Qualitative Research is a method of gathering data that examines an individual’s experience, attitude, and beliefs, moving beyond mere quantitative number-crunching. It is vital in market research, as well as in health studies and service planning. David M. Schneer’s book aims to explore why qualitative research is useful and how to operate as a successful qualitative researcher.
In contrast to many books that claim to provide career guidance but sprinkle tiny crumbs of information among pages of verbiage, BACKBONE: Surviving the Road Less Quantified; Toward a Deeper Understanding of Qualitative Research offers solid tips from the start. Schneer provides an autobiographical backstory, which he uses to personalize his career journey. By a quarter of the way through, he has set out his stall and listed a number of key tools for becoming a successful qualitative research moderator. This includes actionable areas, such as observational skills and increasing the quantity and quality of extra-professional reading. The rest of the book elaborates on how to implement his insights while referencing his own life. The adversity Schneer has overcome, and the way he used it as motivation for improving his life and career, will inspire many.
Schneer is an engaging and entertaining writer, and the book is well-organized. The author’s clear, concise prose is easy to follow and well-referenced. His personal experiences add color and illuminate the subject matter. He uses relatable anecdotes that root his career-specific advice in the real world, while also serving as a general guide to positivity. Though targeted at research professionals, BACKBONE provides enough insight into the methods and intended outcomes of qualitative research to interest general readers, who may gain new perspectives on how products or consumer services are designed.
Schneer’s holistic approach will benefit those already in the field, no matter how far along they are in their careers. He offers interesting insights into how traditional qualitative research skills, such as reading body language, can be adapted to the world of AI technology. Indeed, the chapter “Listening With Your Eyes,” which breaks down the techniques of reading signals in an interview scenario, is worth the price of admission on its own. But as Schneer acknowledges, AI will eventually be able to spot the same telling micro-expressions that have taken him a lifetime to identify.
It is inevitable. He writes, “AI is about to smash the market research industry like a wrecking ball.” Schneer’s book anticipates the impact of this wrecking ball and offers guidance on how to move forward with AI, using it as an ally rather than an enemy. As he puts it, “AI and market research go together like pork chops and applesauce. Whatever type of firm you work with, you better get a taste for AI.” Overall, though this book reflects on the past, it always keeps an eye on the future—offering sage advice on where the profession may go next.
In this wide-ranging and fascinating book, BACKBONE: Surviving the Road Less Quantified; Toward a Deeper Understanding of Qualitative Research, David M. Schneer skillfully combines a lifetime of qualitative research experience with his personal history.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader