Posted on Wed, Aug 25, 2010
A recent research study by Nielsen reveals that Oklahomans are among the nation's top texters.
Oklahomans, on average, send more than 600 text messages each month as do people in Kansas, Wyoming, Utah, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Those least likely to text live in Vermont, South Carolina and Idaho.
Hey parents, guess how many texts our teenagers send? Teenagers send an average of 2,779 texts a month. I just did the math - that equates to 90 a day.
Here's the link to the press release from Nielsen - there are lots more interesting facts there.
I'm off to confiscate my son's phone.
Posted on Mon, Aug 23, 2010
Occasionally research results are disputed - especially if data portrays a brand in a negative light. It's natural - especially if the results contradict perception.
However, well-designed research speaks for itself allowing the organization to accept the facts and act upon the data. It's our job as researchers to demonstrate the reliability of the facts and implications of the information.
Unfortunately for Kelkoo and the Center for Retail Research, their recent mystery shopping research has come under fire from a featured organization, Heathrow Airport, according to an article published today on researchlive.com.
The study was designed to compare tax-free shopping prices over several airports in Europe. The conclusion stated Heathrow offered the worst discounts on the continent.
Naturally, Heathrow Airport is unhappy with the results - not simply because they reportedly lost the best-discount-battle, but because the research is inaccurate.
According to Heathrow Airport, the survey used an incorrect exchange rate to calculate and compare savings. Even more confusing, a spokesperson for Heathrow said the report "includes products that Heathrow doesn't even sell."
We don't have enough information to make our own conclusion, but if Heathrow Airport is right then Kelkoo has some 'splainin' to do. An international mystery shopping project isn't cheap - and a challenge like this throws the whole project in jeopardy...and it hurts the research industry as a whole.
To allow us to sleep soundly tonight, we're going to hope that it's all a misunderstanding. We'll keep you posted.
Posted on Thu, Aug 19, 2010
At Evolve, one of our software staples is an awesome application called SPSS - it's for statistical analysis and it satisfies our inner nerd.
Today I wanted to find out how much the latest version of the software costs and if the price was right I'd purchase it online.
In today's video you can see how the website made it very difficult for me to buy the product. My core goal was 100% based on finding that price which turned out to be an impossible task.
Since I couldn't find pricing details, I got frustrated and decided to go off and do something else - which is very typical of most Internet users.
Website usabilty is all about delivering on user expectations. Most users expect this from a software vendor's website:
- Find product information
- Find pricing information
- Purchase and download online - immediately
Although I have a feeling the SPSS website is going through a bit of a change at the moment, the lack of delivering on what I expected (and making the simplest of things very difficult for me) lost them a sale of some expensive software.
Watch the 2.5 minute video and see where they went wrong (and then check against your website - yours doesn't do this, does it?)
Posted on Tue, Aug 17, 2010
We really like the Help features in Office 2008 for Mac.
Most help functions within an application typically open a seperate window and act as a reference resource telling you how to achieve whatever it is you wish to do. Office 2008 for Mac does something a little different. It shows you where to find what you're looking for - all within the window you're working in.
Why can't any other programs incorporate this useful tool regardless of platform?
EDIT: Wow, I feel like a Mac n00b (which is exactly what I am) - apparently this help functionlity is integrated into many programs on Mac. Firefox, Illustrator, iPhoto - all there.
I would LOVE to see this on Windows. Come on, Microsoft, I know you can do it. You made the awesome Windows 7 after all...
Posted on Thu, Aug 05, 2010
Volkswagen Group's insight manager, Steve Gatt, berated many research firms for their focus on process and not product in an interview with Research Live this week.
According to Steve, there is a major problem with how research is reported and communicated within Volkswagen, leading him to conclude many research firms do not understand their clients.
As research professionals you might expect Evolve to rush to the defense of our accused brethren...but we're not. In fact, we sympathize with Steve Gatt and his friends at Volkswagen.
Yes, research can be dressed in complex analyses, mountains of tables and charts and scientific explanations of sampling methodology in a 150-page report...but, that is rarely what the client wants from his or her research investment.
Most people don’t have the time, nor desire, to read huge, wordy reports. Neither do their staff. They need an easy-to-use deliverable that contains the answers to their questions. Answers that will help them make important business decisions.
Ultimately, the way research should be reported is dependent upon each client. It's depressing to watch Steve's interview as it's clear that some firms are not a) asking their clients what they truly want from the research, and b) not delivering the research in a way it can be implemented.
Of course, Evolve is different. As our name suggests, we adapt our deliverable to each client. Each client of ours is different, which means that each project has a unique report. Some clients want us to spend a couple of weeks putting together a detailed PowerPoint presentation of results and conclusions. Others prefer a one-page executive summary and a working lunch a few days after fieldwork has ended.
It's all about giving the client what they need to move forward.
Listen all ye research firms. Our clients, our customers, our bread and butter - they invest in us. In return, we need to innovate (not replicate) and guide our customers to make the best decisions for their businesses.
Posted on Mon, Jul 26, 2010
Ever since the iPhone debuted in 2007, AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States. Since day one, news articles, tech blog posts and user forms have praised the phone while bashing the network. Seeing all of this negativity towards AT&T over the years, it would be easy to assume that most, if not all iPhone users were dissatisfied with AT&T. However, new survey results from Yankee Group tell a different story.
According to the Yankee Group’s research, 73% of iPhone customers rated AT&T an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point satisfaction scale. Surprisingly, iPhone customers are actually more likely to give AT&T a high satisfaction rating than AT&T subscribers who own other devices. So what gives? Are all of these complaints written by a loud minority of users while the majority of users are happy but silent?
