Activities are the central part of an online community study and the main source of data collection and insights from participants. Each activity is made up of a set of questions or exercises, which we call tasks.

Think of an Activity as the structure of a questionnaire and Tasks as the questions that will be answered by the participants.

There are many different ways to use activities in an online community study. The design of activities need not be restricted to simple texts or closed answers, but can include different visual stimuli, different flows and types of tasks. In this way, practical issues in the study can be addressed in a dynamic way in order to maintain the level of participation and the quality of contributions over time.

Interactions

Interactions in an activity can take place at any time of the day and the pace is driven by the participants (asynchronous) - their experiences, opinions, ideas and feelings are shared as they arise.

These interactions make participants feel part of an ongoing conversation that expands, deepens and stimulates reflection. This rhythm also favors a process of joint development of the community itself.

Settings

The activities have certain configurations that define important factors for the functioning of the study. These are  

• How long will the activity be available? When should it become available to participants and when should it stop being available?
• Who can participate and complete this activity? Should all participants respond or only specific groups?
• What is the visual identity of this activity?
• Will the answers to the activity be shared among all participants?  
• Should the questions within this activity be answered in order?
• In what order should the community activities be made available to participants?

The researchers can make adjustments to the study schedule based on what they learn from the participants during the course of the activities and discussions.