Insight Integrity Archives

Smarter Strategies, Better Experiences: What We’ve Learned

DWG Admin on May 8, 2025

Welcome back to the final blog of our Challenging the Status Qual series, where we delve into L&E’s journey to enhance participant experiences in research. In the previous blog, we dug deep into how participation in research can become a meaningful activity rather than just another task. Now let’s look back at the insights from our study, explore how L&E is acting on this feedback, and share practical tips to elevate participant experiences across the industry.

Respect, Rewards, and Results: Engaging Research Participants

Understanding the motivations and barriers of qualitative research participants is key to designing an experience that will not only deliver valuable insights, but also foster engagement and fulfilment.

People enjoy being part of a something larger. It is clear from our study that the opportunity to share opinions is rewarding, especially when participants see how their input is used. This remains true even when the primary incentive is monetary compensation – many take pride in their contribution, find the process interesting, and value making an impact. One participant shared, “I enjoy being part of the process… Hopefully, some of the things that we talk about do provide some value”.

However, a common frustration is having to fill out long, rigorous screeners that ultimately disqualify them. This makes them feel rejected or used for ‘data mining’. Respecting their time by informing them promptly when they don’t quality, ensuring transparency on the process, and sending clear, targeted invitations are key. One participant states that L&E’s approach was preferable because “efficiency is a big thing with you guys, making it user-friendly to go from the email process to getting booked.”

It is no surprise compensation emerged as a top solution to improve experience. Participants are interested in gamified reward points they can accumulate for gift cards, as well as opportunities for shorter, paid surveys with no qualification screener – even when compensation is lower. These are adjustments that would make research participation more attractive and gratifying.

Best Practices for Suppliers and Researchers

Having heard participant feedback, we identified the best practices for researchers and sample recruitment suppliers looking to get better engagement and reduce participant frustration. Sample recruitment suppliers can consider these best practices to ensure participants feel their time is valued and improve their experience:

Leverage dynamic technology and smart technology and smart techniques to target participants, as well as using demographic datapoint tracking to improve acceptance rates and reduce disqualification.
Streamline all opportunities into a central member portal.
Clearly communicate expectations.
Offer rewards for screener attempts, even when they get rejected to ease frustrations around screens – a major point for many.
Referral incentives can also help your member base.

For researchers, keeping in mind these strategies can significantly enhance participant experiences and reduce frustration:

Be mindful when designing screeners: respect participants’ time by keeping it short, and only ask what is necessary.
Notify Participants promptly if they are disqualified and consider collecting profile information through a check-in activity or during the session, rather than at the screener to best prioritise their time.
Participants take pride in their contribution, so sharing research results, when possible, helps keep them invested in being part of the research.
Keeping discussions lively during activities is essential to maintain their interest.
Avoid further taking up your participants’ time by changing details that will affect and confuse things.

From Feedback to Action: Driving Participant Satisfaction at L&E

At L&E, we’re actively addressing this feedback to optimise our member engagement. Our team has been busy improving the user experience on our member portal: making finding and doing screeners more accessible, improving the survey experience, and simplifying the login process. We are also in the process of developing our mobile app, intended to enhance communication, especially with younger people, through notifications rather than email.

Gamification is now embedded in our process, allowing members to earn points and badges, translating to monetary rewards. Beta testing shows a 5% increase in engagement rate in just a short few months, demonstrating the power of a more interactive and fun experience.

We’ve strengthened our communications, ensuring that screener expectations, such as time length, uploads, are clear from the get-go. Enhanced technology will also further support these improvements, enabling us to better target participants based on their profile datapoints to reduce outreach fatigue.

With the insights gained from this series, we’re excited to see our participant engagement continue to grow as we work on enhancing their experiences. Our roles as researchers and sample recruitment suppliers extend beyond conducing quality research; it includes ensuring a positive, fulfilling process for participants. Addressing their key concerns will strengthen relationships and emphasize the invaluable role they play in our work, because, at the end of the day, at the heart of qualitative research are the people who contribute to it.

How L&E Is Solving Market Research’s Biggest Data Challenge

DWG Admin on May 8, 2025

A Message From the CEO

Dear Partner,

A lot of talk about data quality has risen to a roar of late, and some of you have asked me to comment on it, as well as share what L&E Research is doing to ensure you get quality data, today and tomorrow, in order to make the best decisions. I myself have been pondering, as a 30+ year veteran of the industry, whether the market research industry has reached a crossroads. Please read on with your cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage of choice…no judgment here) on what’s going on, and what L&E is doing to raise the bar of data quality.

