Subscribe to RSS FeedWhat Is Q-Assessor?
Q-Assessor is a web application that leverages the best parts of Q Methodology technique to provide a novel, rapid way to identify and quantify opinions, beliefs, and preferences within target populations.
Q Methodology presents subjects with a series of statements that the subjects consider and then rank along an axis of consideration chosen by the investigator. Sophisticated factor analysis then reveals and quantifies underlying viewpoints held by the subjects. Q Methodology’s impact to date has been limited by the logistic challenges involved in performing Q studies — which have traditionally required personal interviews — to the confusing complexity of the analytic calculations, and by other conceptual constraints.
Q-Assessor was created on the belief that Q Methodology’s reach could become vastly greater once its logistical problems were successfully solved — which Q-Assessor has managed to do.
How Does Q-Assessor Work?
Q-Assessor automates the entire life-cycle of Q Methodology research through a simple, easy-to-use Internet application that manages:
- Creation of a Q study, its statement concourse, and ranking sort bins
- Management of ancillary post-study online interview questions
- Enrollment of prospective participants, including automated email reminders
- Simple, intuitive conduct of the Q study by guiding subjects through the correct process
- Secure data managment
- Real-time, interactive, online data analysis and report generation
Several other online Q-sort systems exist, but here’s what makes Q-Assessor uniquely transformative:
- Q-Assessor’s robust subject enrollment/management tools
- Q-Assessor’s real-time, interactive data analysis tools
- Q-Assessor’s integration of the entire Q process seamlessly into a very easy-to-use service
Furthermore, Q-Assessor is the only online implementation of Q Methodology that has been validated against the traditional in-person technique. Download the validation paper published in Operant Subjectivity.
Q-Assessor solves Q Methodology’s logistic and conceptual points of friction and enables Q to attain its true potential.
Q-Assessor is currently in a limited beta-phase while it undergoes testing and further development. We are working with a select group of investigators who are providing us with crucial feedback to help us refine our system. Other interested parties can sign-up and perform a full Q-Assessor study as well.
Read through our extensive documentation, register at our site, and give Q-Assessor a try!
Or check out our demos that illustrate Q-Assessor’s online Q sort interface and data analysis tools.