The conclusion that the Yankee Group drew from the research is that the iPhone has produced a “halo effect” for its users, where the satisfaction with the device masks the imperfections of the network. In other words, most iPhone customers are so satisfied with the device that they either forgive AT&T’s deficiencies or ignore them altogether.
This satisfaction has also resulted in very high brand loyalty, with 77% of current iPhone users saying they will buy another iPhone. On the flip side, only 20% of Android users say they will purchase another Android device.
Posted on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
While Facebook may be the largest and most popular social networking site, users are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the service. According to the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index, Facebook scored a 64 out of 100 on their user satisfaction scale, placing it in the bottom 5% of all private sector companies. To put this into perspective, the IRS website to electronically file your taxes scored higher.
Respondents offered several reasons for being dissatisfied with Facebook. Users:
- Are concerned about privacy
- Have expressed frustration over constant changes to the website
- Dislike the targeted advertising, and
- Are becoming annoyed with frequent notifications
Being a usability nerd, the constant changes to the website have been my biggest pet peeve. It seems like every other month Facebook drastically changes the layout and users have to relearn how to use and navigate the site.
This poses a long term threat to Facebook because right now users are staying because they don’t have a better alternative. That could change though as Google is rumored to be working on a social networking site to rival Facebook and another group, Diaspora, are spending this summer coding an open-source version. If they are successful in creating a platform for users to keep in touch the way Facebook does but in a more secure and user-friendly format, then we may see Facebook dethroned as the king of the social networking world.
Posted on Fri, Jul 09, 2010
Great marketing has a strong foundation in research. World Cup-worthy research revolves around those with whom you speak. That's why, when conducting any research project, you need to think long and hard about not only who you need to speak to, but how you go about identifying the right people to take your survey in the first place.
That's where screening questions come in handy. They are an essential part of every single research engagement. Quite simply put, screeners are questions that determine whether an individual qualifies for a certain study. More often than not, the screener ensures that the respondent matches the profile of your target audience.
Sometimes screening questions are simple and straightforward - e.g. matching the demographics of your customers. Sometimes they require a little extra thought.
For example, say if you're Best Buy and you want to talk to customers about their satisfaction with the Geek Squad Black Tie technical support program, you obviously only want to talk to customers who subscribe to that support service. "Can I just confirm, you have Geek Squad's Black Tie technical support?" is a logical question but in reality many customers may not know the name of the serivce. Therefore, they will say no or don't know and eject themselves from the research.
So, a bit of creative thinking is needed. While a customer may not remember black tie, they are more likely to remember the cost of the subscription and/or what it generally covers. So, including a price point and a short description of the product is more likely to ensure that not only are you speaking to qualified customers, but also not causing customers to unwittingly dismiss themselves from the research study.
To help you build the perfect screening questions, consider the following:
- Will respondents know exactly what your qualifying terminology means? If not - spell it out.
- Don't assume respondents can remember everything - you may have to jog their memory.
- If you are recruiting from any kind of list, do not assume that the list is 100% up to date - confirm things you think you already know.
- Are you having a really hard time getting hold of the right people? Perhaps your screening criteria are too tight...can you loosen them?
- Is it really easy to qualify people to particiapate in your research? Perhaps you don't have enough screening criteria in place - tighten them up.
Ultimately, spend time really thinking hard about your screening questions. And I mean really hard. After all, making the right decision is 100% based upon talking to the right people.
Posted on Fri, Jul 02, 2010
This blog post is based on my personal opinion.
Last week we finally pulled the trigger and switched our main computers over to Apple. Despite me personally being extremely happy with my shiny new MacBook Pro, I actually view Apple more negatively than I did before.
Harware good. Store staff bad.
I've always heard good things about Apple Store employees - they're so knowledgeable, right? They really know their product, yeah? Well, apparently not so much at our local Apple store.
We researched our product (we're researchers!) over a period of several months. We new exactly what we wanted and what software we needed. We had the money in our pocket and we just wanted to be in and out and getting on with client work. But Apple, on the other hand, thought we were chumps.
- Store wasn't overly busy, but we had to wait 20 minutes for someone who "knew about computers" to see us.
- Met with the business manager - who greeted us with a handshake (which was a good move) but then offloaded us to his very young business specialist.
- Business specialist had never worked in a business. Oh dear.
- To be quite honest, and pardon my French, the business specialist treated me like a dumb ass. I HATE that. I know Macs are different from PCs, but for a computer that you keep telling me is so easy to use, why are you spending 30 minutes explaining the most inane things to me?
- Business specialist showed me a terrible demo, but then couldn't figure out how to stop it. Somewhere in the Apple Store there is a poor Mac with 2 million windows open.
- Business specialist told me I didn't need Microsoft Office. He told me I should send videos of our PowerPoint presentations to our clients. Oh, Apple Employee, now you are telling me how to run my business. So not happy with you.
- Business specialist quoted us the wrong prices on items...so when we go to pay, each item in question is $100 more.
- Despite our protests and concerns, another employee told us we only need to purchase one copy of Office, becuase it is legally licensed for 2 computers. FAIL. It's not. Now I need to uninstall all our software and return to the store to chew you out and get a refund.
- When I return to the store one Apple employee is talking to another. I say "excuse me" and I'm greeted with a hand to the face. Oh no she didn't. Oh yes she did.
We did get our issues resolved, and we did speak to an apologetic manager but the damage is done and it's irreversable. I have now personally seperated the immaculate Apple brand into 2 categories - Apple the product and Apple the service. Apple the service is rotten.
I will never go to the Apple Store to buy anything again. Ever. I no longer see Apple employee's as experts - they're just pretentious kids who think they know everything. While many customers may not know anything about computers or Macs, some do. And for those that do I'd advise you to buy your computer online.