Who wants that? As a researcher, we get excited about any sort of insight. But to our clients, we want them to say: “YES! You’re right! That’s what we need to do!”

The video below is an example of this excitement regarding how the Millennial generation, or otherwise known as Generation Y, will be in power as consumers, decision makers, and leaders of our nation. While this is a marketing video, it’s nothing new. But the message they communicated was clear, meaningful, and factually true. It’s on the future of voting and the motivations that will lead to their decision making. Very timely, but more importantly, was that it came from their voice. In some ways, when doing the research and uncovering answers to “why” questions, I think that it’s fair to have them present their message in a compelling way like below.

Generation WE: The Movement Begins… from Generation We on Vimeo.

Even though this may be a marketing video, the things they say are presumable a result of the interviews, and analysis conducted in the field. The message remains the same with the statistical facts threaded throughout the screens. The difference here is that instead of trying to make some kind of production with footage from a lab study (that always has horrible audio), putting extra effort into the pitch of why the things studied are so important will come off as a much more important argument.

I don’t believe there is any bias in the way it is filmed either. All the things they said are true. It’s no different than having us, as experts, provide a bulleted list of recommendations on a PowerPoint deck. Instead, why not craft the presentation in a way that still comes from the people?

My hope is that more research can be presented in this way because so much of this stuff is lost in the piles of white papers. We can appeal to a broader audience who can help make these changes we are recommending once we put it in a way that really resonates with them. The cost of production is getting lower with cheaper video cameras, adapters that allow us to achieve cinematic aesthetic, and free software to stitch it all together. It’s time to shake things up some more.

Lots of changes are happening around here. Not physically, but here on the web. After overcoming my denial with how broken the experience was around the site, I finally got off my ass to consolidate my pages within Wordpress. After a healthy update to the admin interface, I am now on my way to unified bliss. I must say that the new v2.5+ WP update is a huge improvement. Plus, I’m diggin’ the orange highlights. I digress. In any case, there might be some hiccups along the way, so I’d be great to get your feedback when something looks or smells funny. In terms of visual design, that’s not my forte, so using themes is the way to go! Weee!

How this is going to work:

The root directory of kvwong.com is now the main featured posting page. No longer a blog, per se, but a journal of thoughts that I find interesting both online and in the real world. Thus, I’ve called it Fieldnotes. A record keeping medium of all the work-arounds, unique uses, or exciting examples of people interacting with technology. This is going to be pretty raw and lightly processed. My goal is to two fold:

1) Improve my critical observation skills
2) Incorporate more media, like photography and video, into my work in interesting ways

Within Fieldnotes, you will still find the usual suspects like contact information, general background about myself, the curriculum vitae and lastly, my ever aging portfolio - not metaphorical to wine.

Now here’s the tricky part: I’ve recently begun planning KVW Studios. I will soon be launching my official photography portfolio to the masses separate from Flickr. There I start my path towards small business endeavors. What that entails is still a bit fuzzy, but exciting none the less. The other critical component to KVW Studios is the educational component. While there are plenty of sites that help people get off the ground with photo 101 stuff, I hope to bring something of value too.

Suggestions and ideas are warmly welcome. I’m big on collaboration, and working together. So, hopefully thing will be more of a partnership than anything else.

Cheers,
Kevin