In this episode of our podcast miniseries, Flight Patterns with Fieldwork, Crystal Majik of Fieldwork Anywhere and Webwork joins Priscilla McKinney on Ponderings From the Perch to discuss the future of research. While the two explore what’s on the horizon for the insights industry, they also discuss the return of conferences, matching cowboy boots, and Fieldwork's support of Women In Research (WIRe).
Crystal started at Fieldwork in 1998 and has seen the company through multiple industry shifts. From working at the Denver, Schaumburg and Network offices to her role as a President, she shares her expertise in online and in-person research. Fieldwork was already doing virtual qualitative research for a decade before the pandemic. With the sudden global shifts pushing online capabilities to the forefront, Crystal emphasizes the importance of prioritizing each method to get the most qualified results.
This episode dives into the technology, data privacy, and security required for qualitative research, what the nuance of that looks like in a virtual focus group setting, and how recruiting is the most critical step.
During the pandemic, too many, virtual research became the only option. Fieldwork’s established process concentrated on the participant's environment as opposed to technology. This strategy was a key differentiator in ensuring interviews were focused on research objectives making insights the top priority. Those stepping off into this space for the first time felt well-supported from the get-go. For those who were conducting research online, already, our attention on scaling our services maintained business continuity.
"It's really about brainstorming what the best solution is for you. Whatever you're looking for, we want to try to help that. We spend a lot of time researching what's available - what are those tools we need in our toolbox to help execute the research that our clients are doing?" - Crystal Majik
Fieldwork isn’t just a focus group facility, clients come to Fieldwork for everything from full project management to participant recruitment – and everything in between. In this episode, Crystal explains how we are masters at recruiting and facilitating.
Being adaptable and innovative during shifting tides makes our business last the test of time. With people in mind, we can meet their needs where they are. The future of Fieldwork will utilize and balance in-person and online research to serve our clients and respondents best.
This conversation between two women in research who believe in the power of collaboration is as inspiring as it is informative.
Catch the other episodes in this series here: