Editor's note: Paul Hudson is CEO and founder of FlexMR, a U.K.-based research firm.
The Pew Research Center recently estimated that 64 percent of Americans own a smartphone, while 7 percent of the population are dependent on their mobile device to access the Internet.1 Similarly, eMarketer projects that by 2018, 2.56 billion consumers will own a smartphone – over one-third of the global population.2
It is difficult to ignore statistics like these. We are constantly told that mobile is the future, whether it is the future of communication, marketing, fitness or even research. Combine that with the Google search algorithm update dubbed “Mobilegeddon” and businesses have been whipped into a mobile frenzy. But there must be a point where we stop and consider mobile research in context: its advantages and its weaknesses in full.
So, how exactly does mobile research stack up? The advantages are clear. In-the-moment feedback ensures organizations are able to conduct research in a range of scenarios and gather the instant raw emotion a customer feels, unclouded by time or memory. Similarly, mobile research is adaptable to a range of locations. We can ask participants to carry out tasks, visit places or purchase an item all while recording their thoughts and feelings.
Of course, there are more benefits to mobile research than just these. We have barely scratched the surface. From the speed of insight to the responsiveness and programmatic nature of research design, mobile has a lot to offer. The reasons we conduct mobile market research extend far beyond the physical into the realm of consumer behavior.
Start by questioning why
To understand these behavioral benefits, we must start by questioning why panels and communities should be mobile in the first place. The most obvious benefit to portable market research is the ability to conduct in-situ research. In-situ is a Latin phrase that translates literally to “on-site.” And that is exactly what mobile panels and communities offer – the opportunity to conduct research in any location, at any time.
Imagine a participant signs up to your research panel to provide feedback on a brand. The following day, they walk in to their local supermarket. A push notification from their smartphone prompts them to answer a few short questions about the brand (through either geofencing or beacon technology): Where is it located in the store? How easy was it to find? Is it where the customer expected?
By asking these types of questions in a real-life scenario, we as researchers can gather rich, emotive feedback from that exact moment in time. It is an accurate representation of participants’ feelings, not clouded by time or memory. The same can be applied to online communities – prompting participants to document their experiences with a service or brand in-the-moment and supplemented with discussion-provoking media (photo, video and audio).
There are two key behavioral scales that define the difference between participant behavior when using desktop and mobile devices. The first is the degree of focus. Participants completing mobile research have, on average, a significantly shorter attention span than those using desktop devices. This is, for the most part, due to the activities surrounding mobile usage. Consumers will use their phones while walking, on the bus, shopping, working or any number of other activities. Desktop users, on the other hand, are usually solely focused on the task at hand.
So what impact does this have? It means that panels and communities must be designed with the device in mind. A panel survey consisting of only four to five questions is a wasted opportunity. The same survey delivered on a mobile device is the perfect way to capture a short burst of feedback – framed by that exact moment in time. Conversely, a long survey delivered on mobile will suffer high dropout rates due to a lack of engagement but the same survey delivered on a desktop offers space for detailed, reflective feedback.
The second behavioral scale that causes radical differences between mobile and desktop responses is the proximity to the measured behavior. Mobile panels and communities are tools that can be applied in-the-moment. Their desktop counterparts are far removed from the situation and thus more suited to detailed but reflective and measured feedback.
The most effective panels and communities will take into consideration the differences in device-oriented behaviors and use them as an advantage. For example, an FMCG panel may ask a few short questions via mobile in-store for emotive, in-the-moment feedback. This could then be contrasted with a second, more detailed survey delivered at a later time via desktop.
Research conducted in such a manner benefits from the advantages of both delivery methods. In addition, it is capable of understanding how opinion is affected by the passage of time (thus creating multiple tiers of insight). This is where the future of both the online customer panel and community lie. But to achieve it requires integration into all aspects of the research design.
App or Web?
The first step in designing mobile-enabled panels and communities should always be the decision between app and Web designs. There are (broadly speaking) two distinct types of research space: responsive Web sites and dedicated mobile apps. The choice of delivery method will have an impact on results. Web-based research is easier to initially access, requiring only the Web address and log-in details. However, this type of research requires a stable Internet connection as it needs respondents to return to the site each time a new task is posted.
Mobile apps require more initial setup, as users must find the app and then install it on their device. They are also significantly more expensive to produce. However, once it has been downloaded, participants can access it with ease and data can be stored offline. The current standard is that for infrequent projects, an online responsive Web site is used, but for long-term frequent research, a mobile app is a better investment. However, the future is more than likely to be a hybrid of the two.
Although both aim to achieve the same result, we must place experience at the heart of our research design. The simple truth is that participants do not have a single unified preference – some will prefer to use an app, others will prefer a Web site. To maximize response rates and avoid alienating participants, the choice must be offered between the Web site and app. Once participants opt in to a particular delivery method, they will be more engaged and more receptive to frequent prompts.
