Right now the 18-34 year old demographic that is so coveted among advertisers is almost exclusively comprised of people who are part of the Millennial generation. Millennials (also called Generation Y) are a highly influential group of consumers and as such market researchers seek their feedback on virtually every kind of brand, product and concept.  Like all generations, there are aspects of Millennials’ communication habits and preferences that are unique from other segments of the population, and understanding these factors is crucial for researchers.

Millennials have never known adulthood without the Internet and mobile phones. For the younger half of the 18-34 year old group, social media has been part of their everyday lives since they were tweens. A staggering 95 percent of US Millennials own a mobile phone (more than 40 percent own a smartphone), and 81 percent use Facebook every day. Researchers who are eager to recruit and engage Millennials in survey participation clearly should strive to meet this generation on their preferred communication platforms. Certainly the market research industry is already undergoing a transformation to account for mobile and social media usage, but the question remains – are we evolving quickly enough?

Desktop Internet usage remains very high among the GenX and Boomer generations, however Millennials are a much more mobile-centric group. The mobile-only Internet population is expected to grow 56-fold from 14 million at the end of 2010 to 788 million by the end of 2015. That’s just a few short years away. And while overall social media usage is beginning to level off, the percentage of social media traffic coming from mobile devices is still steadily growing. This is a clear indication that the combination of the two platforms is where some of the most compelling and radical transformation of MR communications will occur.  In order to engage the prized Millennials, as well as the generation coming up behind them, research software solutions simply must support full-function mobile and social media interaction…and the time for implementation is right now.

Last summer Kinesis offered up our Top 10 Predictions as to how mobile technology will significantly transform market research over the next few years. Included on the list was a prediction that “apps will be a mostly transitional phenomena in the industry.”

This prediction likely did not sit well with the market research software providers who have built their entire mobile offering on an app-based model. Some of these companies provide an app solution that is specific to one type of smartphone, while others provide multiple versions of their app to cover the most common smartphone OS platforms (e.g. Apple iOS, Android, Blackberry, etc.). Regardless of which smartphones their apps support, they all probably disapproved of Kinesis’ position. They were also probably quite happy to learn that the one millionth app milestone was achieved in December, that the apps market more than doubled in 2011, and that mobile users now spend more time using apps than mobile browsers.

Given last year’s explosive app development and predictions for further app growth in 2012, does Kinesis still believe that apps will fail to sustain prominence as a major mobile research tool in the coming years?

You bet. While apps continue to be developed at a furious pace, in reality the vast majority of them are used by a very small number of mobile subscribers. Additionally, app usage seems to be reaching a peak. The fact that app usage time surpassed mobile browsing time last year is largely attributable to only one company – Facebook – and recent data from app analytics firm Flurry indicates that app usage now appears to be slowing. A study last year by Localytics found that one in four smartphone apps is downloaded but never used again. For market research, respondents may very well download an app for a one-time project or to join a panel, but continuous respondent use is required in order to provide ongoing value to the researcher. And in order to maintain continuous use (aka “the engagement factor”), ongoing development is essential. Both initial and ongoing app development can be a substantial endeavor. According to Deloitte: to reach more than 90 percent of all apps users, a developer may need to create versions for five different operating systems (plus HTML5), five major languages, three different processor speeds, and four different screen sizes. In other words, 360 variants of a single app may need to be created in order to fully cover the global market.

Since most research studies require a diverse and representative sample, multiple versions of the app must be maintained to accommodate a diverse group of mobile subscribers. And even for the research companies that have these necessary development capabilities, another significant challenge exists in how to deliver the app’s functional enhancements to users. There is no assurance that respondents will download updates, and their failure to do so may result in significant usability and performance issues.

For these reasons and others, Kinesis stands behind our prediction. App solutions simply have more inherent limitations than mobile browser-based solutions. It is true that today’s mobile browsers have their own set of limitations, but with the advent of HTML5, mobile browsers continue to close the gap on desktop browsers. Over the next few years, the capabilities of mobile browsers will become increasingly powerful and will ultimately replace the need for the majority of research apps.  Now Kinesis is not claiming that ALL market research apps will become extinct – there will continue to be highly specific and targeted research initiatives that are better suited for custom app delivery – however the advantages of mobile browsers will result in their dominance for mobile market research. Further, since the browser-based approach has the ability to support all mobile devices, any market research company that spends money developing device-specific apps for solutions that can be more readily supported via a browser will be at serious financial disadvantage.

