"Depending on the situation, and what I am measuring, I will begin with either quantitative or qualitative data. For this answer, let's assume that there is quite a bit of uncertainty around the product and what customers really want to see. In that case, I would begin with quantitative analysis since the hard data will likely answer more questions for me from the start. I would build a survey to send out to our customers and perhaps perform some A/B testing. The answers we receive will show us what our customers are most excited about and what they are least engaged in. Next, I want to understand why the customer is leaning one way or the other. This is where I would begin the qualitative analysis. In my current PM role, we often take a select number of survey respondents and have a 15-minute call with them to uncover further why they chose the preferences they did. This softer information will help us to make sense of the survey results. Once the team has collected both hard and soft data, we can better analyze the results and make a balanced decision before moving forward on the project."
