Data explosion = Data overload

Data is changing – it used to mean structured and numerical material, then text, and now it means everything! You’ve told us you’re working with more data in more forms than ever before. Your data comes in different formats and via different channels – from documents and emails, to interview recordings and video footage – and it’s overwhelming. Many of you also hold a wealth of unstructured data within structured frameworks like databases, covering everything from online survey responses to customer feedback. We know that tapping into this material, let alone combining it with all of your other data to glean insight, is a mammoth task.

Also, more and more of you are using mixed methods. In 2008, our own research revealed that over 70% of you were combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, including surveys. That means lots of different data and data types in one project. It also means many of you are working with other applications, and need to more seamlessly transfer data to and from NVivo. We’ll be addressing this in 2010.