Conveo Tool Adds New Dimension to MaxDiff

Video-based automated research platform Conveo has launched a MaxDiff solution, which it says is the first to combine preference ranking with AI-moderated qualitative probing in a single study. This will allow users to delve into the reasons for the preferences consumers express.

Conveo was co-founded by current CEO Dieter De Mesmaeker (pictured top) and former McKinsey consultant Hendrik Van Hove (pictured below), with the aim of building 'the Qualtrics of qualitative research'. A year ago the firm secured $5.3m in seed funding, and said it would expand aggressively in its core US & European markets, while accelerating the development of an AI research co-worker.

MaxDiff (Maximum Difference Scaling) is used to create a precise ranking of consumer preferences, but traditionally does little to illuminate the reasons behind these choices. Conveo says its new product takes respondents through the preference ranking process, then invites them to explain their choices on video.

The company's Insights Lead Charles Allison has driven the development of the new tool, bringing to bear his fifteen years of insights experience, most recently from Sky, Starbucks, and Instacart. He comments: 'MaxDiff has been behind some of the most impactful work of my career - I love it! But I always walked away with half the answer. You get the ranking, and then you spend weeks trying to understand it. Now, you get the full picture. We're a team of researchers building for researchers. Closing that gap was the whole point.' Mesmaeker adds: 'MaxDiff has been telling researchers what people prefer for 40 years. It has never told them why. That bothered us. So we built it.'

The firm is online at www.conveo.ai .