Signal & Noise blog

Skimle's blog dedicated to high quality analysis using modern methods

Cover Image for Skimle's Agentic Chat and MCP: how humans and agents can collaborate in qualitative research

Skimle's Agentic Chat and MCP: how humans and agents can collaborate in qualitative research

Skimle's Agentic Chat lets researchers and AI agents work side by side on structured project data, with full source traceability and human control throughout.

Cover Image for Focus group analysis: a complete guide

Focus group analysis: a complete guide

How to analyse focus group data — from transcribing sessions to coding group dynamics, comparing across groups, and writing up. Includes a worked example.

Cover Image for Interview transcript analysis: a practical guide

Interview transcript analysis: a practical guide

How to analyse interview transcripts systematically — preparing data, coding approaches, building themes, and writing up. Covers manual and AI-assisted methods.

Cover Image for Step-by-step guide to agentic analysis workflows with agentic chat and MCP

Step-by-step guide to agentic analysis workflows with agentic chat and MCP

A complete walkthrough of using Skimle's Agentic Chat and MCP connections. Work together with smart agents to structure, analyse and visualise qualitative data. A practical approach to step to the fut...

Cover Image for How to analyse customer interviews: a practical guide for market researchers

How to analyse customer interviews: a practical guide for market researchers

A step-by-step guide to analysing customer interviews — from coding themes to synthesising insights — with practical examples for market researchers.

Cover Image for How to analyse employee survey open-ended responses

How to analyse employee survey open-ended responses

A step-by-step guide to analysing employee survey open-ended responses: from preparing and anonymising data to coding themes, segmenting findings, and presenting results.

Cover Image for Qualitative research for consultants: tools and workflow

Qualitative research for consultants: tools and workflow

Qualitative research for consultants operates under constraints that academic methods were never designed for. This guide covers tools, workflow, and best practices for consulting timelines.

Cover Image for How to anonymise interview transcripts when conducting sensitive business interviews

How to anonymise interview transcripts when conducting sensitive business interviews

How to pracrically anonymise interview transcripts in a business setting: replace identifiers, pseudonymise roles, and meet compliance requirements with Skimle Anonymise.

Cover Image for How to anonymise and pseudonymise qualitative research data: IRB-compliant de-identification of interview transcripts

How to anonymise and pseudonymise qualitative research data: IRB-compliant de-identification of interview transcripts

Step-by-step guide to anonymising and pseudonymising qualitative interview data for IRB, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance with Skimle Anonymise. Covers identifiers, audit trails, and methods documentation.

Cover Image for Transcribing audio interviews and videos with Skimle

Transcribing audio interviews and videos with Skimle

Upload audio or video to Skimle, select the language, and get an accurate transcript in minutes — with automatic speaker identification and GDPR-compliant EU hosting.

Cover Image for ChatGPT prompts for qualitative data analysis: what works, what doesn't

ChatGPT prompts for qualitative data analysis: what works, what doesn't

Practical ChatGPT prompts for qualitative data analysis — plus a clear-eyed account of where general-purpose AI falls short for rigorous qualitative work.

Cover Image for How many interviews is enough for qualitative research? What the evidence says

How many interviews is enough for qualitative research? What the evidence says

Most guidance on qualitative sample sizes is vague. Here is what the actual research on data saturation shows — and how to decide for your specific study.

Cover Image for How to do qualitative research on a PhD budget: tools and methods that won't break the bank

How to do qualitative research on a PhD budget: tools and methods that won't break the bank

NVivo costs over EUR 1000 per year and is rarely worth it for individual researchers. Here are the best free and affordable alternatives for PhD students doing qualitative analysis.

Cover Image for How to present qualitative research findings to executives who only trust numbers

How to present qualitative research findings to executives who only trust numbers

How to make qualitative research findings land with sceptical executives: structuring findings, using frequency language, and building the credibility trail that numbers-first audiences need.

Cover Image for How to synthesise user research: turning 20 interviews into a clear story

How to synthesise user research: turning 20 interviews into a clear story

A practical guide to user research synthesis: how to move from raw interview transcripts to structured findings and a stakeholder-ready narrative.

Cover Image for How to code qualitative data: inductive, deductive and abductive approaches explained

How to code qualitative data: inductive, deductive and abductive approaches explained

A practical guide to qualitative coding: what inductive, deductive, and abductive coding are, when to use each, and how AI tools are changing the process.

Cover Image for How to analyse 360 feedback: moving from report to development priorities

How to analyse 360 feedback: moving from report to development priorities

A practical guide to analysing 360-degree feedback: how to extract development priorities from qualitative comments and avoid the pitfalls of generic reports.

Cover Image for How to analyse exit interviews: turning departures into a retention strategy

How to analyse exit interviews: turning departures into a retention strategy

A practical guide to exit interview analysis: how to collect, code, and synthesise departure data to identify real attrition drivers and act on them.

Cover Image for Competitive intelligence from qualitative data: what your customers say about your rivals

Competitive intelligence from qualitative data: what your customers say about your rivals

How to extract competitive intelligence from customer interviews, NPS verbatims, and win-loss calls — and analyse it systematically with thematic analysis.

Cover Image for Commercial due diligence in 2026: how AI is changing qualitative primary research

Commercial due diligence in 2026: how AI is changing qualitative primary research

How AI is changing the synthesis of expert calls and customer reference interviews in commercial due diligence — and what it means for deal teams in practice.

Cover Image for AI qualitative data analysis checklist: 20 questions before you publish

AI qualitative data analysis checklist: 20 questions before you publish

A practical pre-publication checklist for qualitative research that used AI tools — covering documentation, traceability, transparency, and peer reviewer expectations.

Cover Image for How to build a research repository that people actually use

How to build a research repository that people actually use

Most research repositories become graveyards. Here is how to design one that stays current, surfaces relevant insights, and earns a place in real workflows.

Cover Image for How to write a thematic analysis report: structure, methods section and results

How to write a thematic analysis report: structure, methods section and results

How to write a thematic analysis report — structuring your methods, results and discussion sections to meet peer review standards, with a submission checklist.

Cover Image for Always-on customer research: how to embed AI interviews at every stage of your product lifecycle

Always-on customer research: how to embed AI interviews at every stage of your product lifecycle

How startups and scale-ups can run continuous customer research from discovery to churn using embedded AI interviews, without a dedicated research team.