be incredibly efficient, but results still require validation to prevent misleading or inaccurate results. Review them thoroughly to ensure they align with your research goals and existing knowledge in the field.
• Guard yourself against bias. AI tools for academic research are trained on existing data, which can contain social biases. You must critically evaluate the underlying assumptions used by the AI model, and ask if they are valid or relevant to your research question. You can also minimize bias by incorporating data from various sources that represent diverse perspectives and demographics.
• Embrace open science. Sharing your AI workflow and findings can inspire others, leading to innovative applications of AI tools. Open science also promotes responsible AI development in research, as it fosters transparency and collaboration among scholars.
• Stay informed about the developments in the field. AI tools for academic research are constantly evolving, and your work can benefit from the recent advancements. You can follow numerous blogs and newsletters in the area ( The Rundown AI is a great one) , join online communities, or participate in workshops and training programs. Moreover, you can connect with AI researchers whose work aligns with your research interests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chatgpt good for academic research.

ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for supporting your academic research, but it has limitations. You can use it for brainstorming and idea generation, identifying relevant resources, or drafting text. However, ChatGPT can’t guarantee the information it provides is entirely accurate or unbiased. In short, you can use it as a starting point, but never rely solely on its output.

Can I use AI for my thesis?

Yes, but it shouldn’t replace your own work. It can help you identify research gaps, formulate a strong thesis statement, and synthesize existing knowledge to support your argument. You can always reach out to your advisor and discuss how you plan to use AI tools for academic research .

Can AI write review articles?

AI can analyze vast amounts of information and summarize research papers much faster than humans, which can be a big time-saver in the literature review stage. Yet it can struggle with critical thinking and adding its own analysis to the review. Plus, AI-generated text can lack the originality and unique voice that a human writer brings to a review.

Can professors detect AI writing?

Yes, they can detect AI writing in several ways. Software programs like Turnitin’s AI Writing Detection can analyze text for signs of AI generation. Furthermore, experienced professors who have read many student papers can often develop a gut feeling about whether a paper was written by a human or machine. However, highly sophisticated AI may be harder to detect than more basic versions.

Can I do a PhD in artificial intelligence?

Yes, you can pursue a PhD in artificial intelligence or a related field such as computer science, machine learning, or data science. Many universities worldwide offer programs where you can delve deep into specific areas like natural language processing, computer vision, and AI ethics. Overall, pursuing a PhD in AI can lead to exciting opportunities in academia, industry research labs, and tech companies.

This blog shared 10 powerful AI tools for academic research, and highlighted each tool’s specific function and strengths. It also explained the increasing role of AI in academia, and listed 5 best practices on how to adopt AI research tools ethically.

AI tools hold potential for even greater integration and impact on research. They are likely to become more interconnected, which can lead to groundbreaking discoveries at the intersection of seemingly disparate fields. Yet, as AI becomes more powerful, ethical concerns like bias and fairness will need to be addressed. In short, AI tools for academic research should be utilized carefully, with a keen awareness of their capabilities and limitations.

About Serra Ardem

Serra Ardem is a freelance writer and editor based in Istanbul. For the last 8 years, she has been collaborating with brands and businesses to tell their unique story and develop their verbal identity.

• ZeMKI, Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research

Research software made at ZeMKI: OpenQDA goes public

18. May 2024

ZeMKI is currently developing “OpenQDA”, an open-source software for the qualitative coding of research data (interviews, observation protocols, etc.). Key features of the program are ease of use, collaborative work on projects and a plug-in infrastructure that allows it to be expanded with additional functions if required.

In order to make this possible and in keeping with the open source concept, the entire source code has now been published on the software platform GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. The project can be accessed by all who are interested at

There can also be found the development roadmaps for the next release versions of the software, which include functions like the import and export of codebooks and entire project files, a comprehensive user documentation and a transcription plugin.

To use the software, which is free for everyone to use, simply visit www.openqda.org . For any form of feedback, the quickest way to reach us is by email at [email protected], and now also via GitHub.

• Lab Datafication and Mediatization

Along with Stanford news and stories, show me:

• Student information
• Faculty/Staff information

We want to provide announcements, events, leadership messages and resources that are relevant to you. Your selection is stored in a browser cookie which you can remove at any time using “Clear all personalization” below.

Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

I worked at Amazon, Tesla, SAP, Salesforce, and Meta. Here's what I do 24 hours before a big interview.

• Hemant Pandey, a Meta senior software engineer, suggests exploring the job market every two years.
• Pandey's pre-interview prep includes reading up on past interviews and preparing good questions.
• His strategy not only helps him stand out at interviews but also provides insights into company culture.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hemant Pandey , a senior software engineer at Meta in California. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment history.

I graduated with a master's in computer science in 2017. I was a few months into my first job at Tesla when I was laid off due to budget cuts.

Things worked out well, and I landed on my feet within a few weeks, but the experience left a mark on me.

I realized that the relationship between an employer and employee is transactional, and there will always be ups and downs.

Since then, I have made it a practice to interview and explore the job market every two years even if I don't plan to switch jobs, just to get an idea of my demand in the market and what employers are paying.

