There is sometimes no better way to get the feedback from consumers than getting people together in the same room and asking what they think direct. Groups are generally held in a central location (most often a specialist facility or a hotel) and they usually comprise of between 5-10 people. Group discussions are very popular and people really enjoy them. They are very social and clients often provide refreshments to make the experience more comfortable. As a group, you might be asked about your perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Groups generally last between 90 minutes and 3 hours and the incentive payment on offer will vary dependent on what is involved, but they usually range from £50-£80.
Usability testing is a way to see how easy to use something is. Our clients often require individuals to test out a new website, video game, mobile or tablet app, etc. You would be asked to complete tasks, typically while being observed by a researcher, to see what you think and find out if anything needs improving to make it easier to use. These sessions are relatively short in length: 1-2 hours, and almost always take place in a user test facility, although occasionally they may take place in your home. You can expect an incentive payment of anywhere from £40 to £80.
For game testing projects, you can expect £50-£60 for a 1-2 hour session and for a week-long test this can be as high as £400. These are really popular as it involves testing yet to be released video games, before anyone else.
Unlike the group discussion, a one to one session happens between 2 people - you and the researcher. This type of research is used if a client needs detailed feedback from you with no influence or distraction from others during the session. These tend to be shorter in length and will typically last between 45 and 90 minutes. They might take place in a central location (specialist facility or hotel) or at your home. Incentive payments usually start at £50 but they can increase up to £80 or even £100 depending on what is involved. These sessions usually take place throughout the daytime and early evening so you can expect to have a lot of choice over the time that best suits you.
Sometimes our client might like to learn more about you and the products you use in your everyday life. The only way to truly understand this is to visit you at home where you are most comfortable. In-home sessions are very popular as you don't need to go anywhere to take part - the researcher comes to you. These sessions can vary in length from 1 to 3 hours, and sometimes longer, and as such the incentive payments can range from £40 to £100+ depending on how long they want to see you for.
This is probably the most popular of all research methods simply because it is open to anyone, anywhere and you don't have to travel - it takes place from home or work, in your time. All you need is access to the internet and a computer. The duration of an online community can vary greatly, sometimes they're fairly brief, e.g. 3 days, sometimes a week, sometimes 2 weeks. You would be set various tasks to complete during your time on the project and asked to submit your feedback as you go. Sometimes you will be required to upload media, such as pictures, short video clips, etc. but you will always know up front what to expect. Incentive payments for these projects usually start at around £50 but can go much higher to £150 or more. As you will not be physically seeing anyone, payments will be processed electronically, via bank transfer or PayPal.
Some research will take place via telephone. Similar to a face-to-face interview, telephone interviews involve you and a researcher talking in-depth about the subject matter. Usually these last up to 1 hour and the incentive on offer usually range from £40-£50, sometimes more. Incentives are paid remotely via bank transfer, PayPal or by voucher, e.g. Amazon.
This type of session involves you and a researcher going shopping together! Well, there's a little more to it than that but usually you and the researcher might start the session at the shop and you will be asked to just act as normal as possible and go about purchasing products as you would on any shopping trip. The researcher will mostly observe your behaviour but will of course be conversational throughout. This allows the researcher to gain valuable insight into purchasing behaviour of the consumer. Sometimes you might finish the interview at your home or perhaps a local coffee shop, where you can discuss the session more at length. Typically, you might expect to receive £50 for an hour long session, increasing to £80 or more, depending on the exact length and level of involvement.
This is an opportunity for you and your friends/family to all take part in research together. Whereas ordinarily, research participants that take part in a group are unknown to each other, for this methodology it is the familiarity and close relationships that make these sessions work. Like standard focus groups, you would usually be required to all be available together for 1-2 hours and would expect to each receive an incentive of £50. Group size can be anywhere from a simple pair to 3, 4 or 6, but usually it's just the 4. These are very popular and are usually great fun.