Methodologies of rapid qualitative research have been around for decades, gaining particular prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. They spark intense debate about the place of rapid qualitative methods in healthcare research.

What questions are they best suited to answer? Is speed a trade-off for quality? Which parts of the qualitative process can and can’t be done at pace? If we can do research quicker, should we?

Using a variety of examples of fast and slow qualitative research, this talk will explore the affordances of rapid methods, and help researchers decide if and where to use them in their own work.