A Quick Synopsis on Data Quality

Let’s review what has recently transpired as it relates to panel quality.

An independent counsel (Case4Quality) was created a few years ago to study the issue of fraud in sample. The conclusion was sample is ridden with fraud. Bots (technology created personas that are given credentials to emulate humans) and “fraudsters” (people who are not who they say they are) riddle the sample landscape.
Last year Dynata, a 2018 merger of SSI and Research Now (creating the largest panel company in terms of both revenue and panel size) declared Chapter 11 and reorganized through the courts, eliminating over $500 MM in debt (I assume I do not have to expound on why the largest panel company in the space declaring bankruptcy is problematic/relational to data quality).
In the qualitative space, this person (Kimberly Joyful of Paid For Your Say) promises to teach consumers how to plug into the larger #mrx ecosystem to get into more studies that pay. While their website promotes an altruistic outcome, the reality is the leader of this group is a former researcher teaching her now 11k+ audience how to cheat in order to gain access to paid research studies.
And finally (but lastly??), last week a company in the #mrx space, Opinions 4 Good (also rebranded as Slice), was federally indicted on charges of fraud, making fake data sold as legitimate consumer opinions via the use of “ants” (people creating fake accounts to complete the surveys, with the leadership not only allowing it, but actively enabling and in fact creating it themselves).

While the latest federal fraud case is alarming, in that company leadership knowingly falsified data (if the formal accusation is true), as I have outlined above, the bells have been ringing for quite some time that the #mrx ecosystem has a quality control problem. Everyone says their sample is “high quality.” But how do you know? I wanted to take a moment to demonstrate how some companies collect data, how L&E collects data today, and the engineering we’re undertaking for an even better solution tomorrow.

The Sample Ecosystem

Tia Maurer, Group Scientist at Procter and Gamble and member of the Case4Quality team advocating changes for a better data ecosystem, recently presented at an Insights Association (IA) event on fraud in research, and where sample is obtained by suppliers. I have copied a page from her presentation showing the five typical sample sources

*sample sources provided by The Market Research Society

I regularly use a cooking analogy when I speak with clients about sample and where they obtain it: “Do you care how the sausage is made?” Those clients that care about data quality always say “yes”: knowing how the sausage is made means understanding the origins of your sample, thus in turn knowing where your data is coming from. As everyone knows, the ingredients make the dish. Loyalty/rewards, affiliates/publishers and river/intercept are all tapping into outside communities in hopes they can be converted into a completed survey (these sources are also terrible for qual, as we proved in our research). However, there’s no way of identifying who that person is: the hope is they are who they say they are, and provide authentic feedback. And these sources have very poor response rates (read on for more on that). Databases/targeted lists typically have marginal accuracy (i.e. They usually have 60-80% accuracy of contact information). And like the other sample sources, response rates are low (especially now in the mobile phone era). This is why L&E builds organic panel

How L&E Does It

When speaking with clients, I always start by outlining the fundamentals of the research ecosystem and why we complete our research via our independently owned and operated research panel. Years ago, collecting data was typically conducted via phone call. You may remember the days when we all had a home phone/phone number (some still do, but analysis shows that number is now 27-29%). Now most people use mobile phones, and call screening has intensified, with mobile devices using apps to help identify (and block) callers. As a result of better screening technology (and some would argue over-saturation of surveys/poor surveys), response rates have plummeted. I outline this below to demonstrate the following math equation, which is actual study incidence:

-Accurate number (A; generally, list services would sell 80% accuracy) x someone answering the phone (B; I’ll be generous and estimate 80%) x cooperative HH (C; Pew Research reported 7% response rate in 2017, and getting worse) x qualified for the research and completes the questions (D; let’s say 20%, again a generous figure in many research study cases) x agrees to engage in phase 2 qual (E; let’s say 90%) x is available at the time of phase 2 (F; let’s be generous and say 95%) and then actually completes the research (G; our show rates are 93%, which is high for the industry) = study participation rate.

So, to calculate this: 80% x 80% x 7% x 20% x 90% x 95% x 93% = less than 1 in a hundred (.7% specifically) complete the study.

Less than 1% success is cost prohibitive for most clients; thus, we build organic panel by finding people interested in sharing their information and welcoming our engagements in exchange for participation in research studies. Turning data accuracy (A), response (B) and cooperation (C) into nearly 100% makes our overall completion rate considerably higher. 1.6 million people later and growing…that’s how we solve the sample problem.

