NEWS1 June 2012
US— Significant numbers of respondents are reporting issues when trying to use smartphones and tablet devices to take part in online research, according to a study by EasyInsites and Cint.
Research presented at the Casro Technology Conference in New York found that anywhere between 7% and 20% of respondents in the UK, US, France, Sweden and Australia are trying to take surveys or join online panels using their smartphones or tablets.
But of these, around 54% of smartphone users and 45% of tablet users encounter problems – compared to just 20% of respondents who only use computers and laptops.
The results echo some of the findings of this year’s Annual MR Software Survey, which saw research companies making little effort to accommodate mobile platforms. Software survey author and Meaning MD Tim Macer said: “Taking a conventional web survey on a mobile device without optimising it for mobile delivery is like trying to thread a needle in the dark. Yet this is the experience that awaits most mobile survey-takers today.
“We asked research firms what approach they took with mobiles when designing online surveys. Currently, just a tiny minority make any adjustments and most, it seems, simply hope for the best. Without attention, this trend will drive down response rates.”