What Would Bowie Do?

Hi

I just got back from the QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association) conference. Since the conference took place in Berlin and carried the motto “Qualitative Takes a Creative Turn,” Susan Newhouse opened it with a fitting reference to David Bowie, who spent three very creative and transformative years in the city.

When Bowie came to Berlin in the late '70s, he was at a breaking point. He left behind fame, addiction, and the noise of L.A. to find something quieter—but deeper. He walked the streets anonymously. Painted. Watched silent films. Lived with Iggy Pop. Drank milk. Got weird. And then he made some of the most influential music of his life.

He didn't try to please everyone. He created what he had to create—and trusted the right people would find it.

I built a tool that don’t ask you to code your data. That says: stop tagging and start talking. A tool that invites you into a conversation with your data—where AI becomes your research partner, not your replacement.

But I’ll be honest: I sometimes feel like I'm speaking a language no one understands.

I'm not here to optimize the way we’ve always done qualitative research. I'm here to break it open—because the world has changed. Because we have new tools. Because qualitative analysis deserves more.

So, what would Bowie do?

He’d reinvent. Collaborate across boundaries. Make something beautiful and strange. Refuse to explain it all. And trust that the people who get it will lean in.

If  you feel a little lost in the noise…
If you’re tired of the same frameworks, same methods, same deliverables…
Maybe it’s time to walk a new path.

Bowie found Berlin.
I found(ed) QInsights.
And maybe, together, we’ll find the next wave of insight.

We’re not here to fit in.
We’re here to create something that lasts.

JOIN US 👉 Click here

QInsights is still growing. Evolving. It’s not perfect yet. But it’s real. And it's built by people who know what analysis feels like when it matters.

So, I invite you in. Not as a user. As a collaborator.

Test the tool. Question it. Push it. Tell us what works and what doesn’t. Help us shape the future of qualitative research—one conversation at a time.

If you want to collaborate, talk to me about the beautiful and strange we can build. Here is my email: [email protected]

Warm regards,
Susanne

Dr. Susanne Friese
Rebel Methodologist
Co-Founder of QInsights