The downside of a panel is it attracts bad actors. The industry calls them cheaters and repeaters (people that lie to attempt to get into studies, like the training classes taught by Paid For Your Say). L&E does a lot to weed out these bad actors:

We check ID’s. Over 90% of our panel has been ID validated. Online or in-person, we require a driver’s license or passport to participate.
We constantly scrub our panel. Duplicate phone numbers, addresses, email addresses…we’re always ferreting out people that are attempting to game the system, utilizing both technology and full-time staff to “clean” our panel.
Geofencing: as a company exclusively providing US panel, we firewall out all traffic not within the US (people outside of the US, their device has an IP address that shows their geo-location, unless they use a VPN. As a result, we also block most VPNs, and validate the few VPN accessed accounts that we allow).
We use a series of steps that require human engagement, resulting in humans verifying the human on the other end (example would be a tech check for online).

As you can see, we do quite a bit to deliver quality sample for our clients’ research. Despite this, we still have fraud issues. When we discovered Paid For Your Say, we found people in our panel in her audience. As a result, we planted a spy in her network to identify as many of her audience as possible (they’re still there in fact, as P4YS hasn’t found us yet!) in our panel, allowing us to quarantine them. We have thousands of accounts we’ve labeled in our systems as fraudulent or “do not call” from a variety of quality control steps like this. There are other examples I could provide on how fraud occurs, and how we combat it. But just like in the financial sector, when the financial opportunity exists, people will try to figure out how to cheat the system (fraud). And continuing to operate in this ecosystem, we’ll always be reacting to those efforts.

What is L&E Adding To Improve Data Quality Even More

I am heartened by the efforts that some in the industry are making, like Case 4 Quality. However, the problems in the sample industry are multi-fold:

Any ecosystem that promises rewards if you provide the right answers will always encourage dishonesty by people in hopes to earn said rewards.
Our industry has tossed itself overboard with companies promising they can provide all three elements of the “business triangle”: quality, speed and price. Poor sample is cheap, it is fast…and until recently, quality is not really validated, but always assured by the supplier as good (unlike a bad meal that would make you sick, there was no way to validate bad sample until after the fact).
Brands often seek low incidence audiences. Panels can track demographics, but behavior and attitude are always changing. To date, the way clients looked to solve this was with innumerous questions to ensure accuracy of the participant. However, this results in a poor experience for the consumer, answering lengthy questionnaires/screeners that rarely meet the brands’ specifications and thus don’t get to do the rewarding part: participation in the qualitative research that pays.

In short, we’ve created an ecosystem that encourages fraudsters (people that will do anything in hopes they get the reward) and discourages the majority of people that just would like to share their opinions (people that answer honestly, but as a result of low incidence research, rarely qualify, thus suffering through a miserable experience).

I am excited to share that L&E has launched, or is launching this month, several initiatives to create a better marketplace where consumers and brands can be connected, for better research outcomes, creating a better experience for both researcher and participant.

»The launch of our mobile app, with RealEyes Verify™ technology that will link facial recognition with a user’s research account.

»Behavioral data collection via the app, including geofence, website surfing and purchase behavior tracking.

» Making all panelist engagements have rewards. We have been testing this in select markets, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. We will be converting our entire panel ecosystem this year to a reward-based experience.

» Launched our self-serve platform, CondUX, enabling researchers to manage the entire research process, with qualitative and quantitative tools to execute.

Through the usage of our app, we will enable a more rewarding experience for the consumer while providing an easily verified (do you share your phone with anyone???) identity solution that also collects behavioral information passively, reducing question fatigue for the participant. When the consumer wins with a better experience, brands will win with better data.

Will your costs go up? Yes, a little. As stated previously, delivering speed, quality and price is not achievable in any industry. But when one considers the negative impacts of bad data on brand decision making, we’re confident paying a little more for high quality sample that can be delivered rapidly, will be game changing for brands. And for the first time, we will be opening up our panel to quantitative research at scale, at competitive costs with traditional quantitative panel solutions.

Close

I hope this letter has proven helpful to you as it relates to the industry, and the initiatives we are taking to create better research outcomes. Brands have begun engaging us, and the industry at large, bringing forth ideas and innovations to make the ecosystem better from the elements they can control (e.g. shorter surveys/screeners). It’s time for the industry to innovate as well. This is our way of delivering better sample, as well as bringing new data solutions to the forefront, to deliver better research results. I’ll be speaking more about this in the coming months…I believe a revolution in market research is underway.

All the best,

Brett

Participant Engagement: What Makes an Experience Meaningful?

DWG Admin on March 5, 2025

Fresh off the press, it’s another of our Challenging the Status Qual blogs! In the previous edition we dove into understanding participant motivations and the frustrations that appear in the screening process. Now, let’s shift our focus to what makes research participation not just a necessary task but a deeply fulfilling experience, and most importantly, how can we keep it that way.

