Quantitative versus Qualitative data
What they are, why they're important, when to use it and how to gather it.
Having the ability to gather and understand data is an incredibly important part of being a designer, so let’s look into these two forms data can take.
Quantitative
What is it?
Simply put, quantitative (often referred to as “quant”) is data as you might traditionally expect it; quant data comes in the form of numbers.
Why is it important?
Quant data is important as it helps us measure performance, such as conversion rate, sessions, task completion, etc.
When to use it?
Quant data is quick and cheap to gather, easy to analyse, and can be visualised in graphs and charts. It is likely that stakeholders will respond well to numbers, so having some quant can help.
How to gather it?
- Review behavioural analytic data
- Surverys & Polls
- Experimentation
Qualitative
What is it?
Qualitative data (often referred to as “qual”) is data in the form of words such as the opinions of the user.
Why is it important?
Qual data is important as it helps us understand the “why?” behind a users behaviour. It can help paint a full picture of our users and helps us build empathy with them.
When to use it?
Gather qual data when you want to understand user motivations, or discovery pain points and opportunities for improvements.
How to gather it?
- Surveys
- User interviews
- Usability testing
- Focus groups
- Diary study
Pro Tip
Quantitative and qualitative data are most useful when used together. Qual can help you discover problems and opportunities, and qual can help validate and measure.