It will likely take another few years for HTML5 to roll out its complete feature set and gain wide adoption, but it will happen. Benefits in terms of device flexibility and cost, as well as factors such as lower battery consumption and ease of delivering functional updates, will ultimately win out.

The Survey Geek recently posted a highly sarcastic (and highly entertaining) blog entitled How to write a mobile research pitch piece. It labels mobile research as largely “hype,” questions the significance and usefulness of mobile as a data collection platform, and postulates that most researchers who pitch mobile to their clients lack proof of its effectiveness. While a very entertaining read, this blog post is somewhat misleading and certainly one-sided. As the leading provider of mobile market research software solutions, Kinesis naturally feels the need to offer a counterpoint. Jason Cazes, Kinesis Sales Engineer, provided this excellent retort:

Fully realizing this post is made in jest, I’m going to try to address the underlying mentality in a counter-argument…

I agree with you wholeheartedly that people who approach new technology or ideas with a lot of energy but without any sort of plan or direction need to settle down and start producing. This is not a new concept, and it is certainly not unique to market research. People get excited about new technology, and they start talking about it. Some people innovate, and others don’t really know what to do with the new information and so they just keep talking. Some conferences (and now social media) seem to amplify this sort of useless chatter, but these communication mediums can also spark new innovations through knowledge-sharing.

Yes, there are limitations with mobile. There are limitations with every data collection medium. Phone, paper, and internet all present data collection challenges, but there are three important things to note about mobile:

1. Mobile is unquestionably the best way to intercept respondents in-store or on-site. This is already being done, and researchers are already successfully collecting and analyzing data. Sure, some may not want to participate, but inferring that the collection method itself is intrusive is just a fallacy of composition. Incentives change everything.
2. Mobile is simply another way people are connecting to the internet.
3. Limitations traditionally posed by mobile surveys are fading fast as mobile devices become more advanced.

In some regions – like the US – people are now purchasing more smartphones than feature phones. Does it make sense to launch a WAP survey in the heart of a location with low mobile internet access penetration? Absolutely not. Data collection efforts should always factor demographics and geography into the launch plan.

Revisiting the topic of the rise of mobile usage, consumers will soon be spending more time on their mobile devices than on their traditional desktop / laptop computers. Watching the iPad become the fastest growing consumer electronics product in history demonstrates this movement loud and clear. People want to spend more of their down time on mobile devices. Look at Nielsen’s latest mobile usage statistics to see the diversity of where people are using their devices and (potentially) browsing the web. These people are potential respondents!

In summary, market researchers need to be ready for respondents no matter which medium those respondents desire – internet (including mobile), phone, or paper.

References:
http://gigaom.com/2010/04/12/mary-meeker-mobile-internet-will-soon-overtake-fixed-internet/

http://www.cnbc.com/id/39501308

http://www.getelastic.com/how-we-use-the-mobile-web-infographic/

Increasingly research projects are conducted across geographic regions, thereby requiring that surveys be available to respondents in multiple languages. Often researchers attempt to program multilingual surveys by cutting and pasting from one or more word processing documents, and the results of this method can sometimes be painful. Translated versions may not contain all of the text that potentially could be seen by respondents (such as system and validation error messages, invitations and landing pages), and there is also risk of accidentally omitting a portion of text during copy/paste operations. These types of mistakes can easily go undetected by a programmer who is not fluent in each language, and cause considerable harm to the survey project. This method is also tedious to perform.

The Kinesis Survey™ Language Manager was designed to help prevent these common pitfalls. It enables programmers to provide all survey text to a translation firm in the original language using an XML file. This XML file not only includes the question and answer texts, but also all system error messages, table texts, invitation texts, validation error messages, etc. – along with relevant system tags that indicate where to insert text when uploading a translated version of the file back into the Language Manager. Additionally, since Kinesis Survey™ enables surveys to be launched in multimode, the Language Manager allows for further customization of text, invitation and error message translations that are specific to the device type (computer or mobile) utilized by the respondent.  As a final step, programmers can review translated material by comparing the survey in any two languages, side-by-side, and printed on a single page, with the Language Manager’s comparison tool. This type of quality assurance further reduces the risk of errors during the translation process.

