Based on US data we are looking at a high probability that usage and ownership of tablets will continue to increase dramatically … but fully replacing laptops is highly unlikely. The reality for me, is that the tablet is just another fancy name for “the evolution of the computer”. It’s not really new technology; it is a bunch of old technologies converted into one. Actual engineering behind the tablet is what’s new; making things smaller, more intuitive and an OS and its applications compatible within a mobile device is what we are paying for. Touch screen technology has been around from what I’ve read since 1965[i], combine that with the portable computer a.k.a. laptop, PDA, and now smart phones which also have been around since the 90’s and you have your evolution of the personal computer (which too has been around since 1950). It seems as though everyone is so excited about one technology killing or overtaking the primary technology (ex. twitter/txt messages vs. email).
The reality is that laptops didn’t replace desktops, desktops didn’t replace the calculator, and the calculator didn’t replace learning grade 9 math the old way (paper and pencil) … that was when I went to school at least.
In my opinion, tablet users actually utilize the tablet as a more mobile and efficient form of “surfing the net”, playing games and just doing stuff (“apps”). Apple had their best fourth quarter results, with sales of the iPad and iPhone beating estimated sales that Wall Street was expecting. So what does this all mean? I think it means people are embracing technology. I feel the R&D costs are getting their ROI needed to keep moving technology forward. People no longer have 1 television in their house, no longer have 1 computer and a family does not typically have 1 cell phone. Technology requires consumer investment; they are their biggest quality checkers around. We make technology better by re-investing in what’s hot, and by not buying what’s not.
What’s fun is marketers and market research are becoming keen on using tablets and mobile phones to conduct surveys. I am a big fan of making fairly standard tasks sparkle and shine. The “evolution” of Market Research is what is interesting within the tablet or “mobile” realm. We are now designing surveys for tablets and mobile phones. People can now share surveys online “socially” to which they have participated in, qualitative studies can be done on a mobile device with greater impact and greater demographic reach and how cool would it be making the first “viral” survey? Imagine that…
Let’s simply embrace the future. Natural selection happens, but you aren’t going to see the laptop disappear anytime soon. You may see a bunch more tablets showing up under Christmas trees though.
Proprietary panels are a great solution for conducting CPG (consumer packaged goods) surveys whilst allowing for an easily controlled and manageable approach for testing: products and concepts, brand comparisons, loyalty program design, attitude and usage, advertising effectiveness and much more. Online digital panels are highly effective and a great way to survey your industry/market.
With FreshPanelsTM, Identifying the quality of your panel is easy by profiling against hundreds of data points. You can survey to the exact group of respondents and target a national representation of your country's demographics and have results in less than 24 hours. Fresh Intelligence’s team of panel managers are experts in the industry at designing, building and maintaining your panel’s health and integrity.
When it comes to the technical aspect of your panel, Fresh Intelligence will work with you to identify an approach to build a panel that will fit within your needs. Do you require an unbranded general population panel of surveyors? Possibly a branded panel of loyal users? How about a mix of both? We will help you identify your requirements and assist you in building depth into your panel.
Some businesses may believe it is better to evaluate their own options into hosting their own survey platform and panel. So, here are a few key considerations before attempting to manage your own online digital survey needs:
- Can your company take on the task of designing its own surveys and asking the right questions?
- Hosting survey software typically requires an ASP environment (ASP is a web application framework allowing programmers to build dynamic web related sites, applications and services).
- Programming on a light survey web model typically delivers limited capabilities for the price.
- Will your company be able to handle the technical aspect of survey management including scripting, quotas, redirects and recording ID’s?
- Will your company be able to properly analyse complex post survey results including the highly statistical nature of survey design? This includes properly collecting, analysing, interpreting/explaining and presenting the data captured?
Picking the right company can be a difficult task. Let Fresh Intelligence take away the stress associated with conducting highly complex, digital quantitative market research surveys. Allowing Fresh Intelligence to host your digital surveys allows you to focus on being cost effective while maximising ROI, capitalizing on brand or product awareness, and market penetration during the current global economic recession. During this time most businesses and industries worldwide need to really focus on actionable strategies. Owning your own panel delivers a cost effective approach to conducting online research. The cost in conducting an online digital survey is not in the design of the survey; it is in the incidence rate. Incidence rate is basically a cost per completed survey response based on the percentage of respondents who qualified for the study plus incentive. Owning your own panel drastically reduces the cost per complete because you are no longer reaching to 3rd party panel providers to poach their panellists.
FreshPanelsTM combined with Fresh Insights - is your full package survey solution. To learn more, please contact Fresh Intelligence today!
Web-based market research is extremely powerful; however, research companies which conduct national and global web-based research face a tremendous challenge in ensuring the integrity of the research and results. At Fresh Intelligence Research Corp. quality assurance is executed in a three tier system. As well, Fresh Intelligence has numerous technologies and processes which ensure the reliability of the data are accurate and trustworthy. Our desire to strive for continual innovation have resulted in us introducing yet more sophisticated methods to not only control the reliability of the data we collect but also the security of our clients’ valuable intellectual property. This is achieved using a technology called Digital Rights Management or DRM.
