STRAT7, the global strategic insights and analytics group, has announced the launch of Maya, a groundbreaking AI moderator that redefines what digital qual can deliver.
The tool is built by Whycatcher, our digital research platform bringing WhatsApp and other great tools together for immersive, in-the-moment insights.
Maya is designed to have natural, adaptive conversations with real people through our existing WhatsApp integration, without the need to download any apps. She questions with the level of depth and agility needed for qual, but at a scale that’s previously been impossible.
STRAT7 is pioneering the use of an AI moderator through WhatsApp, enabling research in an environment where participants naturally communicate every day. Maya can be deployed in just minutes, making it ideal for exploratory or quick-turnaround projects.
And early results show just how well Maya lands with people.
In STRAT7’s recent pilot test, 95% enjoyed speaking with Maya, and 88% felt understood. Crucially, 81% of participants said Maya made them think more about their answers, suggesting deeper reflection, richer responses and more contextualised insights. People described the experience as ‘natural’, ‘relaxed’, and ‘like having a real conversation’.
Maya persona
“Maya tears up the qual research playbook. AI moderation that participants feel comfortable with? Check. Enjoyable, engaging conversations? Check. Rich insights but at scale? Check. The industry’s been constrained by 50-year-old assumptions about what qual can be. With Maya, we’re proving those rules are obsolete.”
Genuine qual at scale
Maya bridges that gap between quant scale and qual depth, by beautifully blending the two approaches. Instantly analysing text, video, images and audio during the WhatsApp conversation, Maya asks relevant follow-up questions for conversations that flow naturally.
Designed with ethics, trust and transparency at the core
Maya has built-in guidelines to protect participants, including guardrails around sensitive topics, non-judgmental language, and transparency about AI involvement.
Participants retain full visibility of their raw questions and answers, supporting trust, comfort and data integrity.
An exciting future for hybrid research
STRAT7 emphasises that Maya doesn’t replace human researchers, and they’re reassuringly passionate about using human skills in the right places, with AI in support.
Learn more or book a free demo on the Whycatcher website.
“Maya gives us qual richness at quant scale. She doesn’t remove the need for human interpretation, quite the opposite in fact. She processes reams and reams of data, then points out where to look for a deep dive. This is human-in-the-loop stuff, and that’s what I love most about Maya.”
Get in touch to find out how Maya can help you get closer to your customers.