For a few years now, carpooling has become one of my weekly rituals. For just over an hour of travel, passengers share something much more valuable than a trip: we share stories. In that small space, something almost magical happens: people who are often strangers allow themselves to talk about their lives, their concerns, their decisions, what excites or worries them. Sometimes the conversations are light-hearted; others, surprisingly profound. But they all have something in common: they are authentic tales of lived experiences.
Over time, I have realized that this weekly experience connects directly with my profession: qualitative research.
My work, at its core, is exactly about this: creating spaces of trust where people can tell their story. We are not looking for quick answers or easy headlines, but rather to understand: to understand how they live, how they feel, how they make decisions and how they relate to the world around them.
When a person – whether as a consumer, user, customer or simply as a citizen – gives us a conversation, they are offering us something of incalculable value: their time, their experience and a part of their life. It is an act of generosity that is not always sufficiently recognized. Because listening well, truly listening, implies respect and a genuine willingness to put oneself in the other person’s shoes without judging them.
Transforming these stories into relevant ideas for brands is not about extracting catchy phrases, but about capturing the essence of what is being said. Detecting patterns, tensions, unexpressed desires. Translating human experience into knowledge that helps make better decisions.
It's no coincidence that the brands we like the most are those that tell good stories. Those that manage to get to the essence of everyday life, to what moves and concerns us. But to tell good stories, you first need to know how to listen to them.
Brands can't authentically connect with people if they don't understand their experience. And this kind of understanding is only achieved through honesty, humanity, respect and empathy.
When a brand is connects with people based on what they really experience, the relationship changes. It ceases to be a one-way discourse and becomes a dialogue. And that's where the real connection comes in.
However, appropriating people's stories and experiences comes with huge responsibility. We are talking about the most precious thing people have: their lives, their experiences, their emotions. Using these stories requires a clear ethical commitment: not everything goes. Not everything can be simplified, instrumentalized or used to serve any purpose. Working with personal stories requires care, sensitivity, and a constant question: what are we using this for?
Using stories to generate real value – to improve products, services, experiences, to make life a little easier or fairer – should be unquestionable. Any other use deserves, at the very least, deep reflection.
Every time one of these rideshares ends, I get out of the car feeling like I've learned something. Sometimes about other people; sometimes about myself. And almost always with the confirmation that listening to stories is still one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding the world.
In qualitative research – as in these journeys of just over an hour – the real value lies not only in reaching the destination, but in everything that happens along the way.
Júlia Armengol
Account Manager
