While we pride ourselves in having top-notch professional youth engagement facilitators, moderators, and researchers, we have found that there certain instances where having youth peer-to-peer moderation is highly effective. Allowing one of our promising Youthvine experts co-create a list of questions with us and kick-off the online research or ideation discussion affords us the opportunity to discover insights around youth by reducing the "adult factor" throughout our engagements.

How It Works

Step 1: Select Your Youth Representative

Having a young person that can appropriately communicate the needs of the project, have patience in listening to their peers’ responses, and be mature while maintaining a factor of authenticity is no easy task. However, knowing how bright and insightful many of today’s youth are, we've seen from direct experience with Youthvine that many are able to deliver/introduce the research stimulus material very effectively via online discussion with their peers. Having someone who is energetic, collected, and willing to listen are the most important characteristics. The easiest method here, is to incorporate the young person as lead spokesperson in a video where you are introducing the project and research stiumulus.

Step 2: Brief Your Youth Representative About The Project

Ensuring that your youth representative knows the company, the project, and what they are attempting to get out of the questioning process is key. Be sure to provide all documents to the youth representative ahead of time for them to read over, then follow-up with an -in-depth verbal orientation. For Youthvine engagements, we use an application process using mobile video so we can vet our young particiapnts before the articulation interviews. Be prepared to answer any questions about the company/project they may have and to ask the key questions to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Step 3: Co-Create Your Questions & Discussion Guide

Now that everyone is on the same page, talk to your youth representative about what questions they think you should ask and compare them to your professional research teams guide. Having young people frame questions in their language will already provide you with an authentic insights framework. Even more than this, allowing them free reign with their language for part of the study will make their peers feel comfortable in answering honestly and candidly in their own language.

Step 4: Watch And Learn From The Session

Let your youth representative go with the flow after they have been selected and oriented. Record the session with online audio and video capturing, the key is to trust your representatives and let them be in the proverbial driver seat.

Step 5: De-Brief With All Youth Participants

Ask all of them about their experience (representative and peers alike). Gather feedback about the session outside of the questions being asked for the brand/project at hand. Doing this will allow you to determine if there were any biases during the session and whether or not they will directly affect the results of the insights. These should be taken with grains of salt on both the sides of the adults and the youth.

Benefits:

- Unique research group/interview insights for product innovation, marketing strategies, and UI/UX/Iterative Design
- Less adult/professional biases
- Subtleties and intimacy of answers because of the reduced adult barriers

Output:

- Targeted research, ideation and interview findings driven by, for, and because of youth engagement.

You may also like: Over 100 Eye-Opening Facts About Generation Z