How to Design a Qualitative Study: 13 Steps for PhD Students

By /

Last Updated on 1 week ago by Bernard Mugo

Picture this: you’re sitting in your defense, and your examiner looks up and says, “Your method doesn’t match your design.” That moment almost always traces back to one small decision you made months earlier.

Quote reading “Your method doesn’t match your design,” a common examiner comment on qualitative studies
Purple graphic with the quote “Your method doesn’t match your design.” It introduces the problem the article solves: misalignment between research methods and qualitative research design, a frequent reason PhD and Master’s examiners send work back.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to design a qualitative study in 13 steps across four phases, from choosing your topic to writing up your findings, plus the one mistake at each step that sends students back to square one.

Main agenda: the 13 steps of qualitative research from topic to write-up, plus one common mistake at each step
Agenda slide stating that the guide walks through all 13 steps of designing and conducting a qualitative study, from choosing a topic to writing up findings, and highlights one mistake at each step that sends students back to square one.

Quick answer: To design a qualitative study, you (1) define a focused research problem, (2) write open “how” and “what” research questions, (3) choose a research paradigm, (4) pick a qualitative design, (5) review the literature, (6) sample purposefully, (7) secure ethics approval, (8) collect data, (9) transcribe and store it securely, (10) code the data, (11) develop themes, (12) establish trustworthiness, and (13) write up your findings.

My name is Bernard Mugo. Over the past four or so years, I’ve helped more than 400 PhD students master qualitative research, and these are the exact steps I walk them through.

Bernard Mugo, qualitative research consultant and founder of Surviving Research
Portrait of Bernard Mugo, founder of Surviving Research, standing with arms crossed in front of a teal panelled wall. Bernard supports PhD and Master’s students with qualitative research design and thematic analysis.
Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Table Of Contents
  1. Why Qualitative Research Design Is a Loop, Not a Straight Line
  2. Phase 1: Designing Your Qualitative Study (Steps 1–5)
  3. Phase 2: Getting Into the Field (Steps 6–9)
  4. Phase 3: Analyzing Your Qualitative Data (Steps 10–11)
  5. Phase 4: Writing Up Your Qualitative Study (Steps 12–13)
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. Key Takeaways
  8. Get Expert Help With Your Qualitative Data Analysis

Why Qualitative Research Design Is a Loop, Not a Straight Line

The qualitative research process is iterative: you collect some data, analyze it, reflect, and let what you learn shape your next move. Most people picture it as a straight line where you plan, collect, analyze, write up, and you’re done. To be fair, that’s how I pictured it when I started too.

Here’s what nobody tells you. The students who treat it like a straight line are the ones who finish 30 interviews, sit down to analyze, and only then realize their questions were never going to give them what they needed.

That’s why I’ve broken qualitative research design into 13 steps grouped into four phases:

  • Phase 1: Designing your study (Steps 1–5)
  • Phase 2: Getting into the field (Steps 6–9)
  • Phase 3: Analyzing your data (Steps 10–11)
  • Phase 4: Writing your findings (Steps 12–13)
The 13 steps of qualitative research grouped into four phases: design, fieldwork, analysis, and write-up
Overview graphic of the four phases of a qualitative study: (1) designing your study, (2) getting into the field, (3) analyzing your data, and (4) writing your findings. Together these phases contain the 13 steps covered in the article.

If you’re new to the field, it helps to first understand the core characteristics of qualitative research before you start designing.

Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Phase 1: Designing Your Qualitative Study (Steps 1–5)

The first phase of designing a qualitative study is about making five decisions that everything else depends on: your problem, your questions, your paradigm, your design, and your literature.

Step 1: Choose Your Topic and Define the Research Problem

Phase one, step 1 of qualitative study design: choose your topic and define the research problem
Phase one slide introducing Step 1 of designing a qualitative study: choosing a research topic and defining a clear research problem.

Your research problem is the specific gap in knowledge your study sets out to fill. Everything starts with something you’re curious about, but you have to shape that curiosity into a research problem.

