The Challenge
Liveminds worked with a leading research agency to carry out an exciting project on behalf of a global technology giant. The aim of the project was to understand usage and attitudes towards mobile technology as well as to test a new app. It was essential that the project delivered considered and in-depth responses from consumers about their current devices - how, why and when they used them - as well as how they felt about using the app.
The Solution
Our client designed a two-stage approach to the research, using the Liveminds platform to facilitate an online forum lasting two weeks before running face-to-face group discussions with the online participants. The research took place in London and Manchester with 18 people taking part.
Online Diary
Participants were set a number of tasks during the online forum, such as using the Liveminds mobile app to keep a daily technology diary describing their use of, and experiences with, a range of digital devices. The client’s app testing phase was set up as a web only task so that people could use the app on one device and feedback their experiences simultaneously via a different device. This could have been achieved by flipping between the test app and the Liveminds app on the same device. The online platform ensured researchers could engage with participants in the different locations simultaneously.
Face-to-face Groups
In addition to providing important input to the research, getting to know participants ahead of the face-to-face group discussions made the sessions more efficient and productive as they arrived warmed up, already familiar with the topic and researcher.
The Results
The online forum gave researchers a window into participants’ tech lives in a way that traditional, offline research could not. The instant responses via the Liveminds mobile app allowed researchers to be with participants every step of the way, accessing live usage as they uploaded screenshots as part of their technology diary. This photo and video content provided vivid outputs for the client, really bringing the research to life. When it came to testing the client's app, giving participants the ability to simultaneously use the app and feedback on it meant nothing was overlooked or forgotten.
As a result of using the Liveminds platform researchers were able to approach the face-to-face group sessions armed with a wealth of information. This helped them to use the sessions strategically, explore lucrative areas of interest and test early hypotheses. The research agency was extremely happy with the online stage of research and felt the discussion groups were more insightful as a result, producing more valuable and actionable results for the end client.
