12 Sep Introducing Research Camp: An Immersive Experience for Researchers and Participants
Picture this: a charming summer camp tucked away in the woods on the outskirts of Boston. Hundreds of children are splashing in the pool, hiking through the trees, and playing on the ropes course. A select group will not only partake in typical camp activities over the next two weeks, but they will also share their thoughts and feelings with researchers on a wide range of topics, including mobile devices, media content, and wearable tech.
Our Fluent Research team recently took an unexpected path to this magical place. Fueled by the need to find Latinx children to test out a new curriculum for GBH, the Boston-based PBS affiliate, we scouted for and recruited 10-13-year old children in their communities. As our team began building relationships with them and their families, a novel idea soon transformed our methodology. In lieu of a typical monetary incentive, we would offer each child a scholarship for a two-week immersive day camp experience filled with adventure. Amidst the laughter, splashes, and camaraderie of swimming, hiking, archery, and crafts, our young participants would share their insights and reflections on the GBH curriculum and beyond. This is how Research Camp was born.
In partnership with New England Base Camp, we had arranged for the children we recruited to attend the day camp for two weeks. When they were not participating in camp activities, they would take part in research-related activities, including activity sessions, dyads, and focus groups. During these sessions, representatives from GBH and other companies had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with the children, ask probing questions, observe focus groups and interviews, and even spend time participating in camp activities themselves. Simultaneously, Director of Productions Heath Cozens and Associate Producer Paige Frankovich of Fluent Productions were filming campers’ day-to-day activities, interviewing them, teaching them how to interview each other, and gaining real-time insights during spontaneous debrief sessions. Heath connected with one camper’s family and arranged a “deep dive” interview with the child and family in their home – a documentary style he recently described in his blog.
Research Camp fostered an immersive research environment for our clients that provided them with a front row seat for focus groups, activity sessions, and in-depth interviews. But what’s more—our clients could engage in the kid world of summer camp! They had the opportunity to spend time with kids during research activities, ask them questions, get a feel for how kids talk with one another, how they move and relate, and what they are interested in. A far cry from the one-way mirror, our clients had the opportunity to “hop in” and ask questions, set up impromptu interviews, sit down with insightful participants, debrief with us in person, and open themselves to breakthrough insights—all things best supported by a live, dynamic, open-ended, and immersive research environment.
What started as a pragmatic choice has blossomed into an enriching research model, poised to reshape how we think about client and participant engagement. With the addition of Research Camp to our toolbox, Fluent can now offer clients a new kind of research methodology, one that blends innovation and exploration for meaningful insights and endless opportunities. Stay tuned for announcements about specific dates and locations for future Research Camps during school breaks in Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA. See you there!