Kayla Schou

Synthetic research is generating buzz, but most teams still lack a clear framework for when to use it and when not to. This session builds that framework. Qualtrics' Kayla Schou shares findings from dozens of controlled experiments to define the use cases where synthetic delivers real value—and the conditions where human data remains essential. You'll get an honest look at the traps researchers hit when adopting synthetic for the first time, the signals that tell you when a synthetic read is decision-grade, and the lessons learned by a team running these tools daily.

The synthetic research conversation has outpaced the evidence. This session closes the gap. Qualtrics' Kayla Schou and Derrick McLean share raw results from synthetic pilots with three enterprise brands—spanning consumer travel, insurance, and digital banking—across three distinct use cases: rapid concept filtering to eliminate non-starters before human validation, insights-first persona segmentation that compresses weeks of analysis into days, and market signal augmentation that reveals trends beyond your existing customer base. Each pilot maps to a practical pattern for where synthetic stands on its own and where human data belongs alongside it. No theoretical frameworks. Just what worked, what didn't, and the decision logic you can apply to your own research questions.