Qualitative research

At OpinionWay Africa, our expertise in qualitative research goes beyond the numbers to reveal the deep motivations and perceptions of Africans.
Through an innovative approach combining listening, observation and interaction, we transform human complexities into clear and actionable insights to guide your strategic decisions.

Exploring perceptions to reveal drivers for action

In a context where emotions, values and cultures profoundly shape behaviour, understanding the ‘why’ behind attitudes becomes essential. Qualitative studies allow you to capture the voices of consumers and citizens in all their richness and complexity.

At OpinionWay Africa, we use immersive approaches — in person or online — to get as close as possible to real-life experiences. Thanks to rigorous methodologies adapted to the field, we reveal what motivates, hinders or inspires your African audiences.

Our approach aims to:

Explore perceptions, expectations and behaviours in depth through individual interviews, focus groups or online communities.
Give meaning to feelings to inform your brand, innovation or customer experience strategies.
Prepare quantitative data by identifying the right indicators to measure and hypotheses to validate.

We transform the voices of Africans into clear, actionable insights to help you make relevant decisions rooted in the reality on the ground.

Our Expert

Meryem Abdelmoula

Director of Qualitative Research

Our Methods

Co-construction

Collaborative work between researchers, stakeholders and sometimes users to jointly develop a solution, concept or recommendation.

Interviews (video or face-to-face)

In-depth interview to explore perceptions, motivations and personal experiences.

Forward-looking techniques – Expert interviews

Gathering expert insights or forward-looking views to anticipate trends and future scenarios.

Content analysis

Systematic analysis of content to identify key themes, patterns or representations.

Ethnography

Extended observation of a group or environment to understand its culture, practices and internal dynamics.

Simulations and role-playing

Use of fictional scenarios to analyse reactions, attitudes and motivations in a controlled setting.

Immersion techniques

Immersion in a real-life context to deeply understand practices and attitudes.

Focus groups (face-to-face or video)

Facilitated group discussion to reveal shared perceptions, expectations or viewpoints.

Co-creation

Active involvement of users or consumers in designing ideas, concepts or solutions.

Innovation

Identifying and testing innovative ideas to meet market needs

Organoleptic testing, sensory testing

Measuring the sensory perception of products (taste, texture, smell, etc.) by consumers

Semiology

Analysis of signs, images and discourse to uncover their cultural or symbolic meanings.

Benchmark

Structured comparison with benchmarks or competitors to assess strengths, weaknesses and positioning.

Participatory methods

Active involvement of participants in producing research or contributing to collective thinking.

Sensory exploration techniques

Analysis of sensory perceptions and reactions to a product, service or environment.

Communities (short and long term)

Creating a temporary or long-term community to gather ongoing discussions and feedback from participants over time.

Projective techniques

Use of creative stimuli (images, words, metaphors) to reveal thoughts or emotions that are hard to express directly.

Workshops

Collaborative workshop to explore, generate or refine ideas, concepts or issues.

UX Testing

Evaluation of user experience to understand behaviours, pain points and improvement opportunities.

Diaries and logbooks

Participants document their experiences or behaviours over a period of time.

Observation (participant, non-participant)

Indirect data collection by observing behaviours or interactions in their natural environment.

Insightment

Turning qualitative data into actionable insights for strategy or innovation.