Qualitative insights: Reimagined and supercharged 🚀

The only tool you need to power your entire qualitative research workflow is here. We’re excited to announce the new and improved Reframer is now live for all customers!

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What is qualitative research?

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It’s an integral part of any research journey. Think: customer or stakeholder interviews, prototype testing, A/B testing, moderated interviews, and open-ended questions. In a nutshell, it’s anything that isn’t a closed question.

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It’s also the most popular research method – 85% of people who do research conduct interviews and usability tests as part of their projects or workflows.

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How can Reframer help me with my qualitative research?

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It’s no secret that anyone conducting research is time-poor. Qualitative research is especially time-consuming and messy, as it’s almost always conducted across multiple tools or mediums. 

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Reframer gives you your time back, and enables you to manage your entire qualitative research workflow within one single tool. 

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From setting up and conducting interviews, through to analyzing your data – you can uncover those juicy insights in days, not weeks (or months) without ever having to leave the Optimal Workshop app.

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Powerful, in depth tagging and analysis tools

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Analyzing and making sense of your interview or usability testing data with Reframer is easy and flexible (not to mention very aesthetically pleasing!)  

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Visualize and group observations with the affinity map

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Affinity mapping is a flexible and visual way to quickly group, organize and make sense of qualitative data (i.e. post-its and whiteboards). 

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With Reframer, affinity mapping is more powerful than ever. Your observations, tags and themes are all connected and stored in one place. It’s easy to search and filter your data, group like observations by proximity, then review and sort them in table format. 

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Discover patterns with the theme builder

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The Themes tab offers tag-based analysis with powerful filters. It enables you to explore the relationships between your observations and then create themes based on these relationships. This gives you more quantifiable results to support the qualitative, observation-based analysis that you’ve done in the affinity map. 

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Explore connections between tags with the chord diagram

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The chord diagram is a beautifully visual way to easily explore the relationships between your tagged observations and spot key themes. 

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If you’ve got a lot of tags, it may look a little overwhelming to start with. But don’t let that fool you – it’s easy to get the hang of, and once you do, you’ll wonder how you ever analyzed data without it!

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Real-time collaboration with your team

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We recommend that you conduct qualitative research as a team, whenever you can. Reframer makes this easy – it was built with collaboration in mind. 

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Invite study members

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On an Optimal Workshop team plan, you can work together from start to finish. Team members can take notes and create or use tags during interview sessions. In the affinity map, you can work collaboratively to group and edit observations in real-time. 

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Invite guest notetakers

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If you just need an extra helping hand with taking notes during your interviews or usability tests, you can invite guest notetakers to your sessions. Guest notetakers can take notes in the sessions you invite them to, but can’t see notes taken by others or analyze data.

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The guest notetakers feature is a great way to involve your wider team or stakeholders in your user research activities.

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Share your findings

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Need the raw data from your interviews? Want to share your affinity map visuals with other team members? Both are easily downloadable with the click of a button!

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An intuitive, end-to-end workflow

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When it comes to conducting qualitative research, Reframer is faster, easier and tidier than using other digital (or manual) tools. It houses all your data and insights in one place and supports the collaborative nature of qualitative research. 

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It’s not just for seasoned researchers either. We’ve put special focus on ensuring that the analysis is easy to learn for anyone doing qualitative research, regardless of skill level. And our in-app guidance will have you up to speed in no time.

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So what are you waiting for? Login now and get started on your Reframer journey!

As we approach the end of 2024, it’s a great time to reflect on the progress we’ve made as a community and at Optimal. This year, Optimal users launched over 100,000 studies with over 1.2 million participants sharing insights to drive better business decisions and experiences.

Here's how we’ve worked to make research more accessible, speed up insight discovery, empower enterprise teams, and grow our platform’s capabilities in 2024.

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Democratizing Research

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Research for All
Research shouldn’t be limited to specialists or select teams—it should be accessible to everyone. In 2024, we focused on breaking down barriers to user research so that individuals across all divisions and teams can uncover actionable insights. Our tools are built to help anyone make confident, user-centered decisions, and this year, we’ve seen Optimal users from across all different types of teams, including product, marketing, content, research, design, information architecture, and education. We work to make our platform easy to use and learn, ensuring everyone can dive into research without barriers, regardless of their role or experience.

