aliza pollack and zöe dowling main stage - 2012

Aliza Pollack & Zöe Dowling, Added Value, USA Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage - Session 5

A Presenta*on from The Fes*val of NewMR – Main Stage

5 December 2012 Promise and perils: qualitative research in our

connected, mobile world

All copyright owned by The Future Place and the presenters of the material For more informa:on about NewMR events visit NewMR.org

Aliza Pollack Added Value

Zöe Dowling Added Value


Promise and perils: qualitative research in our connected, mobile world

Aliza Pollack Zoë Dowling


Why did we start exploring this?


We want to meet people where they are

But we can’t be with them all the time

And, talking about experiences changes the dynamic

We are missing some details


So let’s leverage the range of smartphone capabilities that people are already using

video

photographs voice

geo-location Barcode scans

Push notifications

text notes

check-ins


The Promise: Is mobile the holy grail of consumer-generated ethnography?

Get closer to mobile lifestyles, hard to reach targets and real situations

We can access immediate reactions in consumers’ natural environment

And, collect data in ways that are unobtrusive yet engaging for participants


In one study, we undertook a pilot using the mobile qual research app EthOS.

Our hypothetical case study used the premise that a car rental company wanted a deeper understanding of their consumers’ journey while hiring a vehicle with them.

Tasks (pre, during and post rental) were created and… well…

We’ve conducted a variety of studies, across app-technology, category, geography and target


We are really looking for comfort... Clean inside. You want it to be clean and fresh, and thinking like you are the only person using this car.

So we picked up the vehicle. We got a Dodge-something. One thing about it, it is not very clean. It is a little bit grubby.

We are going on a road trip. We are travelling from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon.

A couple of things with the car... We are noticing that the brakes aren’t as sharp as they should be. We also noticed that it popped up saying it needs an oil change

We did the Grand Canyon on Day 3, which was amazing. On Day 4, we drove from Williams to the Hover Dam. That was pretty amazing as well.


To view the video, go to: www.added-value.com/source


But this brings us to the perils…


Hours of researcher prep Multiple meetings to design exercises

Story-drafting, storyboarding

Refine tasks and draft task booklet

Multiple hours of participation Infringe on vacation

Voice memo transcription

Analysis, data immersion

Video production, revisions

The creation of this output took a LOT of work


We are only half the equation We need consumers to take us on a journey

And give us the whole story


In another study, conducted earlier this year amongst teen trendsetters, we found many of the outputs were fairly average S T A N D A R D


I N T E R E S T I N G

But… we got some ‘accidental’ footage of a framed photo of Tupac Shakur What does a young Persian guy, from an affluent neighborhood in LA, see in Tupac? Without the ability to probe (at that time impossible via the research app), we weren’t able to dive deeper into what we saw

Picture Source: hBp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/


Mobile is a tool Getting the most out if it is about putting the most in


While each project is customized, these broad steps must be followed It is essential to take the participant journey into consideration - keeping it streamlined so they go from feeling it’s fun, to being involved, to committed.


All that work. Why bother? Because mobile gives you access in fresh, meaningful ways


Video: immersive aural and visual content Personal, authentic view into the consumers world



Photo: ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ Visually rich stories capturing that moment in time

Random Photo – not seen this before, definitely away from LA!




Audio: intimate, expressive and in-depth Conveying emotion & personality beyond the words




Audio: intimate, expressive and in-depth Conveying emotion & personality beyond the words with rich detail





Notes: ‘low tech’ yet invaluable Unobtrusive recording of key moments of truth

with rich detail





Notes: ‘low tech’ yet invaluable Unobtrusive recording of key moments of truth

Geo-location: pin-pointing the scene Broad to detailed location information

with rich detail


Going back to our car rental pilot, mobile provided continuous and intimate access to the experience

Insight: Renting a car offers the ‘illusion’ of ownership, easily punctured. Car renters tell themselves a story that this car has only been driven by them to mitigate how creepy it might be that hundreds, if not thousands, have been in this car. Reco’s: Car rental company needs to work harder to keep the story alive. Not just about hygiene, about transporting.


Dedicated apps are just the start Mobile can be used in many creative ways


Social sharing, liking and pinning are normal activities Dedicated apps offer easy integration of both online and participants’ own pictures to be uploaded on their device of choice


But always with a purpose


To best use mobile qualitative, we need to be able conductors

We still need to flex our research muscles to forage, make meaning and tell stories

Mine it Capture the right data Turn it into actionable insights

Picture Source: www.laphil.com


To make it work for you: Get in touch with your inner control freak


Thank you




Q & A

Leonard Murphy Greenbook




Thank you

Aliza Pollack [email protected]

Zöe Dowling [email protected] @zoedowling Read Added Value’s blog www.added-value.com/source Follow Added Value tweets @AddedValueGroup @AddedValueUS

aliza pollack and zöe dowling main stage - 2012

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aliza pollack ze dowling

usa festival of newmr

main stage session

mobile lifestyles

qualitative research

mobile qual research

car rental company

grand canyon