It seems like a lot of researchers and clients want to know how “research design” is different in a community than it is with point in time methods (like surveys, focus groups, and online focus groups). The answer can be slightly abstract. Community design is a bit more organic, adaptable, theme-based, and versatile, using a variety of tools at your disposal. In my opinion, it is not about using the same battery of questions, just posted in an online setting. It is about thinking differently about how you address topics and giving people new ways of expressing their opinions online.

Traditional Research Design

The easiest way to demonstrate this is with an example, so let’s say you wanted to understand how teens use mobile phones. In a traditional or online bulletin board type focus group your question battery may be like this:

1. When was the last time you used your mobile phone? What did you do?
2. If you left home without your mobile phone, what would you miss most?
3. Tell me about how you use the phone feature on your mobile phone… what do you like about it? What don’t you like?
4. Tell me how you use text… what are some of the challenges of using text on your phone right now?
5. How do you use the music feature… how would you improve it?

Online Community Research Design

In an online research community, we may address the issues this way:

• “Last Use” Discussion: Tell us about the last time you used your mobile phone… What exactly did you do?
• “Teens vs. Adults” Discussion: Let’s say you were designing a mobile phone for Teens. How would your Teen Phone be different than typical mobile phones for adults? Think about the look, design, and the different features and functions you would want to include!
• “My Phone is Alive!” Photo Gallery: If your phone came to life as a person, animal, or another living thing – what would it be? Upload a photo of the “living thing” that best reflects your cell phone.
• “My Phone Diary” Blog Gallery: Keep a diary today and tomorrow of all the things you do with you mobile phone. So start with the moment you wake up this AM – and finish with the time you go to sleep tomorrow PM. Tell us every time you touch your phone… where you are, who you are with, what you are doing – everything!
• “Mobile Phones & You” Survey: Q1) What do you do most with your phone [call, text, listen to music, play games, use apps, other]? Q2) If you left home without your mobile phone, what would you miss most? [open end]  Q3) When you think about your cell phone, what 1-2 words come to mind? Q4-Q8) On a scale of 1-10, how important is the phone feature? [repeat for text, music, games, apps, etc.].

Organic Research Design

One important thing to keep in mind is that with the community environment, you have the ability to address objectives over time, and the community itself responds well to this more natural flow. You can take the findings/responses from this initial wave of research activity and incorporate it in your design of the next wave. In this example, it may be follow up discussions on the mobile phone features. You could identify the ones that members thought were the most important and run follow-up activities designed to understand how Teens are currently using these features and their thoughts about frustrations/gaps that these features need to address.

- Ben