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A Milestone Year for UX Maturity
Understanding and improving UX maturity became a key focus for organizations this year. We launched our comprehensive UX Maturity Framework, complete with assessment tools that help teams identify their current state and plot a path forward. To support this journey, we developed detailed playbooks for each maturity level, offering practical guidance for teams looking to level up their UX practice. ‍‍‍

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Demonstrating the Value of UX
The conversation around UX value also took center stage in 2024. Our groundbreaking research into quantifying UX impact provided organizations with concrete data to support their UX investments. Through our popular webinar and blog series, we explored different approaches to communicating UX value to stakeholders, giving practitioners the tools they need to advocate for user-centered design.

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Accelerating Insight Discovery

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Prototype Testing
This year, we introduced Prototype Testing, enabling teams to test designs early and often. Teams can iterate quickly and ensure their ideas resonate with users before committing to development.

Video Recording (Beta)
We added a new feature to Prototype Testing that captures screen, audio and nonverbal cues—such as frustration—providing deeper insights into your users' experiences.

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Figma Integration
We also launched Figma integration for First-Click Testing and Prototype Testing, allowing users to connect design prototypes directly to Optimal studies. This integration makes it easier than ever to test, refine, and align designs with user needs—all without leaving Optimal.

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AI-Powered Insights
Our AI-Powered Insights help to uncover patterns and themes in qualitative and interview data. By analyzing large datasets, AI helps you discover key trends and accelerate decision-making.

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Optimal Recruitment
Recruiting high-quality participants can be a huge hassle and very time-consuming. That’s why we’ve relaunched Optimal Recruitment with expanded profiling capabilities, enhanced quality controls, and full-service support—to let you focus on what matters most: powerful insights to drive better business outcomes

Enabling Enterprise Teams

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Workspaces
For organizations with complex structures, we’ve introduced Workspaces and Projects to give admins greater control, improved organization, and increased privacy controls. Whether you're part of a large enterprise or a growing team, these enhancements simplify governance and amplify impact.

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Expanding Platform Capabilities in 2025

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Looking Ahead
As we head into 2025, our roadmap is packed with exciting features and improvements to make research more accessible, efficient, and impactful. Expect advancements across our platform, including video recording for prototype testing, a brand new survey tool with improved usability, advanced logic, and AI-powered capabilities to meet the evolving needs of teams worldwide. The best is yet to come - stay tuned and see you in 2025!

In today's digital landscape, delivering exceptional user experiences is no longer optional – it's essential for success. At Optimal, we're committed to empowering UX professionals and organizations with the best-in-class tools and methodologies to create outstanding digital products and experiences. 

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In this blog post, we'll explore practical use cases that demonstrate how Optimal's research platform can drive meaningful improvements across various UX scenarios.

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Use case 1: Make Collaborative Design Decisions or A/B Test a Design

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Refining an existing product? Launching a new website? Rebranding? Optimal's user research platform empowers your team to make informed, collaborative decisions. Here's how to leverage our tools for impactful results:

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1. Qualitative Insights: Establish organizational priorities

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• Use Qualitative Insights to develop a comprehensive list of top tasks or goals from your organization's perspective.
• Engage stakeholders across departments to ensure alignment on key objectives.

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2. Surveys: Validate user priorities and pain points

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• Deploy a targeted survey to confirm users' top tasks and identify existing issues.
• Gather quantitative data to support or challenge organizational assumptions about user needs.

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3. First-click Testing: Conduct preference testing

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• Use First-Click Testing to evaluate the effectiveness of different design options.
• This method provides valuable insights for A/B testing decisions, ensuring designs resonate with your target audience.

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4. Qualitative Insights: Deep dive into user preferences

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• Conduct follow-up interviews or focus groups using our Qualitative Insights to gain a deeper understanding of user preferences and experiences with different design options.
• Explore the 'why' behind user choices to inform more nuanced design decisions.

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5. Prototype Testing: Validate interaction flows and usability

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• Use Prototype Testing to observe how users interact with early-stage designs.
• Test navigation, UI components, and task flows to ensure your prototypes align with user expectations—before costly development begins.

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6. Interviews: Capture rich, contextual feedback

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• Conduct live, moderated Interviews directly within Optimal to explore user reactions and behaviors.
• Use screen recordings and notes to uncover deeper insights behind user choices and refine design decisions with confidence.

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By embedding user insights at every stage, your team can confidently design experiences that don’t just look good but work for real people. Optimal empowers you to make faster, more informed decisions that drive meaningful outcomes across your organization.

