How Lumivero is partnering with researchers to shape the future of qualitative analysis
By Silvana di Gregorio, PhD – Product Research Director and Head of Qualitative Research, Lumivero
In the past five years, qualitative researchers have faced two major disruptions: the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of generative AI. Both have fundamentally altered the way research is conducted, forcing academics and commercial researchers alike to adapt rapidly. As Lumivero’s Head of Qualitative Research, I didn’t just observe these changes—I worked directly with researchers to ensure that AI was developed as a tool for support rather than a source of disruption.
Learning from disruptions: The pandemic and AI
In 2020, when the pandemic upended qualitative research, researchers were forced to re-imagine how they could do research when face-to-face interaction suddenly became impossible. A comparison of a survey I did in May 2020 with a follow-up survey in February 2023 showed how the long-term disruption shifted certain practices – in particular, online focus groups and interviews. In 2020, only 6% of researchers in my survey said they planned to use those methods before the pandemic hit. In 2023, that number had more than doubled to 15%. The disruption forced researchers to experiment and, for some, opened new ways to do qualitative research.
Fast forward to 2023, and another wave of disruption was underway: generative AI. Tools like ChatGPT brought excitement and uncertainty in equal measure. Would AI replace researchers? Could it be trusted? At the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) conference that year, I saw firsthand the range of emotions—from curiosity to deep concern. But AI in qualitative research wasn’t new. NVivo had long incorporated machine learning-driven features such as natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and automated transcription. The difference now was the scale and visibility of AI’s capabilities which is driving the current wave of disruption.
Research-driven AI development
Rather than rushing to implement generative AI features, Lumivero’s product team took a step back. I led a large-scale survey in August 2023 with qualitative researchers, followed by in-depth interviews, to understand their perspectives on AI. The results revealed a broad spectrum of comfort levels—some eager to experiment, others highly sceptical. Recognizing the need for a measured approach, we established an AI Advisory Board comprising of academics, research officers, postgraduate students, and commercial consultants. Their role? To ensure that AI development in NVivo remained aligned with the needs and concerns of the research community.
Feedback from the AI Advisory Board
The first stage of our work with the AI Advisory Board began in January 2024 when the product team presented three prototype AI features: document summarization, text summarization within documents, and code suggestion. After breaking into discussion groups, the Board provided detailed feedback that shaped how we refined these features.
- Consistency in AI-generated summaries: The initial prototypes produced a mix of first-person and third-person summaries. The Advisory Board emphasized the need for a standardized third-person voice to maintain clarity and credibility.
- Transparency in AI outputs: Researchers wanted clearer indications of what content was AI-generated versus human-created. This led us to integrate clearer labeling of AI-generated text.
- Refining AI-assisted coding: Some researchers preferred AI to suggest codes, while others wanted AI to automatically apply them. To accommodate both workflows, we designed a flexible system where users can either review AI-suggested codes or allow automatic coding, with transparency in how AI assigns categories.
This early feedback ensured that our AI tools aligned with real research needs, prioritizing usability and trust.
Co-creating AI tools through a hackathon
The second stage of our collaboration happened in February 2024 with a Hackathon, designed to expand our thinking beyond immediate product development. While our developers worked on refining the prototypes, I gathered researchers, developers, and product team members to brainstorm the future of AI in qualitative research.
During the Hackathon, participants worked in smaller breakout groups to generate and refine ideas, followed by plenary discussions to synthesize insights. Key themes emerged:
- AI-powered research preparation: Ideas included tools for drafting research proposals, building discussion guides, and even AI-assisted moderation for interviews and focus groups.
- Methodological rigor and data tracking: Researchers highlighted the need for AI features that ensure transparency, such as audit trails, outlier detection, and improved validation.
- Enhancing qualitative analysis: AI-driven literature reviews, suggested methodologies, and brainstorming support were proposed, though opinions varied on the extent to which AI should play an advisory role.
- Visualizing research findings: The strongest priority among participants was AI-generated infographics, visual thematic summaries, and video-based reporting to enhance data interpretation and presentation.
Following the Hackathon, I conducted a prioritization exercise in which participants allocated virtual budgets to different ideas. The highest priority? AI-powered visualization tools that support researchers in presenting their findings effectively.
From research to product: AI in NVivo
By mid-2024, these insights culminated in an AI-powered assistant integrated into NVivo as a separate, flexible component rather than a fully embedded feature. This design choice allows the Lumivero AI Assistant to be used across all our software solutions. Later that year, the product team extended AI functionalities to our reference management software, Citavi, offering intelligent literature recommendations as well as AI summarization tools.
Looking ahead, we continue to refine our AI roadmap, incorporating feedback from ongoing research and user engagement. Our next steps include exploring the potential for AI-driven software innovations tailored specifically for qualitative research in 2025.
Embracing AI while preserving research integrity
Disruption is about breaking the normal flow of work, but it also presents opportunities. Lumivero’s goal isn’t just to follow AI trends—it’s to shape them in a way that enhances qualitative research rather than undermines it. By taking a research-led approach, listening to the concerns of academics and commercial researchers alike, and co-developing AI solutions with those who use them, we are ensuring that AI becomes an asset, not a barrier.
The question isn’t whether AI will impact qualitative research—it already has. The real challenge is making sure that impact is positive, ethical, and aligned with the core principles of rigorous, meaningful analysis. And that’s precisely the challenge I and my colleagues at Lumivero are committed to solving.
The above article is based on the presentation Silvana di Gregorio, PhD, gave at the QRCA conference in Philadelphia on February 11-14, 2025.
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Silvana di Gregorio, PhD, Product Research Director and Head of Qualitative Research at Lumivero
Silvana di Gregorio, PhD, is a sociologist and former academic with a PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics. She has been training, consulting, and publishing about qualitative data analysis software since 1995. For 16 years, she had her own training and consulting business, SdG Associates. She is author of, “Voice to Text: Automating Transcription” in Vanover, C., Mihas, P., Saldana. J. (Eds.) Analyzing and Interpreting Qualitative Data: After the Interview, Sage Publications, and “Using Web 2.0 tools for Qualitative Analysis” in Hine, C. (Ed.) Virtual Research Methods. Volume 4, Sage Publications, and co-author with Judith Davidson, “Qualitative Research Design for Software Users,” Sage Publications, and “Qualitative Research and Technology: In the Midst of a Revolution” in Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research (4th Edition), Thousand Oaks: Sage, and co-author with Linda Gilbert and Kristi Jackson, “Tools for Qualitative Analysis” in Spector, J.M., Merrill, M.D., Elen, J. (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. She is part of the Product Team at Lumivero.