The short survey is king
Once a suitable research space has been created, the next priority is to ensure a mobile-friendly design. Best practices for creating mobile panels include keeping surveys short and frequent. Researchers must recognize that mobile respondents have a significantly shorter attention span than online or in-person participants. Thus, in the world of mobile, the short survey is king. Instead of creating a single long task, break it up into a number of shorter ones for better response rates.
In addition to this, keep text to a minimum. In-situ research works best when participants are in the moment. Long questions or descriptions will break this moment and cause participants to focus on the research, rather than the experience or emotion in hand. Similarly, text should be large so that it can be read from a distance. Both buttons and text boxes should be large and spaced apart – enough so that they cannot accidentally be tapped.
Be sure to avoid elements that break the in-situ immersion and distract consumers. These kinds of elements include image and video stimuli, as well as JavaScript and other technical tools. In short, keep it simple, easy to use and easy to understand.
More of a challenge
Research communities pose more of a challenge. Inherently, these are more interactive and discursive in nature and cannot be simplified to the extent of a panel. There are still, however, a number of elements which can be tailored to enhance the mobile experience. To capitalize on these, it is first important to ground UX design in the objectives a community sets out to achieve.
An online market research community is a collaborative tool designed to stimulate participant interaction. In fact, the less moderator involvement there is, the higher quality the feedback will be. Research communities walk a thin line – they rely on participant engagement and interaction but this is often encouraged by prompts and incentives rather than a genuine desire to participate. It is this issue that mobile delivery can help overcome.
There are two major design elements that can improve community engagement. The first is the integration of push notifications. By using geofencing and beacon technologies, participants can be prompted to provide in-the-moment thoughts and discussion points when in particular locations. Another use of notifications is to notify participants that others have replied to their comments. By receiving real-time notice of the evolving discussions, participants are more motivated to engage in the research and actively drive the conversation forward.
The second mobile design consideration that can drastically improve community autonomy is the application of rich media. Rich media can be anything from photos to videos, audio clips, emojis and drawings. The essence of an online research community is equipping participants with the means to express themselves. Smartphones provide ample opportunity to do so. This freedom of expression gives participants control over the direction and format of the feedback and in turn fosters an engaging discussion.
In addition, the technical considerations that are applicable to panels are still relevant to communities. A simple user interface focusing on the discussion is key. Text should be large and legible and user experience should be at the core of the strategy. Of course, this means separating the desktop experience from mobile and creating platforms that are tailored to both.
Must pose the question
Mobile panels and communities are still in their infancy. Through these early years we have debated whether they are more effective than their desktop alternatives and have perhaps become a little obsessed. Now that the technology is in place that enables mobile research, we must pose the question of where and when is it appropriate.
Perhaps the biggest failing of mobile research is the tendency to skew towards a particular demographic. Research from Deloitte indicates that smartphone penetration is at 71 percent in developed countries for individuals ages 18-54.3 However, in the same sample, only 37 percent of individuals over the age of 55 own a smartphone. In addition to this, there is a whole 36 percent of the population who do not own a smartphone in any form.
Income has an additional effect on smartphone penetration. Only 39 percent of individuals earning under $50,000 a year own a smartphone. In comparison, 64 percent of individuals earning over $100,000 a year own one. So when considering any form of mobile market research, sampling is always an important and pressing issue. Mobile research should be an aspect of a broader research strategy, not the sole delivery method.
This has led to the concept of device-agnostic research – panels and communities that can be completed on any Internet-enabled device without discrimination, whether that is a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone. However, this ignores the behaviors that surround each device. Mobile and desktop users interact with research in different ways and research must reflect this. We must move forward from device-agnostic research, creating innovative panels and communities that adapt to the delivery method and its associated behaviors.
This leads us to the next biggest challenge that researchers face: the tablet. Somewhere between mobile and desktop, the tablet can be used in place of either. In terms of practicality it is more similar to mobile but for many consumers it is used in place of a desktop. It occupies a unique space that is tricky to navigate for researchers. Behaviorally, it can be used as either a mobile or desktop alternative.
How market researchers will tackle this new challenge will provide insight into the future of online panels and communities. Perhaps a new tablet-oriented approach has yet to be developed. Or perhaps screening questionnaires will take into consideration both device type and usage habits. The future has yet to be decided and it is important to ensure the difference between mobile and desktop research is fully understood before tackling tablet devices. But one thing is for sure: Researchers who clearly identify device and behavior-led research strategies will generate the most accurate and reliable data.
REFERENCES
1www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015
2 www.emarketer.com/article/2-billion-consumers-worldwide-smartphones-by-2016/1011694
3 www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/deloitte/global/documents/technology-media-telecommunications/gx-tmt-2014prediction-smartphone.pdf