Through the Kinesis Survey™ Language Manager, each separate language version uploaded via a translated XML file is given a locale ID. This locale ID can be appended to the incoming survey URL to route respondents into the survey with a predetermined language. Alternatively, the locale parameter and ID can be left off of the survey URL, thereby enabling respondents to select their preferred language on the first screen of the survey. Either way, the locale ID can then be used within conditional logic (if desired) to only display certain questions/options based on the language selection of each respondent.

Ultimately, the Kinesis Survey™ Language Manager allows researchers to keep a multilingual survey within a single program while greatly reducing the potential of translation errors. It also facilitates device-specific translations to support multimode surveys that enable respondents to not only participate in their preferred language, but also utilizing their preferred device. These capabilities speed up programming time and also allow for easier analysis of data across all countries, languages and devices.

All researchers are continually seeking creative ways to build dynamic surveys that keep respondents engaged. Use of embedded video is an excellent option to achieve this goal, as multimedia can often communicate at a deeper level than words and images alone. As the leading survey software solution, Kinesis Survey™ fully supports embedded video usage so that Kinesis clients can capitalize on the power of video to reach respondents.

Kinesis Survey™ offers a couple of options to support the use of video within a survey. The solution’s user-friendly GUI can be utilized to insert and even edit embedded video, or users can work directly in HTML to insert code that embeds a video streamed from a video hosting service.

If using the GUI option, users can easily browse and upload videos to Kinesis Survey™ by selecting the file type and specifying the file path. Some of the different video file formats supported by Kinesis Survey™ include: Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media, and Real Media. The GUI also allows for video editing after the file has been uploaded. Available options for editing depend on the file type selected, but typically include changes to player functions such as play/pause, looping, or volume.

Alternatively, Kinesis Survey™ also supports usage of video that is streamed from video services/hosting providers such as YouTube. Some providers even supply the precise code to use when embedding the video (complete with various configurable settings such as window size and playback features) so that it can be easily inserted via HTML. Use of streamed video is encouraged whenever possible because it offers two major advantages: 1) Kinesis does not have to support the additional bandwidth required by a large volume of respondents attempting to download videos at the same time, and 2) Respondents are not required to download the full video prior to viewing, thus dramatically shortening the total time spent on the page within the survey. It is important to note that usage of this method means that accessibility to the video is controlled by the hosting provider and not Kinesis Survey™, so working with a reputable video hosting company is crucial to ensure that the video can be readily accessed by survey respondents at all times.

View a demo of a survey with streamed video to get an idea of how embedded video might work for your survey projects.

The AAPOR Annual Conference short course entitled “Designing Surveys for Mobile Devices,” presented May 11th by Mario Callegaro of Google and Tim Macer of Meaning Ltd., was the best-attended mobile session that we have seen so far.

The first half of the tutorial focused upon statistics that impact the survey research industries.  Callegaro presented data indicating that the frequency of mobile internet access is increasing rapidly (as of May 2010, up to 43% of mobile phone users were accessing the mobile internet several times daily), that smartphone ownership is sharply rising, and that respondents are attempting to answer surveys via their mobile devices. In a June 2010 Google Advertiser Satisfaction Survey of the US and Canada, Google measured the break-off (dropout) rates of respondents who used desktop/laptop/tablet devices versus mobile devices and found the break-off rate to be much higher among mobile device users (24.2% vs. 8.4% for the computer group). This data indicates a clear non-response bias, as assumed to be attributable to the frustration experienced by the mobile users when attempting to answer certain question types on small screens.

The second half of the presentation provided mobile survey design suggestions and software vendor comparisons that are in part available on the Meaning Ltd. website (www.meaning.uk.com.)  Check out the website for this information, and also to get an objective viewpoint as to where mobile is headed in the research industry. Vendor recommendations and segmentations, as well as thoughts about the various approaches to mobile research solutions, are available.

