Quantitative or Qualitative Data?

Qualitative data:

This is about the depth of data not amounts and size.

The kind of data used is qualitative;  it can answer how and why.  It isn't used to answer 'how many' or 'what percentage'. Qualitative research is used for initial exploration to find out the scope of something and what the problem is.  Once you have your qualitative data you then might decide you want to explore quantitative aspects.

Qualitative data's strength is the richness and depth of the data it produces - not the sample size for instance it is used for:

• mapping out a journey or a process,
• looking at the words people use and the context as we consider they are a rough analogy to their thinking and experience. Are they value-laden with emotions and feelings?  This is useful for  journey and experience insights because it is the positive emotions that are part of the push to engage.

Using numbers for measuring assumes the things being counted and measured are granular and identical, whereas using verbal and written data can uncover information about that which is flowing and uneven.