Revelation, a developer of online qualitative research tools, has tapped the potential of Web 2.0 and today introduces Revelation PROJECT v2. Researchers now have the unprecedented power to see through customers' eyes and gain a deeper understanding of how, when, why and where they use today's products and services.

In the past, researchers were limited by one-time interactions with respondents - those who participated in a focus group for a short time or those who submitted to in-home studies. Now, the technology that underlies the Web 2.0 phenomenon - broadband connectivity, social software, ubiquitous digital media and wireless devices such as cell phones - has changed the fundamental paradigm of limited, unsustainable access to human experiences.

"The potent blending of Web 2.0 tools as a system for mining consumers' thoughts and actions is at the heart of Revelation, " says Revelation CEO Steve August, "Our vision is to continue evolving tools that make the human experience easier to access, understand and apply. We blend methodology with technology to create tools that are advancing qualitative research and helping researchers get an honest but unobtrusive view into peoples' lives as they unfold."

Revelation customer Diane Fraley, of D.S. Fraley Associates, used the system to build a picture of young, male beer drinkers for her client, a beverage producer. For six weeks she interacted and built relationships with thirty 25 year-old men to understand their lifestyle and how beer played a part in it. She captured feelings and key life moments that provided deeper insight into the men that her client, the beverage producer, was able use to enhance its beer-selling efforts.

"The value for the cost is magnificent," she says. "The data is richer and deeper and yields more honest answers because each respondent can express himself in private moments freely. There's no group think because reporting is private and can be done at any time."Fraley points out that Revelation's convenient, multimodal approach negates any skepticism associated with online reporting. "The person in the process has not been stripped out. If anything, it's just the opposite with Revelation."

In addition to blog-like or journal postings, respondents can upload photos or respond to images posted by the researcher- all from the privacy of their computers. On the researchers' side, Revelation goes beyond most online qualitative research products by providing tools to analyze, filter, categorize and organize the collected data into an easy-to-view and manage format.

Dana Slaughter, principal of Slaughter Branding, says she has used Revelation as "a point of differentiation for my online qualitative insights services, with the aim of providing richer respondent engagements that dig deeper than more established online modes, and are more practical than traditional in-person methods." 

The Revelation methodology has given her clients a way to "get closer" to their consumers in a unique way. "Revelation truly is a one-of-a-kind methodology that is opening doors for my clients and for myself," she says

Additionally, Revelation's Internet tools helped the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reveal just how ubiquitous cell phones are to the "Net Generation" of young people born between 1980 and 1996. CEA partnered with Revelation to find out how indispensable cell phones are to that tech-savvy generation. Thirty-six 10- to 19-yearolds were queried for one week on their cell phone usage and related experiences, including going without their phones for a day. Respondents uploaded images of their phones and blogged about how their devices are for them much more than a way to phone home.

CEA's Director of Research, Joseph Bates, commented that the Revelation methodology helped the association "find that wireless phones are the center of life for many teens today, providing a sense of security and freedom, as well as entertainment and a social resource."