Our clients are always looking for ways to understand how their customers truly interact with their product or service.  One way to do this is to go to where the customers live, work or shop and observe and interview them there.  This can be very effective, but we always have to consider how the researcher’s very presence could affect the respondent’s behavior.  In some cases, we’ve found another option that can be less intrusive: video diaries. 

We send respondents a webcam, ask them questions (either in a video clip or in writing), and when it’s convenient and appropriate for them, respondents answer by talking to the webcam.  They tend to be more natural, open and honest, since they don’t have a stranger in the room with them, and they’re participating at a time that makes sense to them, not on the researcher’s schedule.

Now we’ve started using a new method that combines the strengths of video diaries with the benefits of group interaction.  It works like an online bulletin board focus group, except it uses video.  Respondents answer questions by talking to a webcam, and then they watch the video responses recorded by other participants.  So we still get the benefit of participants’ unbiased responses, but we get the added richness that comes from the “cross-fertilization” of a group discussion (e.g., “oh yeah, now that you say that, I forgot to mention…”).

To find the optimal research method to learn about your market, give us a call at (818) 752-7210.