Hi all,

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to share initiatives we all take within our companies to optimize the experience and quality for participants and data. At InSites we try to be as creative as possible in this and I'm planning to share the ideas on the Research Voice platform so everyone can see if they can use something. Feel free to drop me a mail if you have questions or start a discussion on the platform.

First one was just recently launched ... The Watsons.

In a continuous process of striving for quality, InSites Consulting set up a program to create better surveys called the Watsons. Who are the Watsons? They are members of the TalkToChange Community (www.talktochange.com) who are involved in the process of quality control of surveys. This group of members screens surveys before they are released for fieldwork.

How does it work?
Once the survey is programmed and translated, native speakers from the Watsons group complete the survey as if they were a normal participant. They give feedback on formulation of questions, missing or irrelevant answer possibilities, translations, technical interruptions, etc.

An easy feedback system was set-up, sending all remarks immediately to the responsible within the project, being the consultant or the IT person involved. Each comment is evaluated by the person involved. This evaluation gives them a qualification of the Watson and his feedback. Once the Watson feedback is gathered, changes are made and the project is launched.

The format and flow of the feedback procedure was defined in cooperation with the members. To get to the optimal flow, additional surveys and online discussion groups were set up on this procedure.

Quality initiatives at InSites Consulting
InSites Consulting is always looking to optimize the experience of its participants and involving the community is part of the connected philosophy. Last year InSites launched the TalkToChange Lab in which members are asked to give feedback on new tools that are developed to implement in online surveys. The co-creation of surveys and tools with ‘real participants’ is crucial, as clients and research agencies might be biased due to their involvement.