Research participants consistently report that the process of contributing to studies is engaging. This engagement stems from a combination of the ‘big three’: intellectual stimulation, social engagement, and the tangible financial rewards that come at the end.

Intellectual Stimulation: Appealing to the Mind for the Best Results

Engaging with new products, ideas, and concepts is valuable for participants. Research becomes an intellectual pursuit that keeps them motivated and interested in the process. People consistently enjoy delving into topics that are thought-provoking and relevant to their lives and having engaging discussions. This not only satisfies their curiosity but also gives them a sense of peeking behind the curtain, to explore products like never before. Discussion and idea-sharing further enhance their desire to contribute meaningfully and feel intellectually stimulated by the work and each other.

One participant stated that: ‘It’s always fun to hear what people are thinking. There are a lot of smart people here.’

Social Engagement: Creating Spaces for Community

Participants often value research as an opportunity to learn about new products and ideas while sharing their opinions in a structured and non-judgmental space. They find it rewarding to be in sessions where they not only express their views but also hear from others, taking part in a fun community activity.

One participant fondly recalled a group session where varied opinions were expressed respectfully: “Everybody wasn’t agreeing, but nobody was arguing. You can really kind of feel free to be honest, without offending anyone.” This open exchange brings about a comradery amongst participants, making them feel that their contributions are meaningful not just to a company but the group as a whole.

In-person research offers participants a dedicated space to focus, free from the distractions of daily life. From friendly staff to lobby refreshments, participants appreciate the comfortable environment and enjoy being able to test samples and prototypes in person with like-minded people. The absence of common household distractions—whether it’s family members, pets, or the doorbell— allows participants a break from the everyday to focus on the research.

Compensation: A Tangible and Appreciated Benefit

While it would be fantastic for participants to be powered alone by the love of research, we must not overlook the practical benefit of compensation. Participants are often straightforward when addressing its importance: “Who doesn’t love to get paid for talking?” For many, the financial incentive is a bonus that makes the experience even more rewarding. It’s never really just been about the money, though—it’s about the feeling of being fairly compensated for time and input.

The opinions of our participants are, when it boils down to it, what our clients need for best results. When we ensure that our participants feel valued through proper compensation, we, in turn, secure the best results for our clients.

Curating Meaningful Experiences

Ultimately, combining the ‘big three’ boosts engagement and makes participating in research worthwhile for everyone. By modeling our approach to what participants find fulfilling, we can enhance both their experience and the quality of the research outcomes.

As always, we encourage researchers to listen closely to their participants, valuing their insights not only during the study but in shaping future processes as well.

Optimizing Participant Engagement: Tackling Frustrations in the Screening Process

DWG Admin on November 1, 2024

Welcome back to our Challenging the Status Qual series! In the previous blog of this series we looked at the real motivators for participants, now let’s focus on the delicate step of the screening process.

No one disputes its importance; however, it must be acknowledged that this process can often be a frustrating aspect of qualifying participants for studies.

While essential for ensuring that all the right demographic boxes are ticked and all relevant perspectives are represented, the often-arduous process can leave participants feeling like they got the short end of the stick. We’ve been exploring how we can improve the screening process to better suit them, aiming to increase participation, enhance satisfaction, and ultimately deliver higher-quality data for your research.

The Upside: What Participants Value

Screening has its ups and downs, so we checked in with our participants to understand what keeps them motivated to take part. One of the most appreciated aspects we found is early disqualification in screeners. Participants value their time; they prefer to know as soon as possible if they do not qualify for a study. This helps them avoid wasting energy on unnecessary questions that won’t be used.

Transparency in the initial description of a study is another key factor. When participants are clearly informed about the qualifying criteria—such as needing to be a cat owner or play multiple wind instruments—they can quickly determine whether these apply to them. This simple step prevents the frustration of going through lengthy screeners only to be disqualified for a reason that could have been clear from the start.

The integration of member portals, where participants can easily track their screener status, check relevant appointment dates, and manage tasks or documents, is another positive development. These portals not only lend the research an official air but also provide a central, secure location for participants to manage their involvement.

Clear communication throughout the screening process is crucial. Participants value direct and consistent updates via email, text, or phone, ensuring they are never left in the dark about where they stand in the qualification process.

One participant said: “You don’t know where you stand in their process of qualification. So, L&E makes it very user-friendly to go from the email process to getting booked.”

