Qualitative Research
Ask open-ended research questions to a panel of synthetic personas. Run surveys or focus groups that surface themes, cultural nuances, and demographic patterns — without recruiting a single participant.
The problem
Qualitative research is powerful but painfully slow. Recruiting participants takes weeks. Focus groups cost thousands per session. And when you finally get responses, you're working with a narrow demographic slice because that's who showed up. Teams that need diverse perspectives fast — for a product decision, a policy review, an academic pilot — usually go without.
How Chorus helps
Surveys
Pose open-ended questions to your entire persona panel in parallel. Each persona responds from their demographic, cultural, and psychographic context. An analyst synthesizes themes across responses.
Focus Groups
Multi-round moderated discussions. A research designer frames the inquiry, personas respond, a moderator curates the most revealing quotes, and the next round builds on those insights.
No content required
Unlike creative testing, research mode doesn't need an upload. Describe a scenario, ask a question, define a topic — Chorus handles the rest.
Diverse panels
12,000+ personas worldwide — 10,000+ from global sampling plus 2,000+ built specifically for Indian demographics. Build a panel that matches your target population — or deliberately includes perspectives you'd otherwise miss.
Validated against real research
We replicate peer-reviewed studies on our platform and publish what we match, what we miss, and why. In our focus-group replication of Kumar et al. 2022 (Frontiers in Nutrition), 22 synthetic personas recovered all 11 of the paper's food-choice themes — plus 4 additional frames the group format surfaced. A separate Phase 1 replication on processed foods recovered all 3 themes with 16 personas, plus 5 new frames.
Read the full validation portfolio →What you get
- Thematic analysis with direct quotes from each persona
- Demographic and cultural patterns — how responses vary by segment
- Group dynamics insights — consensus areas and divergence points
- Methodology-transparent output — panel demographics, question framing, and analyst reasoning are visible
Common questions
How is Chorus's synthetic research different from real focus groups or surveys?
Real research is the gold standard for final validation. Chorus is designed for the stages where you'd otherwise skip research entirely — exploratory phases, hard-to-reach demographics, concept refinement, messaging iteration. It's a supplement to real research, not a replacement. Teams that use Chorus typically still run real studies at high-stakes decision points, but they stop flying blind in between.
How accurate are Chorus's synthetic responses compared to real participants?
Chorus is validated against a growing portfolio of peer-reviewed research. In our focus-group replication of Kumar et al. 2022 (Frontiers in Nutrition), 22 synthetic personas recovered all 11 of the paper's food-choice themes, plus 4 additional frames the group format uniquely surfaced. A separate replication of Kumar's Phase 1 processed-foods study recovered all 3 themes plus 5 new frames with 16 personas. Accuracy depends on the topic and panel design — Chorus surfaces methodology, panel demographics, and documented deviations transparently so you can judge fit for your use case. See Evidence for the full validation portfolio.
Can I design the panel demographics myself in Chorus?
Yes. Chorus has 12,000+ personas — 10,000+ from global sampling plus 2,000+ built specifically for Indian demographics — filterable and weightable by geography, age, income, culture, and psychographics. Build a panel that matches your target population, or deliberately include perspectives you'd otherwise miss.
What's the difference between a Chorus survey and a Chorus focus group?
A survey in Chorus poses open-ended questions to the whole panel in parallel, then an analyst synthesizes themes across responses. A focus group is a multi-round moderated discussion: personas respond, a moderator curates the most revealing threads, and subsequent rounds build on those insights. Use surveys for breadth, focus groups for depth.
Can I use Chorus for academic research?
Chorus's output is methodology-transparent — panel demographics, question framing, and analyst reasoning are all visible — which makes it suitable for exploratory pilots and research design. Navay is actively building the validation base for publication-grade claims; contact the team if you're considering Chorus for an academic study.
How do I run my first research session with Chorus?
Book a demo and the Navay team will walk you through panel design, question framing, and output review. Chorus is currently demo-gated while we onboard design partners, so access goes through the team rather than self-signup.
Try research without the recruiting headache
Book a demo and run your first synthetic focus group.