QRCA Views Magazine, Spring 2016

36 / 62

36 QRCA VIEWS SPRING 2016
The research territory around the
smartphone and tablets is called mobile
research. Mobile research allows us to
experience our targets’ lives in 3-D. We
are “with them” as they share their expe-
riences. In other words, mobile research
is an effective way to get windows into
our targets’ world as our research tasks
are being done. And when we provide
this perspective for clients, in-context
learning leads to powerful product and
service insights and ideation.
Going There Without Being There
Every research method has its
strengths and its weaknesses. Mobile is
great for helping our clients actually “be
there” with participants without the
intrusion and impact of being with them
during more private moments.
Yet, when we get “in-the-moment”
photos/videos or even recorded audio
notes, we may not get an explanation of
the context of that moment. This is often
the trickiest part with mobile. Consumers
are willing to share it all but are not
always so good at telling us reasons for
certain actions or behaviors after they’ve
posted great photos/videos/audio for a
mobile study.
Deciding on the right research tool for
your client’s objectives is always the most
important consideration. Within mobile
research, we need to select the best plat-
form given the tasks needed to address
our objectives.
One Version of Mobile Qualitative:
Multiple Points of Question Access
Mobile access allows an online bulletin
board/community participant to log in
and complete certain or all activities
from a tablet or smartphone, although
exercises can often be completed from a
computer as well. Think of this as one
tool with two points of access (mobile
and personal computer).
A platform with multiple points of
access allows the participants to work in
a way that is most comfortable for them;
it gives them options. And sometimes it’s
needed: consider the case if you are
reviewing concept statements or discuss-
ing past behaviors via a webcam-enabled
response and a mobile point-of-access
that asks the participant to upload a pic-
ture or video taken when shopping.
Multiple access points create a rich dia-
logue for more in-depth study objectives.
Yet, in my experience, turning the
mobile-access feature on for an online bul-
letin board or community platform
requires the consumer to switch mindsets.
This often results in hard-to-receive or
incomplete video files. In short, it can be
confusing to the participants. I often see
that they upload video from their computer
versus the mobile-access point to make
sure they’ve “really” answered the question.
Another Version of Mobile Qualitative:
A Stand-Alone Mobile Research App Often
Provides Better In-Context Responses
A mobile access point that is only a
mobile app provides a truly mobile experi-
ence for respondents—no scrolling, every-
thing is optimized for the smaller screen
and no toggling back and forth from PC
to smartphone/tablet. Most importantly,
we’re not asking participants to change
their behaviors across points-of-access.
Because they have only one access point
for answering all questions, there is less
confusion. Mobile-only studies ask the
consumer to continually photograph,
video or talk to “it”—almost in a stream of
consciousness way. Context is seamlessly
woven into their responses.
A good app will also allow the
researcher to ask a series of follow-up
questions directly through it, so consum-
ers can answer quickly. Several new qual-
itative mobile apps allow for follow-up
email probes.
n TOOLBOX n
As a qualitative researcher who works a lot with kids,
teens, and their parents, I see that smartphones and
tablets are a very important part of the way in which
they communicate. You might say smartphones are a
third arm for many in our world.
TAKING IN-THE-MOMENT INTO IN-CONTEXT LEARNING
MOBILE SCHMOBILE:
By Pam Goldfarb Liss
n President/Big Brain
n LitBrains
n Nyack, NY
n