Steve August

Revelation is Growing Up

The end of June marks the end of Revelation’s fiscal year and so I find - in a slightly counter intuitive way - that the middle of the year is a good time to look back and take stock of our progress.  As I walked into our over-stuffed office this morning and looked around at all the energetic, coffee loving people (along with two dogs) it is clear that Revelation is growing up. It was only two years ago at this time that Revelation’s team consisted of just three people: myself, CTO Dan Herrera, and lead interaction designer Michael Felix. 

We’ve Come A Long Way In Two Years

We’ve come a long way since then.  I’m happy to say that Dan and Michael are still with us, ensuring that Revelation remains on the cutting edge of technology and user experience. But we’ve grown in so many ways from when we first began offering our online qualitative platform and introducing “in the moment” qualitative research. 

Concierge Level Customer Service

Rachel Bell, our Director of Customer Experience, joined Revelation in August of 2008 and has designed concierge level customer service, Helping Hands.  Helping Hands that gives our customers a turnkey experience to their online qualitative research programs. Learn more about Helping Hands.

Global Reach

Revelation is now available in 14 languages enabling researchers to conduct in-depth immersive studies simultaneously in an array of countries around the world.  To compliment our multi-lingual capability, Revelation offers a suite of translation services to ensure your projects go smoothly!  Check out our languages.

Going Mobile

In May 2010 we took ‘in the moment’ research to a new level with Revelation Mobile for iPhone.  Our breakthrough technology captures and records consumer behavior in real time and allows researchers to tailor mobile studies and an extension to their Revelation projects.  To join our Mobile Beta Program click here.

Great Research Thinking

Embedded into our culture is the desire to contribute to furthering market research method and practices.  We’ve been making our humble contribution by hosting “Great Research Thinking” seminars that are designed to share industry best practices and thought leadership, and we continue to attend and present at conferences.

Thank you

Our success is a tribute to the whole team at Revelation, but as importantly to our customers who put their faith in us every day.  We’d like to say thank you!  We appreciate your trust and faith and will continue to work very hard to earn your business.  For those of you who have not tried Revelation we hope you’ll give us the opportunity to work with you in the near future and join us on our journey of creating next generation market research.

In spite of all that we have accomplished, we feel we are still just getting started. While June marks a year ending, July marks the beginning of another and we are excited by what is to come over the next year. We look forward to the opportunity to share our latest developments with you.

Have a great summer!  


Michael Felix

Revelation Extends Beta Release of Revelation Mobile for iPhone

Due to customer request, we have extended the Beta Program for Revelation Mobile for iPhone. Revelation Mobile is an iPhone App that provides true in-the moment experiences. If you have not yet signed up for the Beta or have questions please complete this form.

Breakthrough Technology

Revelation Mobile captures and records consumer behavior in real time and allows researchers to tailor mobile studies as an extension of their Revelation Projects.

Seamless Integration

Revelation Mobile seamlessly integrates with our reporting and analytics tools – easing the transition into this uncharted medium.

Features of Revelation Mobile (beta version)

  • Diary-style activities to track consumer purchases, behavior, and consumption
  • Photo uploads that enable participants to capture their environment
  • Open- and closed-ended prompts for quick barometers and deep probes

Benefit – Make a Difference!

As a participant you have the opportunity to shape the future of our mobile applications. The data we collect will lay the groundwork for mobile research and design management.

If you are interested in viewing screenshots and video of Revelation Mobile, please visit http://www.revelationglobal.com/mobile


Rachel Bell

Revelation Launches Beta Release of iPhone App for Qualitative Research

We are happy to announce the public beta release of our mobile app, Revelation Mobile. Our breakthrough technology captures and records consumer behavior in real time and allows researchers to tailor mobile studies as extensions of their Revelation projects. Its seamless integration with other reporting and analytics tools eases the transition to this unchartered medium. This limited public beta release will lay the groundwork for mobile research design and management.