Think of it like a funnel:

  • Top of the funnel: the broad context, or what we already know about your topic.
  • Middle of the funnel: what we don’t know. This is the research gap your study should focus on.
  • Bottom of the funnel: the purpose of your study, which is to fill that gap.
Funnel illustration showing how a broad research topic is narrowed to a focused research problem
Blue funnel with an arrow pointing in, illustrating how PhD students should narrow a broad area of interest down to a specific, researchable qualitative research problem.

Common mistake: choosing a topic that’s far too broad. “Eating disorders” is not a research topic. “How young women recovering from an eating disorder use social media” is. One is a huge subject area; the other is a narrow focus you can actually study.

Example of a topic that is too broad: “eating disorders” is not a research topic
Example slide labelled “Not a Research Topic” showing the phrase “eating disorders.” It shows that a broad subject area is not yet a researchable qualitative topic.
Example of a focused qualitative research topic: how young women recovering from an eating disorder use social media
Example slide labelled “A Research Topic”: how young women who are recovering from an eating disorder use social media. It shows how to narrow a broad subject into a specific population and phenomenon.
Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Step 2: Write Your Qualitative Research Questions

Phase one, steps 1–2: choose your topic and write your qualitative research questions
Phase one progress slide listing Step 1 (choose your topic and define the research problem) and Step 2 (write your research questions).

Qualitative research questions are about meaning: how people experience something and how they make sense of it. Aim for one central question with three to five sub-questions beneath it.

Qualitative research questions ask how people experience something and how they make sense of it
Slide with two typical qualitative research question stems: “How do people experience this?” and “How do they make sense of this?” Qualitative questions explore experience and meaning rather than measure effects.

Watch your verbs. Qualitative questions use words like explore, understand, and describe. Words like affect, cause, and prove belong to quantitative research.

So if your question is “Does intervention X increase Y?”, I’m sorry, but that’s a quantitative question.

Example of a quantitative research question: Does intervention X increase Y?
Contrast slide showing a quantitative research question, “Does intervention X increase Y?” It helps students see why cause-and-effect questions do not fit a qualitative study design.

The good news: in qualitative research, your questions are allowed to evolve as your study progresses.

Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Step 3: Choose Your Research Paradigm

Phase one, steps 1–3: topic, research questions, and choosing your research paradigm
Phase one progress slide listing Steps 1 to 3 of qualitative study design: choose your topic, write your research questions, and choose your research paradigm.

A research paradigm is simply what you believe about reality and how we come to know about it. When some students hear “research paradigm,” they start to worry, but bear with me, because getting this right saves you headaches later.

Definition of a research paradigm: what you believe about reality and how we come to know about it
Definition slide: a research paradigm is what you believe about reality (ontology) and how we come to know about reality (epistemology). The paradigm underpins every methodological choice in a qualitative study.

For most qualitative studies, the paradigm is interpretivism. In plain terms, interpretivism holds that there is no single truth out there. Different people experience the same phenomenon in different ways, so your job is to build an understanding of that phenomenon together with your participants. Scribbr’s overview of qualitative research is a helpful companion if you want more background on these philosophical foundations.

Common mistake: stating an interpretivist paradigm in your methodology chapter, then claiming objective findings that can be generalized to larger populations.

Common paradigm mistake: claiming an interpretivist stance but presenting generalizable, objective findings
Example of a paradigm mismatch: a student states that their research paradigm is interpretivist but then claims objective findings that can be generalized to larger populations, which contradicts interpretivism.

That’s a contradiction. Interpretivist research is context-specific, and its results aren’t meant to be generalized. Whatever paradigm you choose, everything else in your study must align with it. Grad Coach’s explainer on research philosophy has plain-English examples if you want to compare paradigms.

Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Step 4: Choose Your Qualitative Research Design

Phase one, steps 1–4: topic, research questions, paradigm, and choosing your qualitative research design
Phase one progress slide listing Steps 1 to 4: choose your topic, write your research questions, choose your research paradigm, and choose your qualitative research design.

