Enjoy two presentations that offer perspectives on qual from outside the qual world. 

What Can Magicians Teach Us About How Consumers Think? (Jeff) Fields like neuroscience, behavioral economics, and semiotics offer us perspectives on how consumers think. But what about the field of magic? For millennia, magicians have been puzzling out attention, perception, and cognition. How do humans process sensory data into reality, and how can assumptions, mental shortcuts, and the fickleness of memory be manipulated to seemingly bend or break reality? This session – delivered by a lifelong student of magic – explores what the magical arts can teach us about how consumers think, and the practical implications for our research designs. So the next time you need to "pull a rabbit out of a hat" on a study, you'll have an extra trick up your sleeve! 

Shifting Your Consumer Perspective (Ted) A couple years ago, as a researcher, I thought I was the bridge for my clients to understand their consumers. Then I got a job working the night shift at a hotel. Embedded myself on the front line, and shoved into a different role as a consumer, my perspective and understanding of a large segment of consumers shifted dramatically. I will share the lessons learned that have helped me become a better researcher and moderator, gain a different perspective on the consumer experience, and become a more empathetic person.