MSTS Goes On-line for Product Testing

As part of our commitment to providing our clients with faster and better research, MSTS has taken the bold step of introducing online research to its hall testing of products.

Essentially, we have installed touch screen computers in two of our most used hall testing locations (in Horsham and Doncaster). Rather than respondents completing paper questionnaires, they participate in surveys using the questionnaire on-screen, This means that the respondents just touch the relevant answer on the screen.

We are currently in the process of building a consumer panel around both locations, and are targeting a panel of 2,000 respondents in each area.

We see the benefits of this approach as being:

Faster – no paper questionnaires, so less coding and data entry are needed

Environmental – we estimate that we will use at least 500,000 fewer sheets of paper per annum

More control – we can filter and check the data as we go along

No missing data – respondents have to complete each question before moving through the test

No loss of ended responses – we ask respondents to write their responses directly onto the screen and we use handwriting recognition software to interpret it

No keyboard or mouse – respondents do not need to be computer literate, and there is no danger of spilling food and drink onto the equipment

Easier to find respondents – we are building panels of approximately 2,000 respondents in each area, and will be able to re-use them for products tests  - both in hall and in-home. We will also have information on their demographics and eligibility for studies)

Of course, you may have some questions about the new methods, and we have tried to answer some of the frequently asked ones here:

Will the data be different?

We see no reason why the results should be any different and, in fact, as part of our trials we replicated a previous test that we had conducted on paper and the results were very similar. The overall method we are using is very similar to the previous way (i.e. self completion), we are just collecting the data electronically.

How much faster will it be?

Although MSTS is renowned for speed of delivery, we expect to be able to shave an average of two days off the timescale for the reporting of projects. In most cases, we will be able to provide the topline story on the day after fieldwork.

Are the respondents going to be used too often?

We are adopting strict usage rules to make sure we are not over-using the respondents, and they do not become 'professional'. We will only use them a maximum of once every two months, and will allow longer within the same product sector.

Are the respondents happier?

We have invited both fresh/new respondents and those who have previously taken part in product tests to our trials of the new system, and the feedback has been extremely positive about the experience (and compared to using paper questionnaires). In fact, when we asked the questions “Did you find it interesting” and “enjoyable” 85% of respondents answered either Very or Fairly to both.

Watch the On-line Movie

If you would like to see a demonstration of how it works, please click here to watch the movie.  The movie is best viewed using Windows Media Player which will start automatically when the link is clicked. If you don't have a copy of Windows Media Player, click here to download your free copy.

If you would like to see a personal demonstration or have any questions, please ask your normal MSTS contact or get in touch with one of the MSTS directors:

Jerry Thomas                jerry@msts.co.uk

Yvonne Taylor               yvonne@msts.co.uk

Grant Montague            grant@msts.co.uk

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