Sign Language on Cell Phones: Who would’ve thunk it? (We did!)
Posted by goodmind on September 30th, 2010
In 2007 we conducted a study for one of the big four U.S. wireless providers. At the time, the company provided a service to callers who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or who have speech disabilities. The service, called Relay, connected standard telephone users via a Text Telephone (TTY), the Internet, a wireless device, or a videophone. The purpose of the research was to better understand user perceptions of relay providers and wireless service in the (at the time) growing industry.
From this research, we learned that although the TTY was a truly pioneering invention for the deaf/hh, services and devices that came later had much more of an impact on daily life, productivity, and communicating in general. When communicating via phone or internet there were methods that make speaking a lot easier, faster, and more efficient (text messaging, MMS, online video chat, etc). We also learned, importantly, it is not that the deaf want to be more like “normal”, hearing people, they just want the technology to catch up with their needs. For example, many were talking not only about wanting two-way video devices, but also holograms.
Fast forward three years… 8/16/10 cnet article on engineers testing sign language on cell phones.
We all know what it’s like to send a text message or e-mail whose tone is completely misinterpreted. A series of additional messages to better explain ourselves ensues and the efficiency of the original message is long gone.
That’s one reason engineers at the University of Washington are testing a tool called MobileASL that uses motion detection to identify American Sign Language and transmit images over U.S. cell networks. Sometimes, words alone just don’t cut it.
“Sometimes with texting, people will be confused about what it really means,” says Tong Song, a Chinese national who is studying at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf in Washington, D.C., and participating in UW’s summer pilot test. “With the MobileASL, phone people can see each other eye to eye, face to face, and really have better understanding.”
We’re happy to learn that the deaf/hh are finally getting what they wished for over 3 years ago.
Facebook’s Open Graph & the Implications for Market Research Recruiting
Posted by goodmind on May 5th, 2010
There has been much buzz about Facebook’s new Open Graph in the past few weeks. The “Like” buttons keep appearing on more and more of our favorite websites. Not surprisingly, privacy issues abound.
As market researchers, and more specifically as social media recruiters, the implications of the Open Graph for recruitment has us more than a bit curious.
For the past few years we have been utilizing social media to provide our clients with fresh, highly targeted, and insightful participants for their studies online and off. The Open Graph could potentially take this several steps further into targeting a person for a study. Having the ability to track what an individual has “liked” around the internet is pretty unbelievable.
Imagine, for example, that you are a company that markets products that allow people to streamline their travel planning and eliminate airport hassles. Now imagine you could talk to people who have “liked” the following things in the past few months:
You would not only have the “travel enthusiasts” you were after, but on top of that a more micro and fine-tuned understanding of your sample. It’s like looking into binoculars, kind of seeing a fuzzy representation of what you’re looking at, then turning the dial to put everything into focus.
And then you get to talk to these people!
What do you think? Think the Open Graph will change how we look at recruiting for market research studies? Think it should or that there will always be privacy limitations? This is new to us too so we’d love to hear what other people think!
Experience Economy
Posted by goodmind on January 26th, 2009
We came across this presentation and, just like the author, experienced a zen moment about two minutes in (but for somewhat different reasons).
Joseph Pine, via Ted Talks, says “experiences are becoming the predominant economic offering.” Because of this, there is more of a desire on the part of consumers, for authenticity. And it is the job of the business to provide that authenticity.
Do you understand your users’ experiences? Are you shaping your experiences to match their expectations through design?
Ted Talks: Joseph Pine – What do Consumers Really Want?
Google Cooking
Posted by goodmind on December 17th, 2008
David LaGesse at US News posted a brief piece on “Googling your fridge,” or the practice of finding tonight’s recipe using refrigerator contents as search terms.
This behavior is so widespread at this point that it’s already a business model. Recipe search engines abound, and we’ve personally used the site Cookthink to narrow down our culinary options from time to time.
As helpful as it’s been, it still can’t compensate for those unfortunate nights when all you have on hand are take-out leftovers. Combining chinese food with hawaiian pizza produces less than desirable outcomes.