Over the last seven years, I have interned at Amazon and worked full time at Tesla, SAP, Salesforce, and Meta.

At various points in my career, I have also received offers from LinkedIn, TikTok, Square, and Splunk. Over time, I have solidified an interview preparation strategy that has worked for me and one I share with juniors I mentor.

This is what 24 hours before a Big Tech interview look like for me:

Read up on past interview questions

I have found that Big Tech interviews largely follow a set pattern of processes. It is common for the recruiter to explain all the steps in the first call — including the types and number of interviews. This information is also easily accessible on online forums.

I have a list of technical topics that I revise a week before the interview so that I am relaxed on the last day. On the day before, I go online and look up the experiences of people who have recently interviewed at the company.

Related stories

For example, if I am applying for Google, I'll go to a coding practice website called Leetcode and click on the "discuss" tab. Here, people share their company-specific interview experiences. I look at what popular questions are and if the user has any advice on how to pass them.

I mostly use it as a checklist to ensure I am comfortable answering those questions. If I spot anything new, I look into it.

I keep the the last day light, because I don't want to be stressed during the interview or even the day before. Interviews require you to be good at communication and time management and pressur iz ing yourself on the last day might cause more harm than good.

Prepare questions to ask

On the day before a big interview, I focus on planning what I want to ask the hiring managers at the end of our conversation.

This step is important for not only doing well in the interview but also for analyzing the company.

I usually ask hiring managers these three questions:

• What advice do they have for someone who wants to succeed in the company?
• What has their growth been in the company — what level did they join, and where are they at now?
• I do my research on the company's upcoming projects or the systems they use and bring it up in the form of a question.

Answers to these questions give me more information about the company and play a role in my decision if I am comparing multiple offers.

For the second question, if someone says they joined the company as a fresh graduate and moved to a staff engineer role in three years, it tells me the company rewards top performers. I try to ask multiple people this question and look for a pattern. A few people saying they are at the same level they joined a couple of years ago makes the company culture less appealing to me.

Besides helping me, these questions tell the hiring team that I am someone who has done their homework about the company and is interested in the work they do.

As someone who is now on the other side of the interview panel, I love when candidates ask me about my career growth in the company, or specific questions like why Meta is focusing on AI. This shows me that they keep up-to-date with tech and are passionate about my company.

Do you work in tech, finance, or consulting and have tips to share about your interview strategy? Email this reporter at [email protected] .

Watch: Marketing leaders from Amazon, LinkedIn, Lego Group and more tell Insider what pandemic-fueled business changes are likely to stick around

• Main content

Suggested Searches

• Climate Change
• Expedition 64
• Mars perseverance
• SpaceX Crew-2
• International Space Station
• View All Topics A-Z

Humans in Space

Earth & Climate

The solar system, the universe.

• Aeronautics

Learning Resources

News & events.

How NASA Tracked the Most Intense Solar Storm in Decades

NASA’s X-59 Passes Milestone Toward Safe First Flight 

5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar Satellites

• Search All NASA Missions
• A to Z List of Missions
• Upcoming Launches and Landings
• Spaceships and Rockets
• Communicating with Missions
• James Webb Space Telescope
• Hubble Space Telescope
• Why Go to Space
• Astronauts Home
• Commercial Space
• Destinations
• Living in Space
• Explore Earth Science
• Earth, Our Planet
• Earth Science in Action
• Earth Multimedia
• Earth Science Researchers
• Pluto & Dwarf Planets
• Asteroids, Comets & Meteors
• The Kuiper Belt
• The Oort Cloud
• Skywatching
• The Search for Life in the Universe
• Black Holes
• The Big Bang
• Dark Energy & Dark Matter
• Earth Science
• Planetary Science
• Astrophysics & Space Science
• The Sun & Heliophysics
• Biological & Physical Sciences
• Lunar Science
• Citizen Science
• Astromaterials
• Aeronautics Research
• Human Space Travel Research
• Science in the Air
• NASA Aircraft
• Flight Innovation
• Supersonic Flight
• Air Traffic Solutions
• Green Aviation Tech
• Drones & You
• Technology Transfer & Spinoffs
• Space Travel Technology
• Technology Living in Space
• Manufacturing and Materials
• Science Instruments
• For Kids and Students
• For Educators
• For Colleges and Universities
• For Professionals
• Science for Everyone
• Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers
• STEM Engagement at NASA
• NASA's Impacts
• Centers and Facilities
• Directorates
• Organizations
• People of NASA
• Internships
• Our History
• Doing Business with NASA
• Get Involved
• Aeronáutica
• Ciencias Terrestres
• Sistema Solar
• All NASA News
• Video Series on NASA+
• Newsletters
• Social Media
• Media Resources
• Upcoming Launches & Landings
• Virtual Events
• Sounds and Ringtones
• Interactives
• STEM Multimedia