“We are tremendously excited by the ability of app-based mobile research to capture ‘in the moment’ customer experiences, but there is still much to understand in terms of both technology and best practices,” says Steve August, CEO and Founder of Revelation Inc. “With this beta iPhone app release, Revelation has a platform that will help researchers discover and develop cutting edge mobile research methods.”

Features of the Revelation Mobile beta version include:           

  • Diary-style activities to track consumer purchases, behavior, and consumption
  • Photo uploads that enable participants to capture their environment
  • Open- and closed-ended prompts for quick barometers and deep probes

Our limited public release scheduled until June 30, 2010. There will be an incubation period before we launch our official release.

Additional resources: Download the official press release below.  If you are interested in viewing screenshots and video of Revelation Mobile, please visit http://www.revelationglobal.com/mobile

 

Attachment
Revelation Mobile Public Beta Press Release.pdf

Josh Goldberg

Revelation Now Available In Fourteen Languages

Revelation has expanded its language capabilities to include Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Greek.

Responding to customer demand, we have once again expanded it’s language capabilities. Our Web-based qualitative research technology is able to turn over data much more efficiently and quickly than traditional focus groups or in-person interviews. With our experience running projects in six continents, Revelation is growing in order to serve market research in Asia-Pacific—an area of the globe that is seeing consistent expansion in the market research sector.

“With the growth of qualitative research online, demand for access to in-depth qualitative insight is taking off in Asian markets and in Brazil,” says CEO, Steve August. “We want to provide our clients with the tools they need to capture consumer insights in these markets.”

Revelation offers concierge-level supporting services to guide researchers through the challenges of international project management. Service packages can include developing recruitment strategies to fit to the objectives of a specific project or market, providing tried and true incentive strategies and recommendations, managing participant communications, and handling translations for any one of the fourteen languages it supports.

Revelation supports the following languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Bahasa Malay, EU Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, and English.

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Josh Goldberg

What’s Next in Great Research Thinking?

On April 13, Andrew Vincent will come in for the second installation of our Great Research Thinking webinar series in 2010. His talk “From Insights to Action: Maximizing the Impact of Research” will start at 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT. Registration can be found here.

As much as we value excellent research, it simply is not enough. Insight must be actionable. Key take-away points include:

  • Developing practical strategies to ensure, monitor, and measure insight adoption
  • Understanding how your end-users make decisions
  • Framing and positioning your insights for the greatest impact
Whether you are a client-side manager or an agency researcher, it is only when your insights directly impact the decisions taken by marketers that the true value of your work is realized. Use Andrew’s new frameworks and techniques to make your insights stick; for innovation and for impact.

For speaker bios, webinar descriptions, and videos of previous GRT events, please visit GRT's homepage.


Josh Goldberg

Steve August Kicks Off ESOMAR Webinar Series on Social Media

Steve August, founder and CEO of Revelation, will tag team with Niels Schillewaert on April 29 to give a Pecha Kucha presentation, "Social Media: A transformational technology or hype?”

ESOMAR will host this free 40 minute webinar that will kick off a four part series looking into social media from different research perspectives. Register for Steve’s ESOMAR webinar here.

What are you getting from this webinar?

Over the past five years, social media - the phenomenon formerly known as Web 2.0 - has tremendously impacted how people find and use information, connect and interact. While market research has begun to embrace social media in earnest, exploring a number of different models – from eavesdropping on online conversations to creating online communities to adopting traditional methods to new technologies - it is still early days, and questions about methods, practice and effectiveness are still very much in play.


Josh Goldberg

Calling Young Professionals: QRCA scholarship

Stumbled across this the other day. I wanted to share a nugget of good news for young professionals in the research industry.

QRCA is extending a scholarship to a young professional to waive the costs for registration and travel to its annual conference, which kicks off in Philadelphia on October 13 and lasts until October 15. The application deadline is June 4.