If your paradigm is your worldview, your qualitative research design is the blueprint. There are five main designs:

  1. Narrative research: tells someone’s story. It usually involves very few participants, for example around eight.
  2. Phenomenology: explores a shared experience among a group of people, asking what it’s like to go through a particular experience. It typically involves 15 to 20 participants.
  3. Grounded theory: builds a new theory through the process of conducting the research.
  4. Ethnography: requires the researcher to immerse themselves in a group or culture over a long period of time.
  5. Case study: examines a specific setting, group, or context in depth, such as one school or one organization. This is one of the most common qualitative designs.
Narrative research design: telling someone’s story, usually with very few participants, around eight
First of the five main qualitative research designs. Narrative research tells participants’ stories and usually involves very few participants, often around eight.
Phenomenology research design: studying shared lived experiences, usually with 15 to 20 participants
Second of the five main qualitative research designs. Phenomenology explores an experience shared by a group of people and normally involves between 15 and 20 participants.
Grounded theory research design: building a new theory through the research process
Third of the five main qualitative research designs. Grounded theory seeks to build a new theory from the data through the process of conducting the research.
Ethnography research design: immersing yourself in a group or culture over a long period
Fourth of the five main qualitative research designs. Ethnography requires the researcher to immerse themselves in a group or culture over an extended period of time.
Case study research design: in-depth study of a specific setting, group, or context such as a school
Fifth of the five main qualitative research designs. A case study looks deeply at a specific environment, group of people, or context, such as a single school or organization.

For a broader look at how these fit with other options, Scribbr’s guide to research methods offers a useful comparison.

Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Common mistake: labeling your study incorrectly. A student may call their research a case study because it focuses on one individual, when they’re actually telling that person’s life story. That’s narrative research, not a case study. Your design shapes everything that comes after, so get the label right.

Common design mistake: calling a study a case study when it is really narrative research
Example of a design mislabel: a study focused on one individual’s life story is narrative research, not a case study, even though it centres on a single person.

Step 5: Review the Literature

Phase one, steps 1–5: topic, questions, paradigm, research design, and reviewing the literature
Phase one summary slide listing all five design steps: choose your topic, write your research questions, choose your research paradigm, choose your qualitative design, and review the literature.

In qualitative research, the literature review isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing conversation. Keep reading as you collect data, and keep returning to the literature to check how your findings relate to what’s already known.

A good literature review ensures no contradictions between what you found and how you conduct your study
Slide explaining that the literature review should align with the study: there should be no contradictions between what you found in the literature and how you conduct your qualitative research.

There are two common mistakes here:

  • Rigid use of literature: forcing your data to fit your literature review instead of letting it speak.
  • Under-preparation: walking into the field without being familiar enough with the literature. Your reading helps you understand what to look for and how to conduct your study effectively.
Literature review mistake: rigid literature that forces your data to conform to your review
Definition of “rigid literature,” a common mistake where a student forces qualitative data to conform to the literature review instead of letting findings emerge.
Literature review mistake: going into the field without being familiar enough with the literature
Slide warning against entering the field without reading enough literature. The literature helps researchers know what to look for and how to conduct their study effectively.
Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Phase 2: Getting Into the Field (Steps 6–9)

The second phase of qualitative research design covers who you’ll study, how you’ll protect them, and how you’ll gather and store your data.

Step 6: Sampling and Recruitment

Phase two, step 6 of qualitative research: sampling and recruitment of participants
Phase two (getting into the field) slide introducing Step 6: sampling and recruiting participants for a qualitative study.

Qualitative research relies on purposeful (purposive) sampling: deliberately choosing people who can give you rich, in-depth answers, rather than trying to represent a whole population statistically. Common strategies include:

  • Criterion sampling: recruiting everyone who meets a set criterion, for example nurses with five years of experience working in an ICU.
  • Maximum variation sampling: deliberately picking people who are different from one another. If you still see patterns across them, you know your findings are meaningful.
  • Snowball sampling: asking participants to refer you to others who would be hard to reach otherwise.
Criterion sampling: recruiting everyone who meets set criteria, such as ICU nurses with five years’ experience
Definition of criterion sampling in qualitative research: anyone who meets predefined criteria can be recruited, for example nurses with five years of experience working in an ICU.
Maximum variation sampling: deliberately choosing different participants so shared patterns are meaningful
Definition of maximum variation sampling: researchers deliberately recruit participants who differ, so patterns that appear across them indicate highly relevant findings.
Snowball sampling: participants refer other hard-to-reach people who can contribute to the study
Definition of snowball sampling: existing participants refer other people who can contribute to the study, useful when the population is hard to reach without an insider.

