The market research industry has spent much time and effort on the issue of data quality in recent years. With the rise of online research, the need to identify suspicious respondent behaviors (duplications, speed-through completions, unauthorized access locations, etc.) has become crucial to data credibility. In search of a resolution, many articles have been written, conference sessions have been held, trade associations have published best practices recommendations, and companies have brought to market products designed to “flag” respondents that could potentially skew research results.

As the leading multimode and multilingual survey and panel management solution provider, Kinesis recognizes that claims of high data quality must be backed-up through verifiable means. As such, Kinesis recently integrated two of the leading online data quality control products with our Kinesis Survey™ solution: Peanut Labs’ OptimusID™ and MarketTools’ TrueSample®. Usage of either of these tools is optional and can be activated from the Kinesis Survey™ user interface via point-and-click execution. Both products are applicable for web respondents only (mobile respondent authentication is not supported).

Here is a summary explanation of each offering:

• OptimusID™ is a free product that identifies suspicious respondents through digital fingerprinting technology. It works in real-time to track user activity and flag behaviors including duplicates, repeat-offenders, GEO-IP violations, hyperactives, speedsters, and overlap (cross-panel) access.

• TrueSample™ is a paid user subscription service that also indentifies suspicious respondents in real-time through digital fingerprinting, as well as other validation techniques. It ensures that respondents are: real (using third-party databases to identify fakes); unique (removes duplicates and overlaps); and engaged (removes speedsters and straight-liners).

Why two product options? Because providing automated access to technologies that may be desirable and/or beneficial to our clients is a key priority for Kinesis. However, offering flexibility to our clients is also a key priority, and therefore Kinesis does not wish to endorse one product over the other, nor dictate that either product must be used. Kinesis offers both, but allows each client to determine which product, if any, should be utilized on a project-by-project basis.

Time will tell whether OptimusID™, TrueSample®, or another competing product will rise to the top and become the industry standard for respondent authentication, or if all of them will find competitive success. In the meantime, the inclusion of integrated partner technologies only further elevates the robustness and flexibility of Kinesis Survey™. Kinesis will continue to evaluate emerging technologies that may compliment our product suite, and will integrate those that our company and clients deem valuable. We welcome your suggestions.