For more information about QRCA’s application and the criteria for eligibility, please follow this link.

Revelation believes in continuing education. Revelation believes the research industry’s ever-growing cache of tools, methodologies, and applications raise serious questions and the cost of growth should be prohibitive to no one. Revelation encourages all young professionals to apply.

Please pass this information along to young, promising professionals who might have interest in attending QRCA’s annual conference for free.

 


Josh Goldberg

Thought Leaders Converge on Great Research Thinking Webinar Series

We are happy to announce two new additions to Revelation’s Great Research Thinking (GRT) webinar series. 

  • On March 2nd, Ray Poynter will give his talk, “The Case for NewMR.” Registration for this event can be found here.
  • On April 13th, Andrew Vincent will present, “Insight Integration.” Registration for this event can be found here.

These complimentary, hour-long events will begin at 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT, and will end with Q&A sessions.

For speaker bios, webinar descriptions, and videos of previous GRT events, please visit GRT's homepage.

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Michael Stapleton

Revelation Sales up 240% in 2009

Next generation qualitative tools provider Revelation has reported a 240% growth in sales in calendar year 2009 versus the previous year. The company says the increase was driven by surging demand for both its cutting edge online qual research platform and high-touch online field support services.

"We are extremely pleased with our results," says Revelation CEO Steve August. "In the face of a very difficult environment for the market research industry and the overall economy, Revelation is seeing robust growth."

During 2009, Revelation continued to expand platform capabilities, expanding languages supported to include traditional and simplified Chinese, Thai, Bahasa Melayu, EU and Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, French, and German. The company also released upgrades to the research platform's video capabilities and added enhanced group discussion features.

Additionally, the company expanded its service offerings to include Helping Hands Project Setup and Participant Management, Helping Minds Guide Development, and People Provider best of breed participant recruiting service.

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Josh Goldberg

Hitting the Road: Conference attendance list

We're taking a sprint around the field as spring looms. Here are some conferences we plan on attending in the upcoming weeks.

Don't be a stranger. Let us know if you're attending any of these events. We'd love to see you there.

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Michael Stapleton

Revelation Announces Support for Additional Foreign Languages

The Revelation team has expanded its language capabilities to include traditional and simplified Chinese, Thai and Bahasa Melayu. These additions bring Revelation to a total of ten supported languages, including EU Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Italian, Japanese, French, German, and English.


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Michael Stapleton

Simon Chadwick joins Revelation’s Board of Directors

Revelation is pleased to announce that Simon Chadwick, Managing Partner of Cambiar, the management consultancy dedicated to the market research industry, has joined the company’s Board of Directors.

In commenting on Chadwick’s appointment, Steve August, founder and CEO of Revelation, said, “We are very excited to welcome Simon to our board. In addition to the wealth of experience and industry leadership Simon brings, he shares our vision of truly unleashing qualitative research. We cannot think of a better person to help guide Revelation’s growth in the coming years.”

“Revelation is a prime example of how technology and inspired design can unleash new possibilities in the world of market research,” commented Chadwick. “Revelation Project, the firm’s core product, not only eases the pain and cost of organizing qualitative research but also conjoins qualitative and ethnography online and offline in a powerful way. I am delighted to help Revelation’s management fulfill its dreams and ambitions.”

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Rachel Bell

Revelation Launches Feedback Forum

We love your feedback! 

Over the course of the past two years we've had phone calls, email exchanges and in-person discussions with many of you about what you want out of online immersive research software.  Your input was the driving force behind our relaunched Revelation V2 in October, 2008.  And since that release, we haven't stopped enhancing our product.  Because you asked, we've added group discussion activities, enhanced our video experience and incorporated seven languages - to name a few of our latest features.

We want to continually expand the conversation and keep listening.  That's why we're happy to announce that Revelation has integrated UserVoice into Studyspace.net.  UserVoice is a tool that enables researchers to post their suggestions for new features in Studyspace, vote on ideas and keep track of the features our development team is working on for future releases. 