In their closing, both Callegaro and Macer emphasized that “the survey software cannot do it all,” and that market researchers need to begin assessing redesign issues on a project-by-project basis. While not all research projects will require mobile device support, many will need to be mobile-enabled due to the continual growth of mobile device usage.  The speakers’ first step recommendation was to immediately begin monitoring the percentage of respondents that are entering projects using a mobile device, and also which specific device types are being used.  This small piece of metadata will be invaluable in determining when it is essential to take further action. They also encouraged researchers to begin making simple design modifications that allow surveys and other research projects to be more easily rendered across a wider variety of devices. For additional recommendations about mobile survey design, see a previous Kinesis blog post.

As a continuation from our last post on least-filled quotas, let’s resume exploring the various programming options available for rotating response alternatives within a survey question. There are of course multiple ways to rotate the order in which response alternatives display to respondents, and while each is implemented with the common goal of eliminating potential ordering bias, the determination as to which option to use should be based on your specific research objectives.

In cases where the same list of products or attributes are provided as response alternatives in several of the survey’s questions, the best option is likely a rotation scheme that ensures the alternatives display in a random order across the sample, but maintain the same order for each respondent as they move from one question to the next. This provides continuity for the respondents’ survey session without making it obvious that the response alternatives have been randomized. Kinesis Survey™ offers an efficient way to implement this rotation scheme with just a few clicks of the mouse: the Random Sequencer.

The Random Sequencer allows you to program a numerical sequence that can be maintained throughout the survey across various types of questions and question groups including radio, checkbox, pulldown, and ranking. In addition, the Random Sequencer can be used on rows within table structures, table question columns, and table column choices. By utilizing the Random Sequencer, you ensure that each respondent views the response alternatives within questions (or rows within tables, etc.) in the same order throughout the survey.

The Random Sequencer can even maintain the same sequence in instances where the number of response alternatives is different from one question/table/etc. to another (e.g. the first question has five response alternatives and the second question only has four of those same response alternatives). It also enables response alternatives to be anchored and/or linked, and offers the capability to export the various sequences as seen by each respondent (which is useful when analyzing any option order bias among responses). Kinesis Survey™ provides this and several additional randomization and rotation programming options with varying levels of complexity that can be incorporated into your survey design.

Virtually all researchers are aware that survey responses can be significantly impacted by the way the questions are designed. Language choice, level of detail, and the number of response alternatives can all influence the respondents’ selection. Most also understand that the ordering of response alternatives can likewise have a serious effect on survey results, and look to utilize a system of rotation for the order in which response alternatives appear within a question. There is, however, more than one way to implement such a rotation, and all ways are not created equal.

For example, let’s assume that you are designing a survey in which you want respondents to select from a list of five brands that they use frequently, but you desire to ask follow-up questions for only two of those brands. You could elect to implement randomization logic for the response alternatives, but a random assignment cannot guarantee an equal distribution across all of the alternatives. Because the assignment is truly random, it may end up using one ordering scheme more or less as compared to the others. This variable can impact the respondents’ selection across the sample, and risks introducing significant bias to the response data.

An alternative to randomization in this scenario is use of the “least-filled quota.” It utilizes computational logic within the survey to assign respondents to quota groups by always selecting the ordering scheme with the lowest current quota count. Least-filled quotas ensure that all of the response alternatives get displayed in each ordering position an equal number of times, and ultimately allow for the most diversity in the data set. View a least-filled quota demo.

Kinesis Survey™ offers standard least-filled quota logic as summarized above, as well as priority least-filled quota logic for instances where you desire to have one of the response alternatives take priority over the others, and nested group least-filled quota logic for instances where it is necessary to display response alternatives depending on the respondent (usually based on demographic assignments). The Kinesis Survey™ interface includes the necessary tools to program these types of setups with ease, thereby helping to ensure the highest quality of your research data.

The market research industry is currently facing some big challenges. New technologies such as mobile and social media are being rapidly adopted by research participants, and therefore dramatic changes to our processes and methodologies are required. At the same time, research budgets and project timelines are shrinking, making it difficult to quickly and effectively implement the necessary changes. With mobile and social media development moving faster and faster, and other new and valuable research technologies emerging (such as on-site barcode scanning and media capture, gaming and geolocation), it is clear that the fast-paced trend will not reverse any time soon. Those who are struggling to keep up now will undoubtedly fall further and further behind in the coming years unless fundamental strategy changes are implemented.

So, the million dollar question is this: how do you protect your investments in skill sets, software, training, etc., while simultaneously migrating your business to support these new and critical technologies?

