A flushing toilet in exchange for Facebook? Air conditioning in lieu of Angry Birds? Ranking a list of your most appreciated items is no easy task but when the London Science Museum asked 3,000 British adults to do just that, the results were astonishing. Only four items ranked above Facebook in terms of appreciation – sunshine, the Internet, clean drinking water, and a fridge – and the mobile phone came in at number ten, ranking just below a flushing toilet!
There were some other shockers as well, including a push-up bra beating out a freezer and painkillers ranking higher than fresh fruit and vegetables. But outside of creating a few gasps and giggles, what can we really learn from this? The appreciation for an Internet connection, Facebook, Email, and mobile phones/smartphones shows the degree of influence that the digital world is having on our culture. As more people shift their behavior in favor of what the digital world has to offer, e.g. a two-click Black Friday purchase from your iPhone versus lining up in front of Target at 4 a.m., sending a neighbor a Facebook message versus knocking on their door to invite them... Read more
Tagged 'Data' 
Would you give up your shower and shoes for your mobile phone?
Using Surveys to Improve Content and Ad Delivery
There is nothing like a good old fashioned survey. If you want to understand what someone thinks, how they feel, or who they are, why not just ask them?
I know that algorithms and modelling can help predict who someone is or what their preferences are. I know that we do not always have the opportunity to survey people, to survey enough people (for statistical significance), or to survey the right people (representative sample). Sometimes other data collection or data aggregation methods can be easier, cheaper, or more efficient. I also realize that survey responses might be less than accurate or even biased at times.
However, I do think that there are situations where survey or poll questions can be very effective. One example would be to use surveys to understand basic user behavior and usability of a new website or mobile/tablet app. You could certainly look at and interpret analytics, clickstream, or user flow data. Surveys though, can give an even better sense of the "whys" behind the behaviors. You could additionally get valuable information on sentiment, expectations and future intent. For example, Condenast used surveys to understand who their tablet digital issue readers were (3/4 were already subscribers or newsstand... Read more