The Downside: Lack of Clarity

Despite the positives, participants frequently report significant pain points when trying to qualify. Low success rates and repeated rejections are major turn-offs. Many participants express frustration with lengthy, multi-page screeners that give them the impression they are on the right track, only to be disqualified at the very end. This experience can feel like a waste of time and effort. The repetitive nature of these lengthy screeners doesn’t help; participants often feel as though they are being asked the same question in slightly different ways, over and over again. This tediousness can make them feel like their responses aren’t being appreciated or considered, further diminishing their engagement and satisfaction.

Unexpected requirements within screeners, such as needing to upload a photo or record a video, can also catch participants off guard. If they are not able to fulfill these requests immediately, it can disrupt the process, forcing them to pause and return later, which adds to their frustration. Participants suggest that being informed of these requirements upfront would help them prepare accordingly and avoid unnecessary interruptions.

“I’m just not prepared to be on camera, and I didn’t know that was happening. So that can be frustrating because I feel like I have to stop and kind of beautify myself”, said another participant.

Finally, the practice of disqualifying participants based on recent participation in other studies is a sore point for many. Participants often do not understand why past participation should affect their eligibility, especially if the studies are unrelated. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and a sense of unfair exclusion.

The Fix: Transparency and Better Communication

So, what can we do to improve this? There are several key steps we can take. First, we can increase questionnaire transparency at every stage—from study invitations to overall screener design—to set clear expectations and avoid unnecessary disqualifications. Prioritizing early disqualification and keeping screener questions relevant and concise will also respect participants’ time.

Additionally, better communication about time commitments and any special requirements before participants even begin can help them decide whether to proceed, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed. Reevaluating the criteria for disqualification, particularly regarding past participation, can help retain engaged participants who might otherwise feel unjustly excluded.

Minimizing participant frustrations with satisfaction is essential for optimizing the research screening process. By increasing transparency, improving communication, and refining the criteria for disqualification, we can create a more participant-friendly experience. These improvements not only respect participants’ time and effort but also enhance the quality of the data collected, ultimately leading to more successful research outcomes.

The Importance of Data Quality and Participant Selection

DWG Admin on August 27, 2024

Dual Pillars of MR Success: Data Quality and Participant Selection

In marketing propelled by data-driven decision-making, the landscape of market research is undergoing a profound transformation. The traditional methods of gauging consumer preferences and behavior are evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer expectations. As we step into the future, two crucial elements emerge as the linchpins of effective market research: data quality and the careful selection of research participants.

Data quality stands as the cornerstone of any meaningful market research endeavor. In a world inundated with vast amounts of information, the ability to sift through the noise and extract actionable insights is paramount. However, the value of these insights hinges upon the reliability and accuracy of the underlying data. Poor data quality can lead to flawed analyses, misinformed decisions, and ultimately, missed opportunities.

Ensuring data quality entails a multifaceted approach. Firstly, it necessitates the adoption of robust data collection methodologies that minimize biases and errors. From online surveys to social media monitoring and beyond, researchers must leverage a diverse array of tools and techniques to gather data from various touchpoints. Moreover, employing advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms can help identify patterns, trends, and outliers within the data, thereby enhancing its quality and relevance.

Equally important is the imperative to prioritize the privacy and security of consumer data. With concerns surrounding data breaches and privacy violations on the rise, organizations must uphold stringent data protection measures to safeguard sensitive information. By adhering to regulatory frameworks such as GDPR and CCPA, companies can foster trust and transparency with consumers, thereby bolstering the quality and integrity of their research data.

But the quest for data quality does not end with data collection and protection; it extends to the very foundation of market research: the participants. The composition of the research sample plays a pivotal role in shaping the validity and generalizability of the findings. After all, insights gleaned from a representative and diverse participant pool are more likely to accurately reflect the broader population.

Selecting the right participants entails a strategic blend of demographic diversity, psychographic segmentation, and behavioral profiling. By casting a wide net across various demographic groups, researchers can capture a comprehensive spectrum of perspectives and preferences. Moreover, incorporating psychographic variables such as lifestyles, values, and attitudes enables researchers to delve deeper into the underlying motivations driving consumer behavior.

Furthermore, engaging participants who are genuinely invested in the research topic fosters greater authenticity and depth in their responses. Leveraging community panels, focus groups, and longitudinal studies can facilitate ongoing dialogue and rapport-building with participants, thereby eliciting richer insights over time.

In addition to diversity and engagement, ensuring the quality of participants entails mitigating sources of bias and confounding variables. Implementing rigorous screening criteria and randomization techniques can help minimize selection bias and ensure the representativeness of the sample. Moreover, employing validation measures such as attention checks and consistency tests enables researchers to gauge the reliability of participant responses and mitigate the impact of response bias.