Thankfully the million dollar question does have an answer, and the answer is a relatively straightforward one: become future-proof. Wikipedia defines future-proof as: anticipating future developments, so that action can be taken to minimize possible negative consequences, and to seize opportunities. Dictionary.com defines it this way: (of a system, computer, program, etc.) guaranteed not to be superseded by future versions, developments, etc. To become future-proof, a shift in mindset is required. It means considering not only how emerging technologies are being applied to research today, but also how they could and should be applied tomorrow.

To successfully future-proof your business, new investments must be made now – even though we are facing a weak economy. Education and training are needed to understand how these new technologies will affect research processes during the next several years. Survey design, panel management, sampling practices, participant authentication tools, etc. are evolving as a result of mobile and social media usage, and all researchers need to fully understand the implications. In the face of the growing DIY research movement, education will be the card to play that keeps MR companies thriving. Researchers need to be anticipating where the participants will go next, how to reach them there, and what tools will be needed to keep them engaged. Enterprise businesses will have no choice but to return to the experts for truly effective market research analysis and results.

New investments in software may be needed as well. Some solution providers are stagnated in the wake of mobile web growth (while already lagging behind in web solutions), and are now attempting to play catch up with their solution offerings. As a result, many MR companies are now faced with needing to change, or at least augment, their research platforms in order to keep pace with the industry’s evolution. For companies in this position, a careful ROI evaluation is needed for each solution being considered, particularly in terms of longevity and flexibility. Consider how well your software investment will be protected as expanding technology continues to evolve market research, and whether or not the solution vendor will be capable of providing ongoing future-proof solutions.

The answer to the million dollar market research question is straightforward, but that does not mean its implementation will be easy. Collectively we must recognize and embrace the changes being thrust upon our industry, and be willing to do the hard work necessary to achieve success.  Now is the time to take on a future-proof mindset and answer the question for yourself.

Tariq Mirza Appointed as Managing Director of European Operations

AUSTIN, TX (January 10, 2011) - Kinesis Survey Technologies LLC (Kinesis), the industry leader for future-proof market research software solutions, today announced the opening of a European office based in London.

The new office serves market research firms and enterprise businesses located throughout Europe. This additional location enables Kinesis to better support its European-based clients, as well as engage new prospective customers in the region. The office is led by market research industry veteran Tariq Mirza, Managing Director, Europe. Mirza was formerly employed by Intellex Dynamic Reporting, and has more than seventeen years of experience in market research software sales and development with Quantime, Voxco and Nebu.

“Kinesis is increasingly focused upon servicing companies with global operations that require regional expertise,” said Kinesis President Leslie Townsend. “The addition of a London office will facilitate Kinesis’ expansion in the region, and Tariq Mirza is highly qualified to lead these efforts. We are very pleased to have him join our team.”

“Kinesis is a company that is perfectly positioned for the future of market research,” Mirza said. “It is clearly ahead of the game by offering a multimode web/mobile research platform linked to communities – as this is precisely where our industry is headed. I am extremely excited to join Kinesis and help secure a leading position both in Europe and globally.”

Interested parties can reach the Kinesis London office at +44 20 7956 2119, or by emailing Mirza at tariq.mirza@kinesissurvey.com.

About Kinesis Survey Technologies
Kinesis Survey Technologies, LLC provides a multimode survey and panel management product suite to advance innovation in both mobile and web-based market research. Delivering intuitive, state-of-the-art applications, Kinesis software products can be effectively utilized without deep programming knowledge yet are robust enough to perform the most complex of survey and panel functions. Headquartered in Austin, TX, Kinesis offers product versions for both the market research industry and enterprise business organizations, and proudly supports next generation research applications worldwide.

Here comes another new year, so inevitably it is time to make those New Year’s resolutions. Many of us will make personal resolutions – probably to get healthier or to spend more quality time with loved ones. But what about professional resolutions? The market research industry is undergoing a full-fledged revolution, and now is the time to plot out your business strategies in response.

Kinesis offers up the following as the Top 5 Market Research Resolutions for the coming year. Consider implementing these resolutions and chart your successful course for 2011.

