For the first time in the US, mobile surveys surpass desktop. Here is what the numbers actually mean for the future of research.
Sharing the “mobile is here” public service announcement in 2019 feels a bit like informing you that “smoking kills,” “media habits are changing” or “the earth is round.” It’s well covered territory.
But At PureSpectrum, we noticed that in a marketplace of panels and research surveys of all shapes and sizes, for the first time in the US, there were more completed interviews recorded on mobile devices than on desktop. The case for early adopters draws a direct parallel, how the same pattern played out with internet adoption, and why researchers who embrace mobile-first design early capture better data quality than those who wait for the trend to be undeniable. 3 things to make your survey more attractive to real respondents covers the design implications of that shift, specifically how LOI, question format, and screener structure need to adapt when the majority of respondents are completing surveys on small screens. The case for early adopters draws a direct parallel, how the same pattern played out with internet adoption, and why researchers who embrace mobile-first design early capture better data quality than those who wait for the trend to be undeniable. 3 things to make your survey more attractive to real respondents covers the design implications of that shift, specifically how LOI, question format, and screener structure need to adapt when the majority of respondents are completing surveys on small screens.
At the beginning of the decade, conference presentations started to highlight the mobile trend. Mobile-based survey sessions were doubling from 5 percent to 10 percent in a single year, and we were warned of the impact this trend would have on research. Survey methodology: what you need to know to write great surveys covers how methodology selection has had to evolve alongside this shift, including how question types, grid formats, and multi-punch questions behave differently on mobile and what researchers should adjust accordingly. And now, as we close out the decade, mobile jumps past desktop, making up 56 percent of average daily interviews.
In honor of the torch passing, PureSpectrum’s Vice President of Analytics and Data Science, Sushma Vasudevan, will dig past the headline figure to examine the impacts of the rise on respondent pool growth, demographic availability, conversion and quality rates.
PureSpectrum is a rapidly growing research automation platform based in California. The company was founded in 2015 by industry veterans who knew there was a better way to sample. We are committed to providing our clients with technology and support to maximize quality, ease of use and speed to insights.