Beyond mobile data capture: can we create a mobile platform to analyse data?

by Jasper Lim

Beyond mobile data capture: can we create a mobile platform to analyse data?

I remember at the 2010 Market Research in the Mobile World conference in Berlin last year, Frank-Thomas Naether, the Managing Director of NMRC mentioned to me that mobile devices are going to be more and more central in everyone's life. There are many tools available in the market that offer many possibilities to researchers. Like other mobile research experts, he reiterated that mobile research is about 'capturing the moment'.

You can see why I am bolding the word 'capturing' in the previous sentence. For the time being, most mobile research studies capture quantitative data by means of a mobile 'survey' or collect qualitative data using mobile ethnography techniques. Some sophisticated mobile platforms may also include location and barcode capabilities as well. The data collected is then analyse manually or transferred to third-party software for analysis. Many researchers make use of SPSS for analysing quantitative data or ATLAS.ti for analysing qualitative data.

I think the time has come where we need to look beyond just data capture. We need a mobile platform that can both capture and analyse data in real-time. That will really create exceptional value for researchers. In the embedded video below, Siamack Salari who is the Founder of EverydayLives talks about his vision of a new mobile research platform.

At the upcoming conference on Market Research in the Mobile World on 19 & 20 July in Atlanta, Siamack will be part of the expert roundtable panel on Strategic Foresight. He will share with you his visions how the market research industry will look like in 5 years and beyond. Don't miss this opportunity to interact with Siamack at this conference!

Siamack is a pioneering video ethnographer first applying his techniques in J Walter Thomson's planning department during mid 1990's. In 2000 he established EverydayLives in London and, with team, has worked for FT 500 companies in over 23 countries. Siamack is also a visiting lecturer at both London Business School and Oxford University SAID business school.