UserVoice is easy to use - simply log in to Studyspace.net and go the the "suggestions" area on the dashboard page and get started.


We look forward to your continued feedback and suggestions.  Thank you - you make us better!

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Michael Felix

Revelation is hiring: Graphic Design Intern

We’re looking for a graphic design intern to help us with our marketing endeavors. This individual will work closely with our Design and Marketing teams to synthesize communication ideas into visual forms. She or he must possess a passion for design and an appetite for challenging creative work.

THE APPLICANT SHOULD CONVEY:

  • Solid understanding of color, form and shape
  • Tasteful comprehension of typography
  • Skill in crafting both raster and vector objects
  • Familiarity with design production processes
  • Resilience when thoroughly critiqued

BONUS POINTS FOR THE FOLLOWING:

  • Communication by sketching
  • Proficiency with HTML & CSS
  • Illustrative prowess

Please send us a resumé, cover letter and (a copy of or a link to your) portfolio. Submissions without a portfolio will not be considered. Please no phone calls.

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Rachel Bell

Revelation is hiring a Part-Time Marketing Associate

Revelation is hiring a part-time marketing associate.  The ideal candidate is a highly organized self-starter with a strong sense of accountability. We have a great opportunity for a motivated individual looking to expand their skills. Starting out part-time, this position will be organizing and growing our sales and marketing database, working directly with management to execute marketing plans and sales strategy. The marketing associate will play an integral part in executing marketing campaigns and creating materials as well as work with sales to create proposals and internal sales reports.

Hours: 15-20 hours a week

Educational/Certification Requirements:


Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in a related field

Qualifications:
1-2+ years of marketing experience required
Knowledge of Salesforce.com required
Strong organizational skills required
Knowledge of market research industry a plus

Computer Experience/Special Skills:
Solid MS Office and Salesforce.com skills required

Salary: Salary depends on experience.

Email your resume and cover letter to jobs@revelationglobal.com for immediate consideration. No phone calls, please.

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Kat Gomm

Revelation Announces Improved Video Capabilities and Additional Foreign Languages

Revelation, a developer of next generation online qualitative research tools, has improved the experience for participants uploading videos to Revelation. Participants now are able to upload much larger files, thus longer videos, and the Revelation system provides the necessary insight to keep participants apprised of their upload status.  Participants and researchers are also able to play back videos in a YouTube style video player.

Revelation has expanded their language capabilities to include, EU Spanish, Italian and Japanese, taking Revelation's language capabilities to seven, including the current English, Latin American Spanish, French and German.

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Steve August

Revelation is hiring: Methodology Evangelist

Since Revelation has grown so much over the past year, it has become harder and harder for me to find the time to be able to explore ways to use the online medium for qualitative research and then share what I've learned through writing, speaking, blogging, etc.  This is such a key part of what drives Revelation - being as driven about methodology as we are about technology -  that we have created a position that focuses on these activities. We call the position Methdology Evangelist. Here's what a Methodolgy Evangelist does and needs to bring to the table:

Methodology Evangelist              

Passionate, entrepreneurial-minded researcher sought for a unique position. Revelation, a Portland, OR creator of online qualitative tools (www.revelationglobal.com), is seeking a dynamic Methodology Evangelist to help market and advance our company’s product and methodology offerings.  At Revelation, the Methodology Evangelist will:

Engage and Inspire

Evangelist will constructively engage with and contribute to the research, design, marketing, and advertising communities.  Publish papers, speak at conferences, blog, tweet and otherwise participate in conversations on forums, groups, lists and other social media.

Market, Sell

Evangelist will  be a key cog in Revelation’s sales and marketing efforts by demo-ing products and solutions, working with sales and marketing to create proposals and participating in paratrooper marketing trips.

