Cobalt-Sky Aims to Improve Survey Experience

UK-based MR software firm Cobalt-Sky has announced a new system for the display of surveys, promising a 'new visual survey experience' based on an easy to use survey interface that overlays SPSS web survey software.

The firm says that despite a lot of talk in the MR industry about the need to make online surveys more engaging for respondents, 'radio buttons and check boxes still reign supreme', partly due to the high cost of setting up Flash surveys.

Cobalt-Sky now uses the new system on every one of its own projects. Respondents are no longer greeted with 'traditional' survey screens, but see radio buttons, for example, appearing as logos, faces or brand images.

A simple set-up interface allows each survey to be individually tailored using new buttons and layouts. Projects can be arranged by the Cobalt Sky team, or the system can be purchased. At present, it works with SPSS's Data Collection web survey system, but the firm says it can be 'readily adapted for any package that gives user control over survey templates and allows the use of Javascript.'

MD Raz Khan comments: 'We were surprised that people kept talking about the need to improve the respondent experience, but we rarely saw any evidence of that in surveys. We decided last year that all our surveys would use our enhanced interface, and banned the use of standard radio buttons and check boxes. We had to make this easy to implement in order to maintain productivity and keep our prices in line and I'm happy to say we succeeded.'

The company is on the web at www.cobalt-sky.com and a sample of a survey using some of the new features can be tested at http://survey2.cobalt-sky.com/mrIweb/mrIweb.dll?i.project=webdemo .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.