Touchstone Research is a tech-powered, full-service market research company with 35+ years of experience helping brands make confident decisions across the U.S. and 60+ international markets. We combine qualitative, quantitative, UX, and community-based research with proprietary technologies and in-house recruitment to connect consumer behavior to business outcomes, from exploration through validation and optimization.

We operate as an embedded extension of client teams, integrating directly into workflows with proactive guidance, consistent points of contact, and strategic synthesis that goes beyond data delivery. Whether a brand needs a single study or a year-round research program, we design for precision, speed, and measurable impact.

Research Services

Quantitative Research

We design and execute quantitative programs built around strategic measurement, from brand health tracking and segmentation to pricing optimization and content testing. Our capabilities include conjoint/MaxDiff analysis, key driver analysis, TURF, factor analysis, regression modeling, and custom weighting. Every study is engineered for statistical rigor and connected to actionable business decisions.

Qualitative Research

Our qualitative practice goes beyond data collection into strategic consulting. We develop structured learning agendas, design discussion guides for cross-cultural relevance, and synthesize findings into frameworks and roadmaps. Methods include focus groups, in-depth interviews, discussion boards, diary studies, mobile ethnography, and pop-up communities.

UX Research

Touchstone is a specialized UX research partner helping product, design, and engineering teams reduce launch risk, avoid costly rework, and improve product-market alignment. We design and execute usability testing, journey mapping, accessibility studies, and sprint-integrated research across desktop, mobile, and emerging platforms. Findings are synthesized into prioritized recommendations organized by severity.

Generative AI UX Research

Touchstone has completed 75+ studies across AI assistants, LLM chatbots, creative copilots, and enterprise AI tools. Our Generative AI UX practice evaluates how real users interact with AI-powered products, focusing on trust calibration, mental model alignment, prompt flow behavior, and hallucination risk. Methods include usability testing for AI interfaces, longitudinal diary studies, rolling research tracks, and quantitative validation.

Insight Communities and Online Panels

We design, build, and manage branded and unbranded insight communities and online panels as long-term research ecosystems. These platforms support ongoing engagement, rapid-turn studies, and multi-method research, including quantitative surveys, qualitative activities, and UX testing, all within a single infrastructure. Our team handles participant recruitment, community management, member engagement, incentives, and customer service.

Qualitative and UX Recruitment

Recruitment at Touchstone is a quality safeguard, not a sourcing function. Our in-house recruitment team manages every study through a structured, multi-layer process: custom screener development, automated data quality checks, in-depth phone verification, and qualification review before final selection. We recruit verified participants across demographics, from kids and teens to specialized B2B professionals, ensuring articulation, authenticity, and fit.

Mock Trial Research Support

Touchstone supports legal teams and trial consultants with end-to-end mock trial operations, including jury-representative recruitment, session logistics, secure content delivery for confidential case materials, and real-time juror feedback using Dial Tester. We manage in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions.

Proprietary Technologies

Secure Content Testing (SCT)

Secure Content Testing protects confidential media, concepts, prototypes, and pre-release materials during research through dynamic user-level watermarking, invisible forensic watermarking, leak traceability, and secure access controls. SCT supports all major file formats including video, slides, PDFs, and images.

Dial Tester

Dial Tester is Touchstone’s proprietary dial testing tool for capturing moment-to-moment audience reactions to video, audio, and digital content. It identifies engagement peaks, emotional responses, and drop-off points across content types including advertising, trailers, episodic and streaming content, podcasts, message testing, and mock jury presentations. Available as full-service, flexible support, or DIY access.

Conversational AI Surveys

Conversational AI Surveys transform traditional surveys into dynamic, chat-based experiences that adapt questions in real time. This approach blends qualitative depth with quantitative scale, improving engagement and response quality. Available across languages and global markets with full-service management or modular support

Engagement Models

• Full-Service Research: Touchstone manages end-to-end study design, recruitment, fieldwork, analysis, and reporting.
• Flexible Research Support: Clients engage our team for targeted support at specific stages, such as recruitment, moderation, programming, or analytics.
• The Insight Advantage Program: An annual research partnership that gives brands the flexibility to launch qualitative, quantitative, and recruitment projects on demand throughout the year, with dedicated teams, volume-based pricing, priority scheduling, and transparent budget tracking. Scalable budgets can be expanded anytime as priorities evolve.

Global Research Capabilities

Touchstone conducts research across 60+ international markets with a centralized U.S.-based team managing in-market moderators, localized materials and translation workflows, culturally adapted recruitment, and consistent screening criteria. Cross-market studies are designed for methodological consistency and unified reporting, with regulatory oversight built into every engagement. Supported methods include qualitative, quantitative, UX, communities, dial testing, secure content testing, and conversational AI surveys.

Specialized Audiences

Touchstone is a recognized leader in Youth, Gen Z, and Family research, with decades of experience and one of the industry’s longest-running COPPA-certified youth online communities (PanelPolls). Our audience expertise spans:

• Kids and Gen Alpha
• Teens
• Young Adults and Gen Z
• Parents and Families
• Educators
• Creators and Influencers
• Multicultural Audiences
• B2B Professionals
• Generative AI Users
• VR/AR Audiences Data Quality

Data Quality

Every Touchstone study is supported by a multi-layered quality framework. Touchstone is Sentry Certified, Imperium Trust Shield Certified, and an active member of the Insights Association Council for Data Integrity (CDI) with a signed Data Integrity Pledge.

Data Privacy and Security

• SOC 2 Type II Certified: Independent audit verifying security and confidentiality controls
• GDPR and CCPA Compliant: Transparent data collection, participant rights management, and cross-border safeguards
• COPPA Certified: kidSAFE+ COPPA Seal (FTC-approved) for youth and family research
• Data Privacy Framework Participant: EU-US, Swiss-US, and UK extension frameworks
• Internal Security Program: Multi-factor authentication, encrypted storage and transfer, vulnerability testing, vendor risk assessments, and documented incident response

Industries Served

• Media and Entertainment
• Technology
• Youth and Family
• Education
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
• Toys and Gaming
• Sports, Wellness, and Fitness
• Food, Beverage, and Restaurant
• Retail and Apparel
• Healthcare
• Legal (Mock Trial Support)

Our Locations

Headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, with team members across the U.S. including Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Chicago, and Florida, and strategic partnerships supporting global research execution.