1. Go Mobile.
According to an Opera report released this week, global usage of mobile devices more than doubled in 2010, with 340 billion pages viewed. Mobile web access and smartphone penetration are both exploding as well, so there is no doubt left that online surveys must be expanded to support mobile device interaction. Even better, surveys should be available in multimode to offer ultimate flexibility. Respondents now have multiple web access options to choose from, and researchers cannot control that choice. If you regularly conduct online research projects, do not delay — now is the time to develop your mobile and multimode strategy.

2. Get Social.
Just like mobile device usage, social media is exploding everywhere. Online communities such as Facebook and Twitter are redefining how people communicate and interact. As of July 2010, Facebook had more than
125 million users in the U.S. alone, a growth rate of 352.6% in 24 months. Brands are taking advantage of the marketing boon offered by these sites, and researchers should be too. Social media usage is growing among nearly all demographic groups, and therefore these sites must be incorporated into your recruitment strategies in order to obtain representative sample.

3. Refine Design.
People are busier than ever before, so attracting and keeping their attention is a significant challenge. This cultural shift is directly responsible for the enormous success of Twitter – we like our communication to be as efficient and succinct as possible. These criteria should be applied to modern survey design as well. Long, complicated and text-heavy surveys are on their way out. Consider shorter, easier surveys that incorporate visually interesting graphics to engage respondents, while ensuring that your research objectives are still met.

4. Go Legit.
For individuals with the know-how, there are plenty of ways to inflict grave bias into research results. Survey duplications, speed-through completions, unauthorized access locations, etc. are becoming more are more prevalent in online research. If you are not already, start protecting data integrity by utilizing a reputable respondent authentication solution.

5. Be Cutting-Edge.
The first four resolutions listed here can really be summed up by this fifth one. Customers want research conducted and interpreted faster, easier and cheaper than ever before; and researchers have very full plates just competing for projects and satisfying clients. Often there isn’t much time leftover to devote to understanding and implementing new MR strategies and technologies on your own. The best way to remain ahead of the research curve is to partner with a solutions provider who can do that work for you. To ideally position yourself for tomorrow, begin utilizing cutting-edge survey and panel management software today.

AUSTIN, TX (December 21, 2010) - Kinesis Survey Technologies LLC (Kinesis), the industry leader for robust and scalable survey and panel management software solutions, today announced that Kinesis Survey™ now includes built-in support for Google Analytics.

Kinesis Survey™ is the most advanced multimode survey solution for market research. By adding Google Analytics’ comprehensive web tracking metrics, the already robust reporting capabilities of Kinesis Survey™ are extended even further. Kinesis Survey™ users can now readily track survey respondent activity by each survey URL for all of their survey projects.

“Kinesis continually expands the functionality of our software to ensure it maintains its place as the most powerful survey solution for market research,” said Juha Vehnia, Kinesis CTO. “With Google Analytics support, Kinesis Survey™ now applies the world standard in web traffic measurement to online survey projects, thus offering our clients even deeper analytical and behavior measurement capabilities.”

Via Google Analytics, Kinesis Survey™ URLs can be tracked to identify metrics including page views, traffic sources, geographic locations, unique visitors, device types, operating systems and more. This data can be utilized to refine recruitment, sampling, quota management and survey design strategies, as well as to measure survey traffic over time. Google Analytics functionality is included at no additional cost for all Kinesis Survey™ projects.

“Market research is rapidly evolving due to the growth of mobile device usage and social media,” Vehnia added. “As the worldwide industry leader for mobile surveys, Kinesis understands that ready access to Google Analytics metrics including device type and traffic source will further aid our clients in their successful adoption of these emerging tools.”

Kinesis Survey™ enables the programming and execution of web surveys and mobile surveys, utilizing only one mode per project or utilizing both simultaneously for a multimode solution. It supports a wide array of features, and provides an intuitive user interface and robust real-time reporting tools. In addition to Kinesis Survey™, the Kinesis product suite also includes advanced panel management and community website solutions.

About Kinesis Survey Technologies
Kinesis Survey Technologies, LLC provides a comprehensive survey and panel management product suite to advance innovation in both mobile and web-based market research. Delivering intuitive, state-of-the-art applications, Kinesis software products can be effectively utilized without deep programming knowledge yet are robust enough to perform the most complex of survey and panel functions. Headquartered in Austin, TX, Kinesis offers product versions for both the market research industry and enterprise business organizations, and proudly supports next generation research applications worldwide.