by AI and Human Analysis Working Together to Create a New Era in Qualitative Research
We are excited to have Marissa Bell from Reddit join us at the upcoming Qual360 Europe conference in 2024. With her expertise in qualitative research, especially at its intersection with AI and machine learning, she will bring a unique perspective on how to use the power of human insights in the digital world. We caught up with Marissa for our speaker interview series.
Marissa Bell is the Manager of the Global Insights team at Reddit based in London, where she uncovers the unique perceptions and behaviors amongst the platform’s diverse array of communities while leading and mentoring a world-class team of Insights experts. She is guiding Reddit’s Insights capability expansion across all international markets, managing 1P, 2P, and 3P data and research vendors to uncover unique Reddit-first insights.
With over a decade of strategic social research experience from the agency to the platform side, Marissa is well versed in translating the mysteries of social conversation and engagement into brand action. An MSc graduate in Psychology and Behavioral Science specializing in Global and Cultural Psychology from the London School of Economics, she combines traditional and digital research methods to unlock unique insights for advertisers, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
QUAL360: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?
Marissa: Reddit has the largest corpus of human conversation in the world. Beyond our conventional metrics, our greatest value is in the richness and depth of these dialogues. When weaving a data narrative or persuading partners, nothing is more salient to external partners than showcasing a verbatim example from a user. The written showcase of their ideas, emotions, and intentions acts as the definitive punctuation mark after quantitative data points.
That makes qualitative research on those conversations invaluable. As we forge topical models and sentiment analyses from this vast corpus, it’s crucial to navigate the limitations where these models fall short of the quality inherent in human-first qualitative analysis. My talk will delve into the delicate balance of integrating machine learning-made sentiment and topical models with human-created themes and conclusions, emphasizing how they can harmonize to yield more profound insights.
QUAL360: What motivates you to join the Qual360 Europe conference and what are your expectations?
Marissa: The prospect of engaging with Europe’s foremost qualitative minds is a genuine privilege. Research is a dynamic, collaborative journey, and it thrives through shared inspiration and evolution. My motivation for joining Qual360 Europe lies in the anticipation of drawing inspiration from fellow speakers, collaborating with other researchers, and further evolving my approach as a researcher. I look forward to enriching discussions, innovative perspectives, and collectively advancing the field of qualitative research.
QUAL360: What is the place of qualitative research today, and where do you see the industry heading?
Marissa: In the era where AI and machine learning dominate discussions, qualitative research emerges as a pivotal player. There’s a significant journey ahead until AI models can capture the nuanced details discerned by human analysis. Our responsibility is to guide these models to greater accuracy while carving out our niche in this ever-evolving industry. As AI models lay more robust data foundations, qualitative researchers gain the flexibility to delve into cutting-edge conclusions.
Uncovering the meaning of human conversations is our super power. The focus will shift from laborious categorization to spending time on innovative research questions and takeaways from qualitative sources. Our value lies not only in identifying persuasive insights but also in communicating these ideas with impact.
QUAL360: What do you consider to be the 3 essential elements of the qualitative research toolkit today?
Marissa:
- The crux of qualitative research is in human insight, fostering those ‘aha’ moments that resonate with audiences.
- Stay abreast of qualitative approaches in our tech-driven world to seamlessly blend current methods with the innovations of tomorrow.
- Acknowledge the current limitations of machine learning models; use them judiciously without overshadowing human-derived takeaways, yet recognize their potential to reshape future approaches.
QUAL360: How are you tackling the challenge of big data to ensure new qualitative insights?
Marissa: Constant iteration, rigorous testing, and quality control are our cornerstones. We discern the current capabilities of models versus our envisioned future outcomes. The key is forward-thinking—envisioning the conclusions we desire in 2-5 years and crafting models to actualize these results. Concurrently, we adapt our human-made methods to synergize with todays and future computer-generated results, amplifying
the impact and influence of our insights.
QUAL360: Apart from work, what should delegates talk to you about at Qual360 Europe– do you have any particular personal interests, hobbies or extracurricular activities and engagements?
Marissa: I am an avid reader of epic fantasy series, calming and explorative video games, and an insatiable need to see all 7 continents. I’ll welcome anyone’s google map lists of locations/restaurants to visit – I’m an organized traveller – as well fantasy book recommendations.
