Recently, I was talking with a new customer, who after many years of being in contact with us finally experienced Revelation in a project.  He got great responses from his participants, much deeper and richer than the bulletin board tool he had been using previously. I asked him about the difference and he said, “Wow, I finally get what makes Revelation different. It’s the way the system is designed around activities.  The combination of activity-based research and Revelation’s native support around activities is what makes it so powerful.” 

The idea of activity-based research is at the heart of Revelation. Our philosophy is that methodology should drive technology, so in a very real sense our offerings reflect not just well designed bits of code and an interface, but also a research approach that we feel maximizes the potential of online and mobile mediums. 

Why is activity-based research a leap? And, why does it work so well for online research? Traditionally, qualitative market research has been divided into two main types of research:  interview or question-based research (focus groups, IDI’s, etc.) and observational research (ethnography).   Both of these approaches are optimal for in-person, real-time research.   An interviewer asks questions and follows up with probes.   An ethnographer will observe people engaged in their natural behaviors in their natural settings.  It all can work quite well when a skilled researcher is there in person.

However, these traditional approaches start to be less effective for online and mobile mediums, when a researcher is not immediately present.  Observation becomes clumsy via online.  The dynamic interaction of a live interview is hard to replicate online, even with video interviewing.   

Yet, the online and mobile mediums offer huge advantages for researchers in terms of being able to access consumers at key moments of decision, purchase, usage and perception.  The technology of our day extends the reach of all forms of research in an unprecedented way.  But to get the value and benefit of the wondrous technology at our disposal, we need to adapt our methods.  This is where activity-based research comes in.  It’s an adaption of methodology to derive the full value of our technology. 

Activities can be diaries and journals, projective exercises, mini-documentaries, representational photography, personification exercises and a myriad of other possibilities. They can be used to explore behaviors, experiences and emotions. 

 A great research activity will be engaging to participants, enable researchers to get to the heart of a research objective and produce a compelling deliverable.  Designing great activities is both art and science.  Often the simplest are the most powerful and effective.

Going back to the researcher at the beginning of this post, I have seen that the switch from a question-based mindset to an activity-based mindset can be a challenging leap.  But when it clicks, the power of Immersive Activity-based research becomes readily apparent. 

In the coming months, Revelation will be making it easier and easier for researchers to make the leap.  Stay tuned!