Qualitative indicators are non-numerical factors used to measure progress towards a goal, based on opinions or feelings. Indicators are small steps that show the direction of an experiment. Qualitative data is often used in fields such as anthropology, marketing, and social work.
Qualitative indicators are non-numerical factors in determining the level of progress towards a specific goal. Qualitative data is based on opinions, feelings or points of view rather than hard facts or numbers. These factors are used to measure things that don’t have a numerical constant, such as a group’s sense of hope for the future. An indicator is a segment of information that provides a sense of the direction of the information, such as whether the feeling of hope is higher or lower than in the same period last year. Gauges are used to determine how fast a process is happening or how close a process is to completion.
The term “qualitative indicators” is made up of two very important research concepts. Qualitative and quantitative information constitute the two types of discoverable information. Quantitative is generally the easiest to understand and manipulate since it is based on hard numbers and facts. When information cannot be measured or reproduced, then it is typically qualitative. Knowing that a jar contains 3,745 jellies is quantitative, but comparing the taste of jellies to chocolate cake is qualitative.
The second term, indicator, refers to a step along the development process. During an ongoing research process, those involved have a general idea of where they think the process will end up. This ultimate goal is based on the hypothesis used by the researcher when designing the experiment. Along the way, the researcher will determine small steps, indicators, that show the direction of the experiment. For example, in testing a new drug, the researcher may use a measurement of symptoms related to a condition as an indicator.
The combination of terms, qualitative indicators, are small steps and not measurable. To continue the medical test example, a qualitative indicator would be the number of people who feel better while taking the new drug. A quantitative example in the same experiment might be a change in blood pressure, resting heart rate, or physical size of the tumor. When qualitative indicators are used within the study, it would read as “23% of patients reported feeling better within one week and 56% felt better by the end of the second week”. The sense of well-being cannot be measured directly but is assessed at the end of each week.
Because qualitative indicators don’t lead to hard facts or numbers, they are often seen as a marketing tool or a way to hide failed experiments. While this is probably true in some cases, many fields use qualitative data over quantitative. Understanding a person’s reaction to a product or situation is often more helpful than knowing how many minutes it took someone to calm down after a scare. This is especially true in anthropology, marketing and social work where the numbers can often hide a deeper problem.
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