The Cinderella of market research

For a long time, qualitative research has been the Cinderella of market research — not ignored, but underestimated.

Everyone acknowledged its unique strength: the ability to uncover emotions, motivations, and the deeper “why” behind consumer behavior.
And yet, in practice, qualitative often remained on the sidelines.
Too complex. Too time-consuming. Too hard to scale.

“Qualitative consumer insight was — or maybe still is — somehow the Cinderella of market research compared to quantitative research and, more recently, big data analytics.”
Stefan Oglesby, Founder of Insightlab

The problem was never the value of qual — it was the effort required to unlock it.
Hours of transcription, analyzing, and reviewing thousands of words meant that important insights were often lost in the process.

A new way to unlock qual’s full value

That’s why data IQ launched Insight-lab
Unlike generic AI tools that require constant prompting and adjustment, Insight-lab was built for qualitative professionals — people who deal every day with interviews, focus groups, open-ended surveys, and consumer conversations.

It understands the structure and logic of qualitative work:

  • Upload transcripts or audio files and get them instantly transcribed and anonymized.

  • Summarize discussions by topic, emotion, or theme.

  • Extract verbatims automatically to illustrate insights.

  • Collaborate across teams on the same dataset — all in one workspace.

No need for complex prompts or trial and error.
Insight-lab is a dedicated assistant designed for the qualitative researchers workflow — so they can focus on insight, not on engineering prompts.

From overlooked to essential

AI isn’t replacing the art of qualitative research — it’s making its potential visible.
By removing friction and manual work, Insight-lab lets researchers and insight teams deliver what qualitative has always promised:
depth, empathy, and strategic relevance — at the speed modern business requires.

The Cinderella of market research is finally stepping into the spotlight — not because it changed, but because now we can truly see what it’s capable of.

👉 Try Insight-lab and experience how dedicated AI can turn qualitative data into fast, actionable insight.

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Why Qualitative Research Needs a Revival – And How AI Makes It Possible