How many participants do you need? The answer is data saturation: the point where new interviews stop giving you new perspectives or information.

How many participants in qualitative research? The answer is data saturation
Slide answering a common PhD question, how to determine the number of participants in qualitative research, with the concept of data saturation.
Definition of data saturation: when new interviews stop providing new perspectives or information
Definition of data saturation: the point at which new interviews no longer provide new perspectives or information, signalling that the qualitative sample is sufficient.

There’s no magic number in qualitative research. Once new interviews stop producing new findings, you can stop. I explain how to judge this in my guide on how many interviews you need for qualitative research.

Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Step 7: Address Research Ethics

Phase two, steps 6–7: sampling and recruitment, and research ethics
Phase two progress slide listing Step 6 (sampling and recruitment) and Step 7 (addressing research ethics).

Before you contact a single participant, get IRB (ethics) approval from your institution. IRB approval is non-negotiable.

You also need to protect participant confidentiality. Use pseudonyms so you never reveal participants’ real names in your transcripts, analysis, or write-up.

Research ethics in qualitative studies: protect the confidentiality of participants
Ethics slide reminding researchers to protect participant confidentiality, a core ethical requirement when collecting and reporting qualitative data.
Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Step 8: Collect Your Data

Phase two, steps 6–8: sampling and recruitment, ethics, and collecting qualitative data
Phase two progress slide listing Steps 6 to 8: sampling and recruitment, research ethics, and collecting your qualitative data.

The main qualitative data collection methods are:

  • Interviews: use a semi-structured guide with open questions, let participants do most of the talking, and record what they say. For sample open-ended questions, see my qualitative research questionnaire examples.
  • Observations: watching and recording behavior in its natural setting.
  • Focus groups: guided discussions with a small group of participants.
  • Secondary documents: existing materials such as reports, policies, or records.
Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Step 9: Transcribe and Store Your Data Securely

Phase two, steps 6–9: sampling, ethics, data collection, and managing and transcribing your data
Phase two summary slide listing all four fieldwork steps: sampling and recruitment, ethics, collecting your data, and managing and transcribing your data.

Once you’ve collected your data, transcribe it and store it somewhere secure. Transcription is much easier these days with AI tools such as Otter.ai. Just as important, back up your data so you never risk losing it.

Otter.ai logo, a transcription tool for converting qualitative interview recordings to text
Otter.ai logo. Otter.ai is an AI transcription tool that researchers can use to transcribe qualitative interview recordings before checking transcripts for accuracy and storing them securely.
Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Phase 3: Analyzing Your Qualitative Data (Steps 10–11)

The third phase is where you analyze and code your data, and one of the most common approaches is thematic analysis.

Step 10: Code Your Data Using Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is a method for identifying patterns of meaning across qualitative data. It can be done in two main ways, or a combination of both:

  • Inductive: you approach the data with an open mind and let codes and themes emerge from it.
  • Deductive: you start with themes or a framework before analyzing the data.
  • Hybrid: you combine inductive and deductive approaches.
Diagram showing the two approaches to thematic analysis: inductive and deductive
Diagram splitting thematic analysis into two approaches: inductive thematic analysis, where codes emerge from the data, and deductive thematic analysis, where codes are guided by existing theory or a framework.

The most widely used inductive approach follows Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework for thematic analysis. You can do this with software like NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or MAXQDA. I’ve covered this in depth in my tutorial on thematic analysis of interviews in NVivo, and you can see both approaches side by side in these inductive and deductive thematic analysis examples.

Step 11: Develop and Refine Your Themes

Braun and Clarke’s six steps take you from raw data to finished themes:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the data.
  2. Generate initial codes.
  3. Develop themes from the codes.
  4. Review and refine the themes.
  5. Write definitions and descriptions for each theme.
  6. Write the findings report.
Braun and Clarke’s six phases of thematic analysis shown as a continuous cycle
Cycle diagram of Braun and Clarke’s (2006, 2012) thematic analysis: familiarize yourself with the data, generate initial codes, search for themes, review potential themes, define and name themes, and produce the report. The circular arrows show the process is iterative.

Following these steps completes the analysis phase of your qualitative study.

Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Phase 4: Writing Up Your Qualitative Study (Steps 12–13)

The final phase of designing a qualitative study is about proving your findings are credible and presenting them clearly.

Phase four: writing up qualitative findings and ensuring trustworthiness
Phase four slide introducing the final stage of a qualitative study: writing up the findings and establishing trustworthiness.

Step 12: Establish Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is how qualitative researchers demonstrate that their findings can be trusted. The concept comes from Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) work on naturalistic inquiry, which describes it through criteria such as credibility (your findings reflect participants’ realities), transferability (readers can judge whether findings apply to their own context), and dependability (your process is consistent and traceable). Three practical ways to build it:

  • Triangulation: use different forms of data, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, to confirm your findings.
  • Member checking: after analysis, present your findings to the people you interviewed and confirm your interpretation reflects what they meant.
  • Transparency: clearly explain how you analyzed your data and provide evidence.
  • Reflexivity: acknowledge how your own background and assumptions may shape your interpretation, especially in interpretivist research.
Data triangulation: using different forms of data such as interviews, focus groups, and document analysis
Trustworthiness strategy slide on data triangulation: collecting different forms of qualitative data, for example semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis.
Member checking: sharing findings with participants to confirm the interpretation reflects what they meant
Definition of member checking: after analysis, researchers present findings to interviewees to confirm that the interpretation represents what they meant, strengthening credibility.
Transparency in qualitative research: clearly stating how data were analyzed and providing evidence
Definition of transparency as a trustworthiness strategy: clearly stating how the qualitative data were analyzed and providing evidence, such as quotes, to support findings.

For more techniques, see my guide to boosting validity in qualitative research.

Get Your Free NVivo Starter Guide

Set up your project, import your transcripts, and make your first 5 codes — step by step.

Step 13: Write Up Your Findings

When you write up your findings after thematic analysis, show the evidence of how you got there. If you followed Braun and Clarke, highlight each step and include evidence from your software, such as NVivo. For example, show a sample of your initial codes and your preliminary themes. That transparency is what convinces examiners your analysis is rigorous.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps in designing a qualitative study?

Designing a qualitative study involves 13 steps across four phases: designing the study (topic, research questions, paradigm, design, literature review), getting into the field (sampling, ethics, data collection, transcription), analyzing the data (coding and theme development), and writing the findings (trustworthiness and write-up).

What are the five main qualitative research designs?

The five main qualitative research designs are narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. Each answers a different kind of question, so choose the one that fits your research problem.

How many participants do I need for a qualitative study?

There is no fixed number. Most qualitative researchers sample until data saturation, the point where new interviews stop producing new information. As a rough guide, narrative studies may involve around eight participants, while phenomenological studies often involve 15 to 20.

What research paradigm do most qualitative studies use?

Most qualitative studies use interpretivism, which holds that there is no single truth and that people experience the same phenomenon in different ways. Your methods and claims must stay consistent with that paradigm.

What is the difference between inductive and deductive thematic analysis?

In inductive thematic analysis, themes emerge from the data itself. In deductive thematic analysis, you start with predefined themes or a framework. A hybrid approach combines the two.

Key Takeaways

If you want to design a qualitative study that holds up in your defense, remember these points:

  • Qualitative research is a loop, not a straight line: analyze early and let it shape your next steps.
  • Narrow your topic until it points at a specific research gap.
  • Use qualitative verbs (explore, understand, describe) in your research questions.
  • Make sure your paradigm, design, and claims all align.
  • Sample purposefully and stop at data saturation.
  • Build trustworthiness through triangulation, member checking, and transparency.

Get Expert Help With Your Qualitative Data Analysis

Whether you’re still learning how to design a qualitative study or you’re stuck on your data analysis chapter, don’t stress. I’m here to help.

  • Done-for-you qualitative data analysis: I handle the heavy lifting with careful manual coding, theme development, data visualization, a findings report ready for your thesis or dissertation, and a walkthrough video showing exactly how I analyzed your data in NVivo.
  • One-on-one NVivo consulting: we hop on a Zoom or Microsoft Teams call, and in just a few hours I’ll help you become confident using NVivo for your own analysis.
Get Help in Qualitative Data Analysis Now!

Turn your Interviews or Focus Groups into Actionable Findings.

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top