A cross-interview matrix puts participant context on one axis and decision-relevant evidence on the other, while every populated cell retains a link to the original transcript passage.
Use participants as rows and evidence as columns
Each row represents one participant with the approved attributes needed for comparison. Columns represent concrete evidence categories such as recent occurrence, current workaround, consequence, purchase trigger, authority, alternative, failed attempt, and disqualifier. A cell contains a compact observation and source link, not a score produced from the analyst's memory.
Empty cells matter. They may mean the behavior did not occur, the guide never asked, the participant could not recall, or the transcript is incomplete. Those states should use different markers because absence of evidence and evidence of absence support different decisions. The matrix keeps the original research question visible so analysts do not fill gaps with unrelated but interesting quotes.
Compare patterns without counting quotes as votes
Several participants can repeat the same broad complaint while describing different mechanisms and stakes. The matrix groups evidence only after the source rows are populated, and each theme names the condition under which it appeared. GOV.UK recommends clustering individual observations into themes and then writing findings, which preserves the order from record to interpretation.
Coverage counts describe the supplied wave but do not establish population frequency. A finding can state that six of ten interviewed administrators described a manual export after a billing error, provided the dossier also shows how those administrators were recruited and which four did not report it. The count remains a property of the interviews, not a market-size estimate.
Attach the matrix to the decision
The final columns name the segment or product decision each pattern affects, the strongest counterexample, the analyst's confidence, and the next evidence needed. Dovetail and Condens both sell tools for linking research findings back to raw records, but software does not choose the question or interpret a contradiction. The buyer reviews the source-linked matrix and decides which segment or test receives the next allocation of time.
Where the service stops
Reality Contact, LLC analyzes authorized research materials, but does not recruit or contact participants, obtain consent, make product decisions, claim population representation, provide ethics approval, or treat a model-generated theme as evidence without source review. The buyer confirms consent and data-handling authority, reviews the source-linked dossier, chooses the primary segment, and approves the next offer, product, or research test. This is qualitative research analysis and document preparation, and it does not replace consent review, privacy counsel, ethics review, statistical research, or the buyer's product judgment. Findings describe the supplied interviews and their known limits; they do not estimate market prevalence or establish that a segment will buy.
Sources: GOV.UK guidance for clustering observations; Dovetail research repository overview.