MaxDiff in Qualitative Research: A World First

Why it took 40 years

MaxDiff has lived inside quantitative survey tools since the 1980s, built to rank preferences but never to explain them. Getting the reasoning meant a separate qual study: more time, more cost, and an extra layer of analysis to bring the two together.

Prior to joining Conveo as their Insights Lead, I spent 15 years as a client-side researcher at Sky, Starbucks, and Instacart. I've used MaxDiff throughout my career and loved it. But the gap between the ranking and the reasoning was something I could never fully resolve. When I joined Conveo to shape the product roadmap from the inside, it was the first thing I brought to the team.

How it works

Add a MaxDiff question to any topic guide. Participants complete the ranking the same way they would in any standard MaxDiff study. After the ranking, participants are invited to explain their choices on video. The result is preference data and reasoning from the same participants, in a single study.

In your analysis, the preference ranking sits alongside your qualitative themes and quotes, ready to use together.

What this means for your research

For the first time, researchers can run MaxDiff and come away with both the preference ranking and the reasoning behind it — from the same participants, in a single study. No separate qual study, no extra weeks, no additional budget.

"It’s like fairy dust. I can already think of so many use cases." — Lead researcher, Mag 7 technology company

See it in action

Watch the short video walkthrough above, or reach out to Sales or your Research Impact Lead for more information.