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Use case 2: Developing effective content strategies

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Developing a robust content strategy is crucial for intranets, help documents, websites, and product copy. Optimal's user research and insights platform empowers you to create content that resonates with your audience and drives engagement. Here's how to leverage our tools for effective content strategy development:

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1. Card Sorting: Organize content intuitively

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• Use Card Sorting to understand how users naturally categorize and group your content.
• Gain insights into users' mental models to inform your content hierarchy and organization.
• Apply findings to create a content structure that aligns with user expectations, enhancing findability and engagement.

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2. Tree Testing: Validate information architecture

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• Employ Tree Testing to confirm whether information placed within your proposed hierarchy is findable and understandable.
• Identify areas where users struggle to locate content, enabling you to refine your structure for optimal user experience.
• Iterate on your information architecture based on concrete user data, ensuring your content is easily accessible.
• Test different content structures and then compare them with each other using the task comparison tool available in Optimal to understand which structure is most likely to drive users to perform the targeted actions.

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3. Qualitative Insights: Analyze language perceptions

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• Leverage Qualitative Insights to conduct in-depth interviews or focus groups.
• Explore user perceptions of terminology, language style, and content tone.
• Gather rich insights to inform your content voice and style guide, ensuring your messaging resonates with your target audience.

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4. Additional Applications of Qualitative Insights

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   Expand your content strategy research by using Qualitative Insights to:

• Review internal tools and processes to streamline content creation workflows.
• Compare content experiences across desktop and mobile devices for consistency.
• Gather event feedback to inform content for future marketing materials.
• Analyze customer service and support interactions to identify common issues and FAQs.
• Conduct usability testing on existing content to identify areas for improvement.

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   Key questions to explore:

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• What's working well in your current content?
• What's not resonating with users?
• What are users' first impressions of your content?
• How do users typically interact with your content?
• How well does your content foster empathy and connection with your audience?

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By systematically applying these research methods, you'll develop a content strategy that not only meets your organizational goals but also deeply resonates with your audience. Remember, content strategy is an ongoing process. Regularly use Optimal's tools to assess the effectiveness of your content, gather user feedback, and iteratively improve your approach for continued success.

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Use case 3: Increase website conversion

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Empower your team to boost conversion rates by leveraging Optimal's best-in-class user research and insights platform. Here's how you can unlock meaningful improvements:

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1. Qualitative Insights & Surveys: Uncover user motivations

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• Conduct in-depth interviews or targeted surveys to gather rich, qualitative feedback about user experiences, motivations, and pain points on your site.
• Add an intercept snippet to your existing website to survey users as they come to your website to get a clear understanding of user motivations in context.
• Analyze responses to identify key themes and opportunities for optimization.

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2. Tree Testing: Optimize navigation structure

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• Use our Tree Testing tool to evaluate the effectiveness of your site's navigation structure.
• Identify areas where users struggle to find information, enabling you to streamline pathways to conversion.

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3. Card Sorting: Enhance information architecture

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• Leverage Card Sorting tool to understand how users naturally categorize your site's information.
• Apply insights to refine the layout of product features or benefits on your landing pages, aligning with user expectations.

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4. Prototype Testing: Validate Design Changes

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• Develop prototypes of new landing pages or key conversion elements (like CTAs) using our Prototype Testing tool.
• Conduct first-click tests to ensure your design changes resonate with users and drive desired actions.

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5. Follow-up Qualitative Insights: Iterate and improve

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• After implementing changes, conduct follow-up interviews or surveys to gauge the impact of your optimizations.
• Gather feedback on the improved user experience and identify any remaining pain points.

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By systematically applying these research methods, you'll gain the actionable insights needed to create a more intuitive, engaging, and conversion-friendly website. Optimal empowers you to make data-driven decisions that not only boost conversions but also enhance overall user satisfaction.

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Embracing mixed methods research

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To truly unlock the power of user research, we recommend a mixed methods approach. By combining quantitative data from surveys and usability tests with qualitative insights from interviews and open-ended responses, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your users' needs and behaviors.

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For more information on mixed methods research and how it can enhance your UX strategy, check out our detailed guide: What is mixed methods research?

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And that’s a wrap

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Optimal's user research and insights platform provides the tools and methodologies you need to deliver exceptional digital experiences. By leveraging these use cases and adopting a mixed methods approach, you can make data-driven decisions that resonate with your users and drive business success.

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Remember, great UX is an ongoing journey. Regularly employ these research methods to stay attuned to your users' evolving needs and preferences. With Optimal as your partner, you're equipped to create digital products and experiences that truly stand out in today's competitive landscape.

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Ready to elevate your UX research? Explore Optimal's platform and start unlocking actionable insights today!