Innovative Thinking

Mobile phone SMS polls

Mobile surveys allow the capture of public opinion on the move making it an excellent tool for time critical surveys. Our experience has shown that more than 50% of responses can be gained in just the first 2 hours. There are now more mobile phones in the UK than people and usage of SMS in excess of 70% of the population. Surveys have limitations and need to be short and designed to adapt to the smaller screens of mobile phones. By identifying the most appropriate opportunities and looking to use mobile in addition to other techniques, mobile research is an excellent addition to the research toolkit.

Eye tracker technology

Ipsos MORI's eye tracker technology tracks eye movements and records precisely where respondents are looking: it helps to pinpoint exactly what respondents see as opposed to what they think they see.  This means the process is observed and not influenced by an interviewer.  The results are usually delivered in the form of gaze plots which measure fixation duration, or heat maps, an aggregation of many individuals' viewing experience.

Online forums and focus groups

Online forums or bulletin boards are an excellent way of engaging participants to discuss current issues in more depth using online qualitative techniques.  These may take place over a few days or several months and can provide an excellent insight at a convenient time and leisurely pace.

Online focus groups are conducted in real-time and will usually last around 90 minutes to discuss a single or several issues.  This environment is particularly suited to the more IT literate audience and gives an excellent chance for the group to collaborate and co-create together.

Both online qualitative platforms can be branded and each group is moderated by our expert research team.  Participants are invited to join the group via email and a full range of moderator features ensure the experience is rich and engaging.

Research communities

There is increasing interest in building online research communities as research looks to adapt to the changing ways that the public are using the internet.  A client community is an online platform that offers the opportunity to bring together members with a common interest to both engage them and deliver research insights through interaction and co-creation.  Success of these communities is reliant on the participants remaining engaged and willing to contribute.  They also require close moderation by our research teams and benefits significantly from the support and input from our clients.