DRM can be defined as: “a system for protecting the copyrights of data circulated via the Internet or other digital media by enabling secure distribution and/or disabling illegal distribution of the data.”
A lot of time, effort and money are put into designing, writing, composing and developing brands, products, packaging and all manner of other intellectual property. Much of this is now shared, advertised and sold online but in many cases businesses wish to manage where, how and when this is done. Apple, Microsoft and Adobe and other similar companies have broader and bigger plans to manage their online investments via the power of DRM. For example, Apple limits how many home computers music can be share with (“Home Sharing”), some EBooks can only be read on a limited number of specific eBooks devices and some software is encoded to only work when connected to the software company’s server (to mention a few).
Now with web-based market research, often studies are conducted testing concepts, prototypes and ideas, with the general population. Often these ideas have only a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) attached to them which are not an ideal method for preventing the theft or disclosure of confidential product and brand concepts. Until now, the only way of preventing downloading or screen capturing is to hold a study in a controlled environment. This method is expensive and limits the ability to penetrate a national demographic representation as easily and timely as a web-based survey can guarantee.
Fresh Intelligence has worked hard to provide its clients with a viable solution to copy protecting their ideas within the web-based environment thereby providing the best of both worlds. Fresh intelligence’s method of protecting client ideas is via a highly sophisticated technology which prevents print screen, right clicking and screen recording software that is currently available on personal computers. Combined with a strong programming team of IT specialists, we are able to prevent the digital theft of sensitive information in a non-controlled environment on personal computers. This system is integrated into our survey platform and works with text, images and multimedia.
To learn more contact Jonathon Ware at the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Since Tim Berners-Lee invented the web in 1989 there has been extensive growth in technology, interactivity and the all-around ‘web experience’. The web has had major revolutions from browsers and ecommerce to blogging, social media and, most recently, web app(lication)s.
Unlike the applications many people use every day on their computers - of which Microsoft Office is the best example - web apps are accessed via a web browser and require no installation and no upgrading. The most common web apps are web mail services including Hotmail and Gmail but these represent only the beginning of what is possible in some cases sharing similar functionality to conventional applications. Mobile web apps take this a step further and bring the concept of web apps to iPhones, Blackberry's and other smart phones.
The web is not always the best interface but web apps can leverage its flexibility to aid web designers and developers in creating simplicity out of chaos. This is best illustrated by comparing a situation in which you are in a car, and you have decided to eat somewhere nearby. It is more work to Google your location, and search for best restaurants and hope that the top listings are actually good restaurants. Instead you could use the YELP web app and find reviews of the best local restaurants with little effort.
As market researchers, we are constantly developing new methodologies that can accurately identify human behaviour among the larger population. This is where digital location awareness comes into play which allows us to determine in real-time where customers are and - in some cases - what they are doing. What better time to ask someone a question than while they are engaged in the behaviour we are interested in? Imagine asking consumers if they noticed your product when they are at the supermarket. Imagine knowing how long your customers spend shopping and where. The possibilities for location-based market research are tremendous and increasing every day.
Developing the perfect fit between human beings, design, usability and interactivity is a continual process. The reality is that when people and technology evolve, the development and design have to follow suit. Currently, the focus is on developing web apps that allow users to perform tasks in an efficient and intuitive manner when and where they demand it. It is clear that timing is everything. Can we truly use web apps to reach everyone? There have been over 120 million Apple iPod Touch, IPhones and IPads sold to date and compatible browsers are available for the Blackberry and Android platforms who together dominate the market. This breadth allows web apps to reach the most mobile of consumers.
To benefit from the advantages of web apps, we invest ourselves in the brand, designing for the web with the brand in mind. I always try to envision how the digital representation of the brand translates to the individual. I look to create experiences with people and connect people with themselves through interactivity. What is great about Fresh Intelligence is we have a real hodgepodge workplace environment, where programmers sit with researchers. This configuration allows for the logic behind the question to refine itself through the logic behind the design.
In the ever evolving world the only constant is change. With time moving at the speed of light there are diverse movements in technology.
What you see in stores on the technology front was developed 5 years ago, and on the digital front, the web for instance; it has gone from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 to now Web 3.0 and HTML5. We are learning that people do not just want to browse the web, they want to do things on the web. People have a need for interactivity and are looking for small programs that perform certain tasks just for them (known also as Apps).
What we will find is Web 3.0 will bring about much more than just social networking. It will be about semantic web - personalization and intelligence. We all look for the simple solution, the answer that is the best answer, which is provided quickly and efficiently – little effort.
Will the change in online interactivity affect the direction of current online digital research? It will, immensely. Interactivity will generate stronger engagement and attitude towards digital surveys. As researchers and developers work together, we will be able to test new methods to acquire more insightful data and acquire deeper and hidden behaviours within the subconscious through simulation – via digital interactivity.
Watch this blog as I scour this technological world which constantly plays a huge part in our lives. As nothing is ever constant, so prepare yourself, for change.