Why is an Activity-Based approach to research considered such a leap from traditional approaches? And why do activities 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, in-depth interviews, etc.) and observational research (ethnography).   An interviewer asks questions and follows up with probes.   An ethnographer will observe people engaged in their natural behaviors in their natural settings.  Both of these approaches are optimal for in-person, real-time research, and work quite well when a skilled researcher is present.

However, these traditional approaches lose much of their efficacy in online and mobile media, when a researcher is not immediately present.  Observation can be clumsy via online, and the dynamic interaction of a live interview can be hard to replicate over the Internet, even with video interviewing.   

Yet for researchers interested in being able to access consumers at key moments of decision, purchase, usage and perception, online and mobile media offer huge advantages.  Today’s technology extends the potential reach of all forms of research in an unprecedented way.  But to reap the full benefits of online research, we need to adapt our methods and start looking beyond questions and observations. 

This is where an Activity-Based approach to research comes in, adapting the methodology to the technology. Activities can be diaries and journals, projective exercises, mini-documentaries, representational photography, personification exercises and countless other possibilities. They can be used to explore behaviors, experiences and emotions. 

Designing great activities is both art and science.  Often the simplest are the most powerful and effective. We use three criteria for defining great online research activities:

-Engaging to participants
-Enable researchers to get to the heart of a research objective
-Produce compelling deliverable

The switch from a question-based mindset to an activity-based one can be a challenging leap.  But when it clicks—when researchers recognize the full potential of the deliverables and understand that online research requires a different approach—the power of Immersive Activity-based research becomes readily apparent. 

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