Smartphone Survey Research

Survey research is constantly evolving. Developers and researchers are always looking for new ways to generate responses from a representative sample, and have them glide through the survey with ease in order to gather the best data. One method that is becoming more and more common – and needs to evolve to keep up with the times – is that of survey research through smartphones.

These days, millions of men and women spend most of their Internet time on smartphones, rather than the traditional computer. They use their cell phones to check the Internet, check their emails, and simply waste time when they're bored at work or at home. When you send someone a survey to complete, your hope is that they fill out the survey when they have a few moments.

Not long ago, those "few moments" were spent sitting in front of a computer, surfing around the Internet. Now those few moments are spent on their smartphones, playing games, checking email, or continuing to surf the Internet.

This represents an opportunity for any business hoping to improve their response rate and reach customers that have long since abandoned checking their emails and completing research studies. Consider the iPhone, where a user can download an app and complete any survey as a panel user whenever a notification pops up. If these surveys pay, and the customer has some free time, the survey will be completed immediately and the customer will receive the valuable incentive.

There are a couple of issues with moving surveys onto smartphones. First there is the issue of panels – it may be more beneficial for panel companies, rather than survey software companies, to create survey apps in order to successfully manage a panel in a way that may not be possible through the software itself. Another issue is that of necessity – since most smartphones can access the web, it may not be necessary to target smartphone owners directly.

They can take the survey online using their Internet programs rather than depend on any type of "for-smartphone" software. Regardless of the future of this industry, it's clear that smartphones are changing the way people take surveys, and potentially for the better. The greater accessibility and way that people use their smartphones allows more and more individuals to complete online surveys and ultimately provide you with more data for your research.