One of the hottest industry topics this year has been the adoption of mobile research. There is consensus that the impact of mobile will be substantial, and that a major shift is already well underway. The industry continues to expound on the possibilities of this new frontier, and fret about the problems posed by wide scale implementation.
A significant issue is how to best support the wide array of cell phones (with greatly differing capabilities) that are used by mobile respondents. Providing surveys that are visually compelling on smartphones, yet straightforward enough to display on feature phones, can certainly be a challenge.
An even greater challenge is ensuring that the entire mobile experience is a positive one for panelists. Mobile research encompasses more than simply rendering surveys on cell phones – unless panelists can also access a mobile portal (to keep track of their available and completed surveys, update user information, redeem incentives, etc.), the likelihood of frustration is high. For instance, if a panelist receives a survey invitation while checking email on their cell phone and takes the survey, but then attempts to redeem incentives by accessing a website that is not optimized for mobile, their frustration will be even greater than if they had not been able to access the mobile survey at all. Researchers must offer a complete mobile experience, and ensure that their surveys and panels are optimized for any and every phone that a panelist might use.
The shift toward smartphones is happening fast. According to Nielsen, smartphones accounted for 14% of U.S. mobile devices at the end of 2008, and it predicts that smartphone penetration will exceed 50% by the end of 2011. Unquestionably this is impressive growth. Still, these numbers also indicate that feature phones will continue to have a prominent place in the mobile market for the foreseeable future.
While several vendors have launched new mobile solutions in the last couple of years, their predominant focus has been on smartphones, and many lack the technology for successful implementation on feature phones. Issues including device detection, scaling abilities (to fit the various screen sizes) and color configuration need to be addressed.
The best way to guarantee comprehensive device support is to select a mobile platform that is both proven and advanced. With CAMI®, Kinesis offers the best of both worlds. It provides one of the most robust device detection libraries with built-in support for over 2500 mobile devices in over 8000 different configurations, thereby ensuring that information will display correctly regardless of the phone type. It also offers the most advanced smartphone capabilities including revolutionary touchscreen support to optimize visibility and interaction on the newest and most dynamic phones. Plus, Kinesis has been developing and refining its mobile technology for much longer than the competition, having launched its first mobile market research platform in 2003.
Mobile offers a wealth of new possibilities for the market research industry, but only if the execution doesn’t alienate respondents. Utilizing a solution that is both cutting-edge and highly flexible is the key to success.