The future of market research hinges upon the twin pillars of data quality and participant selection. By embracing advanced methodologies, upholding data privacy standards, and curating diverse and engaged participant samples, organizations can unlock unparalleled insights into consumer behavior and preferences. In doing so, they can not only stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive landscape but also forge deeper connections with their target audience, driving sustainable growth and innovation in the years to come.

The Real Participants’ Motivators

DWG Admin on July 22, 2024

The Real Participants’ Motivators

Research participants have often been overlooked. We want to change that. With our researcher partners, we asked participants what keeps them engaged and what drives them away.

With learnings from our popular webinar “Consider the Consumer: Creating a Better Member Experience to Increase Qualitative Community Health,” we’re here to challenge the industry to improve participant engagement, elevate the research experience, and enhance data quality. In the first blog of this series, we looked at how to collectively enhance a participant’s experience. Next, we asked our panelists what motivates them to participate in research…

Beyond Financial Gains

“The main reason would be the remuneration that you receive. That being said, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of some projects that were interesting on their own merit” said one of our participants.

While compensation is a primary motivator for individuals to participate in research studies, the benefits extend far beyond financial gain. Participants value the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to product development and innovation, enjoy the interesting and diverse experiences that research offers, and appreciate the credibility and legitimacy of trustworthy research firms. These factors combine to create a positive and engaging research experience that fosters participant pride and satisfaction.

Contributing to Innovation

One compelling reason people participate in research studies is the opportunity to contribute to product development and innovation. Participants truly value the chance to provide feedback that shapes the future of products and services they care about. This sense of contribution is heightened when they see their input reflected in finalized products, reinforcing their pride in contributing to the innovation process.Another participant said: “I enjoy being part of the development process of the things that we’re looking at and testing. I feel like some of the things we all talk about do provide value, and that products may get modified based on our feedback.”

Mix it up

Engaging and diverse experiences are key to maintaining participant interest. Researchers should offer a range of experiences that are interesting and varied, breaking the monotony of daily routines. These experiences can include testing new products and technologies or participating in focus groups and interviews. Each study should present a unique scenario that requires participants to think critically, express their opinions, and interact with new concepts. Such engagements can be intellectually stimulating and enjoyable, making the research process a worthwhile endeavor beyond monetary rewards.

The Importance of Credibility

The credibility and legitimacy of the research firm conducting the study are crucial factors that enhance the participant’s experience and ease their apprehension. Trustworthy research firms ensure that participants feel their contributions are valued and their personal data is handled with care and confidentiality. This trust fosters a positive relationship between participants and research firms, encouraging repeat participation and long-term engagement with research, as well as encouraging word of mouth and referrals to other potential participants.

A participant said: “There are a lot of scammy research platforms where they pay you in points, and I feel like through L&E I was able to figure out what I should be looking out for in other databases.”

Being Part of Something Bigger

Overall, people often wish to experience a broader impact that transcends their immediate benefits. They want to become part of a thriving research community driving forward change and innovation. This collective effort benefits participants’ morale and contributes to real societal advancements. The knowledge that their participation helps improve products and services for the wider public instills a sense of altruism and communal responsibility, encouraging participants to return to chase that feeling.

“Sometimes it makes me feel kind of cool, […]it makes me feel set apart from other people. There’s a little bit of pride in there, I get to help design (some products)”.

So, while compensation remains a primary motivator, the full spectrum of benefits includes the opportunity to contribute to product development, the enjoyment of diverse and engaging experiences, and the credibility associated with reputable research firms. Involvement in research is not just about earning money; it’s about making a meaningful impact and being part of something larger than oneself. By recognizing and enhancing these aspects, we can ensure a positive and engaging research experience that fosters participant pride and satisfaction, ultimately leading to better data quality and more impactful research outcomes.

Enhancing Participants’ Experience Together

DWG Admin on July 3, 2024

Enhancing Participants’ Experience Together

For too long, the experience of research participants has been overlooked. At L&E we are determined to give participants’ a voice, beyond the single research project. Together with our research partners, we conducted a study to understand what motivates people to not only sign up, but to continue to engage in research, and what pain points drive them from continuing to stay engaged in the research process.

This new blog series is an extension of our popular webinar “Consider the Consumer: Creating a Better Member Experience to Increase Qualitative Community Health.” It’s aimed at bringing our findings to life, and to be a wake-up call for the qualitative research industry; recognizing that while we do our best to elevate how participants are treated, the broader industry perception will continue to suffer unless other panel providers also commit to these changes. So, here’s our challenge to all providers to take bold steps in revamping their processes, ensuring that research participants are engaged, enhancing the quality of data and the reputation of our industry.

