What if we turned the tables on traditional research? What if we let the respondents in on the fact that we are doing research while keeping that fact from everyone else participating in a real life experience? It’s a bit like having the subject of a picture in fine resolutions and the background being very faded out. But we are studying the impact of the background on the foreground. So we don’t wash out the background, we are focusing on it at the same time. I’ve used these techniques for years and they are particularly entertaining for me. And valuable for my clients. I’ll share examples from a study in the restaurant industry and in retail.