Consult

Assist customers with developing engaging and insightful activities and work with the customer experience team to ensure the success of customer projects.

Explore, Create

Push the boundaries of online qualitative methodology. Areas of interest: developing activity models that make the most of the online medium, in-context research, accelerating qual analysis, projective techniques, concept and ad testing, applying game theory. Conduct research projects to test methods and ideas. Conduct research to further product development and participate in designing product and service offerings.

Share, Teach

Build on Revelation’s current educational offerings. Give or host webinars on the latest research thinking and practice, lead classes, create educational events.

Requirements

  1. Must be fluent, passionate and non-dogmatic regarding qualitative research methods
  2. Must have experience conducting asynchronous online qualitative research via blogs, bulletin boards, Revelation or other online tools
  3. Must be irrepressibly excited about online as a medium for qualitative research
  4. Must be able to credibly engage and excite a wide diversity of researchers and research tool buyers, including: research directors, design researchers, qualitative research consultants, product manager, marketing managers, ad researchers and account planners,
  5. Have excellent presentation and people skills
  6. Able to roll with a start up environment
  7. Advanced degrees helpful, but online qual experience and communication ability is more important

Salary depends on experience. Benefits include health insurance and participation in stock option plan. Ideally person would be located in Portland, OR but will consider candidates based in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London.

Candidates should forward a cover letter and resume to jobs@revelationglobal.com

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Dan Herrera

Revelation welcomes Max Ogden!

Revelation is excited to welcome Max Ogden as our newest Junior Agilist!  Many of you have already experienced Max's helping touch with his work on our extensive library of training videos.  He's also responsible for the dulcet tones you hear on many of our help videos.

Max also works with the development team to continually improve Revelation, and to improve our support infrastructure.

Max comes to us by way of the Apple store, where he provided one-on-one support and training.

For me, Max embodies one of the greatest qualities one could hope for; his work is an expression of joy.  He reminds us all to savor the expression of creativity in our work as we continue to improve Revelation.

Welcome, Max!

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Rachel Bell

Revelation welcomes Elizabeth MacLaughlin

Elizabeth MacLaughlin has joined us as Associate Customer Experience Manager.  She will be focusing on our Helping Hands project management services. Elizabeth comes to us with a full service market research background.  She most recently worked at Market Strategies International here in Portland. We are happy to have Elizabeth join our team.  Her customer service skills are already winning rave reviews from our clients.  And we know her extensive market research knowledge will be a great addition to our team. 

Welcome, Elizabeth!

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Michael Felix

Summer '09 Customer Research

Throughout the sunny (and at times unusually hot) Portland summer, the Revelation Design Department has been carrying out another round of customer research. We have conducted interviews with a substantial sampling of researchers and moderators, investigating the workflows and processes associated with day-to-day moderation. Our first research session was conducted over-the-phone using screen sharing, which allows us to virtually observe the researchers' interaction with Revelation, using real data from recently completed projects.

Even though the research validated a few of our suspicions, it also revealed several new findings and ideas. Here's a few highlights:

  • Through observation we watched moderators navigate the process of understanding what's new in a project and saw some interesting ways researchers were going about this. We can save a few clicks and a lot of cumulative time by optimizing this interaction and making it a bit more directed.
  • Moderation interfaces need to be mindful of context and allow the moderator to quickly flip perspective between an Activity-centric and Participant-centric views.
  • Computers are great at counting and remembering - any interaction we can design to automate the times that humans have to physically (or mentally) count is a big win for usability. This showed up a lot in completion management scenarios.

We've synthesized this research into a few objectives that will add a lot of value to the software. The Design Department has already begun iterating on these ideas and will be presenting a collection of concepts in a research project conducted through Revelation later on this month. If you'd like to get involved, please send us an email to info@revelationglobal.com with 'Research Project' in the subject line. It'll be real quick (honest!) and we're donating $5 to kiva per participant.

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