For decades, focus groups and other moderated qualitative methods have been shaped by a tradeoff between depth and scale.
Live focus groups and interviews deliver richness because skilled moderators know how to listen, probe, and adapt in real time. That same reliance on live moderation has also constrained reach. Larger samples, faster timelines, and broader participation have been difficult to achieve with open-ended, moderated formats.
AI is changing that constraint.
Designing Conversations with Intent
The shift is the ability to design open-ended conversations with clear intent and execute them consistently at scale.
AI-powered tools like MercuryIQ allow survey participants to engage in open-ended dialogue that adapts based on what they share. Conversations can go deeper where it matters, clarify unclear responses, and follow relevant lines of thought as they emerge, without requiring a live moderator to guide every interaction.
This capability is shaped by upfront research design. Our research team defines study objectives and analytic priorities before a study begins. Those priorities determine what the conversation is meant to uncover and the level of depth required to do so.
How Judgment Is Applied at Scale
A skilled moderator makes constant decisions during a live session about what matters, when to probe, and when to move on.
With MercuryIQ, that judgment is defined in advance through explicit probing logic and thematic rules. The system applies that guidance consistently across every participant, ensuring the same standards are used to decide when follow-up is warranted and how deeply a topic should be explored.
Participants still express themselves freely. Nuance, emotion, and unexpected feedback remain present. What changes is the ability to deliver focus-group-level depth across far larger samples, without the cost and logistical constraints that have traditionally limited those methods.
What This Unlocks
Studies that once required multiple focus groups, significant budgets, and long timelines can now be run as a single program. Organizations can broaden participation without the cost and logistical constraints of traditional focus groups and explore differences across segments without multiplying complexity.
This makes focus-group-quality insight more affordable, more repeatable, and practical in many more situations. Moderated qualitative research no longer has to be reserved for a small number of high-stakes projects. It can be used earlier, more often, and alongside other research inputs – providing access to depth at a cost and scale that were previously not possible.
Learn more about MercuryIQ and how AI can expand access to affordable, high-quality qualitative insight.