Maximum Difference Scaling is a technique in consumer quantitative research used to understand importance or appeal among a list of features or statements.

Conveo MaxDiff (pictured) will ask participants to explain their choices on video after they have completed the standard preference ranking.

Conveo, founded in 2024, is a qualitative research platform that conducts AI-moderated video, voice and text interviews. The company is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, with offices in London and New York. It works with clients including Unilever, Asics and Canva.

The company has developed the methodology with the aim of closing the gap between quantitative preference data and qualititative reasoning on why people have made those choices.

Charles Allison, Conveo’s insights lead, who conceived the new capability after joining the company last year, said: “MaxDiff has been behind some of the most impactful work of my career – I love it. But I always walked away with half the answer. You get the ranking, and then you spend weeks trying to understand it.

“Now, you get the full picture. We're a team of researchers building for researchers. Closing that gap was the whole point.”