Before we dive deep into the findings, let’s start by setting the scene…

Why it’s important to understand participants?

Research participants are the lifeblood of qualitative research. Their opinions and insights drive the decisions that shape our products, services, and strategies across a plethora of advanced industries. However, the participant experience often leaves much to be desired. Lengthy screeners, low qualification rates, and a lack of transparency lead to frustration and disengagement, ultimately compromising the most important thing, data quality.

So, with our research we want to explore strategies to increase retention and reduce attrition by creating a better member experience within qualitative panels. Our hypothesis is that a better member experience increases engagement and retention leading to higher data quality.

Rules of Engagement

The relationship between panel size, incidence rate, and response or engagement rates is crucial for the success of the research. Engagement rate is measured over time, while response rate is specific to individual projects. Incidence refers to the proportion of respondents who meet study criteria. A large member base is vital for accessing diverse and niche segments, but as response rates decline due to survey fatigue and other factors, more invitations are required, perpetuating a cycle of low response and incidence rates. This affects research efficiency, cost, and data quality. To address this, rethinking panel engagement strategies is necessary, especially for low-incidence populations.

A new strategy for improved response rate

An average survey response rate for qualitative research can vary widely, typically ranging from 5% to 30%. At L&E, we’ve tracked our engagement rates, defined by the frequency with which our members interact with the L&E opinion site and complete screeners to qualify for studies. In 2018, our engagement rates were around 16%. After conducting in-house research and implementing member feedback, we saw an increase to about 23% in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, engagement rates spiked to nearly 50%, stabilizing at 34% for 2020. As life returned to normal, engagement rates readjusted to about 17% in 2022 and then to 15% in 2023. These fluctuations highlighted the need for a new strategy post-COVID.

What influences response rate?

Several variables can cause response rates to be lower in qualitative research. One major factor is the incentive offered to participants. If the incentive is too low, especially for in-person research requiring travel, respondents may feel that the compensation does not adequately cover their time and expenses, such as traffic or gas. Additionally, the requirements for participation, such as completing homework, pre-work, or product testing surveys, can become burdensome. Transparency about these obligations is crucial.

Other factors that affect response rates include the specificity and sensitivity of the topic. When study descriptions are vague or when respondents are not given enough information, they may be less inclined to participate due to a lack of buy-in. Topics that are too sensitive or not of personal interest can also deter participation. For example, a vegan is unlikely to engage in a screener for a dairy product study. Screener fatigue is another significant issue; if respondents repeatedly attempt to qualify for studies without success, they may become disheartened and take a break from market research. To address these challenges, we are conducting in-depth research with our panel to better understand the factors influencing engagement and to refine our strategies accordingly.

Ready to learn more about participants’ motivations, legitimacy and credibility? Stay tuned for our next blog. In the meantime, check-out our webinar and hear directly from our experts.

The Crucial Role of Participant Engagement in Qualitative Market Research

DWG Admin on April 4, 2024

The Crucial Role of Participant Engagement in Qualitative Market Research

In the realm of qualitative market research, research participants are not just mere contributors but the very lifeblood of the industry. Their insights, opinions, and experiences are the raw materials from which researchers derive valuable consumer behavior insights, preferences, and trends. Without the active participation of real individuals, researchers would be left in the dark, unable to gather the data necessary to inform crucial business decisions and strategies.

At L&E Research, we operate under the hypothesis that a superior member experience leads to increased engagement and retention, ultimately resulting in higher data quality. This hypothesis is rooted in the idea that by engaging and rewarding honest participants while also identifying and deterring fraudulent participants, we can significantly impact the overall success of qualitative research projects. We firmly believe that creating a better participant experience is a collaborative effort within the industry and by sharing our findings and best practices, we aim not only to improve the quality of participant recruitment but also to elevate the overall value of qualitative market research.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on engagement rates in the industry. With businesses shuttering and individuals seeking alternative sources of income, engagement rates surged in 2020. However, as life began returning to normal, engagement rates readjusted to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and 2023. This shift highlighted the need for new strategies to maintain engagement in a changing environment.

A large and diverse member base is essential for providing researchers with a broad spectrum of perspectives and insights. This diversity allows researchers to access niche segments of the population that are otherwise challenging to reach, such as high-income earners, frequent travelers, or early adopters. However, maintaining a sizable member base presents its own set of challenges.

One such challenge is the declining proportion of invited respondents who complete screeners. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including survey length, design, incentive structure, timing, and the level of engagement and trust of the respondents. As the number of available screeners and invitations increases, respondents may experience survey fatigue, leading to lower response rates and potentially compromised data quality.