Hubble Views Cosmic Dust Lanes

Eleasa Kim: Pioneering CLDP Payload Operations and Cultural Integration

NASA Tests Technology, Practices Artemis Moonwalks in Arizona Desert

Station Science 101 | Research in Microgravity: Higher, Faster, Longer

How ‘Glowing’ Plants Could Help Scientists Predict Flash Drought

NASA Teammates Recall Favorite Memories Aboard Flying Laboratory

NASA’s Juno Provides High-Definition Views of Europa’s Icy Shell

The Next Full Moon is the Flower, Corn, or Corn Planting Moon

Binoculars: A Great First Telescope

Discovery Alert: An Earth-sized World and Its Ultra-cool Star

Hubble Views the Dawn of a Sun-like Star 

Amendment 16: New Opportunity: B.22 Artificial Intelligence Applications in Heliophysics

Amendment 15: New Opportunity: E.11 Consortium in Biological Sciences

NASA to Start Designing More Sustainable Jet Engine Core

Aviary: A New NASA Software Platform for Aircraft Modelling

Tech Today: A NASA-Inspired Bike Helmet with Aerodynamics of a Jet  

Tech Today: NASA’s Ion Thruster Knowhow Keeps Satellites Flying

NASA Selects Commercial Service Studies to Enable Mars Robotic Science

NASA Challenge Gives Artemis Generation Coders a Chance to Shine

NASA Around the World: Interns Teach Virtual Lessons in Kenya

NASA Names Deputy Station Manager, Operations Integration Manager

Meet NASA Women Behind World’s Largest Flying Laboratory

Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas

Astronauta de la NASA Marcos Berríos

Resultados científicos revolucionarios en la estación espacial de 2023

• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Building Aviary from a Legacy

Expanded capabilities.

NASA has created a new digital modelling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation.

Using this tool, researchers can create simulations of conceptual aircraft featuring never-flown technology and receive detailed data about how it would work.

Named “Aviary” for enclosures where birds are kept and studied, the tool creates virtual models of airplanes based on information provided by the user. In this analogy, Aviary is the enclosure, and the birds are the virtual airplane models.

Researchers can input information about an aircraft’s shape, range, and other characteristics. Then, Aviary creates a corresponding digital model of that airplane.

“Aviary is flexible enough that you can decide what you want to learn more about, then configure it to teach you.”

Jennifer Gratz

Aviary Task Lead

Aviary is a significant leap in progress. Unlike past aviation modelling tools, Aviary can link with other codes and programs to expand and customize its capabilities.

“We wanted to make it easy to extend the code and tie it in with other tools,” said Jennifer Gratz, who leads Aviary’s integration and development. “Aviary is intentionally designed to be able to integrate disciplines together more tightly.”

Aviary is free and accessible to all. The code continues to grow as contributions are made by the public. The code is hosted on GitHub , along with its key documentation .

Aviary is a descendant of two prior modelling tools created by NASA decades ago: the Flight Optimization System, and the General Aviation Synthesis Program.

These older legacy codes, however, were comparatively limited in terms of flexibility and detail.

“The older legacy codes were not designed to handle these more modern-day concepts such as hybrid-electric aircraft,” Gratz said. “They viewed certain systems as more separated than they really are in the vehicles we envision now.”

Aviary bridges that gap, enabling researchers to seamlessly incorporate detailed information reflecting the more integrated, enmeshed systems needed to model newer aircraft.

The team began creating Aviary by taking the best parts of the legacy codes and merging them, then adding in new code to make Aviary extendable and compatible with other tools.

“That’s one of its most important characteristics,” Gratz said. “Aviary is flexible enough that you can decide what you want to learn more about, then configure it to teach you.”

Learning specific, tailored information ahead of time can inform researchers what direction the aircraft design should take before doing costly flight tests.

Instead of having to use built-in estimates for certain parameters such as a battery’s power level, as would be done with past tools, Aviary users can easily use information generated by other tools with specific information catered to batteries.

Another capability Aviary touts is gradients. A gradient, essentially, is how much a certain value affects another value when changed.

Say a researcher is considering how powerful a battery should be to successfully power an aircraft. Using older systems, the researcher would have to run a separate simulation for each battery power level.

But Aviary can accomplish this task in one simulation by considering gradients.

“You could tell Aviary to figure out how powerful a battery should be to make using it worthwhile. It will run a simulated flight mission and come back with the result,” Gratz said. “Older tools can’t do that without modification.”

Aviary can simulate all these concepts simultaneously – no other modelling tool can easily consider prior legacy tools, separate tools introduced by users, and gradients.

“Other tools have some of these things, but none of them have all of these things,” Gratz said.

What’s more, Aviary comes with extensive documentation .

“Documentation is another important part of Aviary,” Gratz said. “If nobody can understand the tool, nobody can use it. By having a good record of Aviary’s development and changes, more people can benefit. You don’t have to be an expert to use it.”

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ames Research Center in California, and Langley Research Center in Virginia contributed to Aviary.

About the Author

John Gould is a member of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications team at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to public service and NASA’s leading role in scientific exploration. Prior to working for NASA Aeronautics, he was a spaceflight historian and writer, having a lifelong passion for space and aviation.

Explore More

Discover More Topics From NASA

NASA History

Aeronautics STEM

Related Terms

• Transformational Tools Technologies
• Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program