While screening participants will always be a necessity, it is incumbent upon us to streamline the process and ease the burden of identifying and selecting suitable research candidates. Improving the member experience is an ongoing process that requires us to adapt to technological advancements and evolving human behaviors. Strategies that are effective today may not be as impactful in the future, underscoring the need for regular review and updating of engagement tactics and strategies.

To address this need, L&E Research is actively optimizing its member portal, L&E Opinions, with a primary focus on improving the user experience. This includes making screeners and activities more accessible, enhancing the survey experience, simplifying the sign-in process, developing a mobile app for better communication, and implementing a gamification system where members can earn rewards for completing activities.

To further enhance participation satisfaction, recruitment suppliers can implement several best practices, such as improving acceptance rates, targeting participants using demographic data, streamlining opportunities in a central location, communicating research expectations clearly, offering rewards for attempted screeners, and incentivizing referrals to grow the member base.

For researchers, it is imperative to respect participants’ time by keeping screeners short and simple, only requesting necessary information, avoiding changes that would affect participants once obligations are set, sharing research results when possible, and implementing tactics to keep discussions lively and activities engaging.

Participant engagement stands as a crucial pillar for the success of qualitative market research. By fostering a better member experience, researchers can increase engagement and retention, leading to higher data quality and more valuable insights. It is essential for the industry to collaborate and share best practices to continuously enhance participant recruitment and engagement strategies, thereby elevating the quality and impact of qualitative market research.

Consider the consumer: Creating a better member experience to increase qualitative community health

DWG Admin on March 26, 2024

Have you ever considered what research participation looks like from the perspective of the participant? What motivates people to participate in research? More importantly, what pain points drive them from continuing to participate in research? Research participants are the lifeblood of qualitative research – researchers cannot obtain insights without the support of real people, so monitoring their perception of the industry is critical to ensuring a healthy and robust qualitative panel ecosystem.

Join our upcoming webinar where representatives from L&E Research, Kelli Hammock and Angela Steed, will share perspectives from real research participants. We’ll explore how to better consider the consumer in your market research and uncover the secrets to enhance the member experience. Discover how to identify the critical trigger and frustration points that can make or break your engagement rates. Gain invaluable insights on increasing engagement and response rates while exploring the motivations behind participating in market research. Our expert panel will provide a participant’s perspective on the industry and data-driven analyses of response rates, disengagement trends, and attrition causes. Don’t miss this opportunity to optimize your market research strategies and revolutionize the way you connect with your audience!

During this webinar, we will discuss:

Why people choose to participate in market research
Why trust and credibility are critical to participants
Participant pain points, and how to mitigate them
Strategies to increase engagement and reduce panel attrition

The 5 Advantages of Working with an ISO Certified Partner

DWG Admin on March 4, 2024

The 5 Advantages of Working with an ISO Certified Partner

In an era where worries about data security breaches and privacy violations are widespread, especially in sectors such as healthcare and finance, safeguarding sensitive information is one of our utmost priorities at L&E. The ISO 27001 certification that we obtained last year is a reaffirmation of our commitment to data protection and security. As we continue to expand our work with global clients in healthcare and finance, we want to reflect further on the importance of adopting robust measures to safeguard sensitive information.

So, here’s why organizations should choose to work with ISO 27001 certified partners:

1. Peace of Mind:

An ISO certification serves as a key indicator of a company’s dedication to excellence in information security. It provides clients with peace of mind, knowing that their data is handled with care and in compliance with globally recognized standards.

2. Regulation Compliance:

In industries where data protection is paramount, ISO 27001 certification is a big deal. It ensures that companies are safeguarding sensitive information, such as customer data and intellectual property, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

3. Reduced Risk:

By proactively identifying and managing information security risks, ISO certified companies minimize the likelihood of disruptions to your operations. The ISO-certified processes and procedures enable us to anticipate and address potential threats, ensuring the continuity of your business activities.

4. Solid Trust and Reputation:

An ISO certification isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements—it’s about building mutual trust. Working with trusted partners is key to the success of a project and a fruitful relationship.

5. Increased Engagement in the Healthcare Community:

Patients and providers are becoming more vigilant and selective in choosing partners who prioritize data protection. By partnering with an ISO-certified company, you protect respondents’ data and ensure that it’s utilized in the right way, fostering trust and confidence in your research initiatives.

For L&E, achieving ISO certification wasn’t just about meeting client requirements—it was about embodying a culture of security and trust. It’s about proving that ‘what we say is what we do’ and ensuring that every aspect of our operations is held to the highest standards.