In these uncertain economic times Acumen has been finding out the general public is feeling about the current cost of living and economic situation. In October we ran the first of a number of pulse surveys with our database. We will be running the surveys to track changes over time with consumers.
The first survey saw almost 2800 responses across a breadth of the population aged from 16 to 74 and from across the UK. We found that only 6% of participants felt that their household financial situation had improved in the last 6 months, whereas 73% felt that it had worsened. 94% of respondents were concerned about the cost of living and economic situation, with grocery, electricity, travel costs, and gas being the areas of household spending which had seen price increases.
In order to cope with the change, most reported that they were reducing spending on energy, eating out, takeaways and clothing, and only 1% said that their behaviour had not changed at all.
To see the full results please contact Liz.Diez@acumenfieldwork.com
Our next survey will be looking at the impact of the Cost of Living and the economy on businesses in particular and those with healthcare needs.
You know it’s Christmas when Acumen’s GIF competition begins! Welcome to the Twelve Days of Gifmas!
Starting on the 1st of December, each day one member of staff will have their GIF altered on the website. If you spot who it is, then simply get in touch following the instructions below:
Here’s how to enter:
1. Go to our team page each day – www.acumenfieldwork.com/team
2. Click on the team pictures until you find the one you think has been given a makeover.
3. Email your answer to abi@acumenfieldwork.com
Prizes this year include Hotel Chocolat Large Festive Cookie Wreath, James Bond edition Cluedo, Candi Wireless Headphones, Hotel Chocolat Velvetised Mince Pie Liqueur, Liz Earle Gift Set, Hotel Chocolat Rather Large Cracker and All-new Echo Dot amongst others.
Best of Luck!
To enter you must work in Market research and be based in the UK and Ireland. Prize winners will be drawn at random each day.
Monday 28TH November saw MD Abi Fuller speak on a webinar jointly hosted by the MRS and AQR to celebrate two years of the Recruiter Accreditation Scheme.
The scheme was established to raise the profile and status of recruiters working in market research, by devising a training and accreditation scheme which recognises the knowledge, skills and competence of professional recruiters.
Acumen is accredited under the scheme as an internal and external recruiter, and as a company partner is committed to working with recruiters who are ‘RAS Accredited’. Our associated company Research Opinions is internally accredited.
Ahead of the Webinar, we conducted a survey with recent participants in research. One key question being asked of the scheme is whether participants saw the benefit of being recruited by RAS accredited organisations. We were pleasantly surprised to find that 28% of participants had an awareness of both the MRS Recruiter Accreditation Scheme which after just 2 years of the scheme being live indicates that consumers do indeed look for indicators of trust. Participants found that the professionalism of the recruiter and moderator, invitations clearly stating terms and conditions, prompt, information which is provided to them around privacy (GDPR), the research process, invitations and references to the MRS reassuring which led to greater trust in accredited market research companies. For full information about the survey please email abi@acumenfieldwork.com
Mid-October has seen Acumen have a surveillance audit under ISO 20252:2019 which we are pleased to announce we passed! It’s like having not just your homework, but all of your notes marked by the headteacher and being given a gold star!
ISO 20252:2019 sees all areas of Acumen inspected to ensure that our policies, procedures, and everyday work adheres to the highest standards of the Market Research Industry. We are very proud of all staff whose work was audited as this year the auditor found no discrepancies or areas for observation whatsoever.
Acumen is committed to working to ISO 20252: 2019 standards. We find that the work we do to ensure compliance with the standard aligns with our company values of Positively Delighting, Never Standing Still, and putting People First.
Acumen’s ‘sister company’, Aspect Viewing Facility has won the Best Viewing Facility – Technology and Innovation at the MRS Oppies award for the Hospital Simulation Suite opened in Stockport.
The judges said: “Aspect’s innovative ‘Healthcare Simulation Suite’ is impressive. The suite replicates an operating theatre, outpatient clinic and triage station, complete with a life-sized mannequin! Aspect have thought of everything, demonstrating the importance of healthcare research testing in context.”
Acumen’s dedicated healthcare team, led by Jordan Ashall, and some key healthcare clients provided valuable input into the design and set-up of this suite. If you would like to find out more about how Acumen’s BHBIA accredited healthcare team can help you recruit participants into the suite or elsewhere please email Jordan.ashall@acumenfieldwork.com
Here, Heidi Dewhurst, one of our project managers gives an insight into what our Client Away days are all about.
Last weekend, 26th February I was fortunate enough to be invited down to Twickenham to watch the England-Wales Six Nations game with work as part of a client away day. We were blessed with beautiful weather, great company and of course a win! (Sorry Wales)
What exactly is a client away day? For us, it’s an opportunity to get together with valued clients to enjoy a more informal event where we can get to know each other in person and not just as a business contact on the other side of a screen. These days there’s a lot of conversation around authenticity in the workplace, and personally I am here for it.
After a relatively straightforward train journey down to London, we were welcomed into the hospitality suite at the Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham, a well-known and beloved rugby pub just a short walk from the stadium. The staff here really put on a great spread and worked so hard to make everyone’s day a blast, and you can tell they love it too. The food was top notch and, thanks to the Fuller family, the drinks flowed all day! Definitely worth popping in for a pint or a glass of pinot if you are ever in the area.
Myself and my colleagues invited three clients along for the day, giving us the opportunity to meet in person and create that human connection; especially after such a long time living under COVID restrictions. An away day is a valuable and refreshing way to network but it is also a great way of extending thanks, in a truly tangible way, for the investment they’ve made in trusting us with their projects.
As a northern girl with very limited experience of visiting London, a trip to the capital is always an exciting experience, and the atmosphere this time with the rugby crowds was magical. Am I a rugby fan? Well, I am now that’s for sure – can I come again next year?
If we can get past the twitch that seeing 2020 written down gives us, you’ll be as ready for it to come home as we are!
The postponed 2020 Euros are kicking off on Friday 11th June with Turkey Vs Italy followed by England’s debut kickabout on Sunday. Managed by supreme waistcoat wearer Gareth Southgate, England’s squad includes Harry Kane leading the attack for England, with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all set to be included in the squad.
Whether you’re passionate about the beautiful game or more than content to let the off side rule fly over your head, there’s no denying that the joy and optimism that a summer football championship brings to our little island will be more than welcomed this year. We will take the Vindaloo chants, the cheesy two for one drinks offers and knock off sports strips, we’ll take it all for the glimpse of collective optimism that this year will be OURS.
We’ve put the below calendar together not only as your reminder to bag your beer garden spot and don your three lions but also to assist you in gauging just how responsive participants are going to be over the coming weeks, helping you to avoid any match clashes and ensuing low turn outs and lack of engagement. The match schedule could also be a good way to plan ways to interact with participants, getting their score predictions and live reactions to England’s inevitable wins *side eye*.
Simply click the image below to download the calendar and don’t forget to tag us in your match predictions on social!
We’re delighted to announce that Carina Ealam, who many of you will know from your work with Acumen’s Qualitative team has been shortlisted for the prestigious Parker Prize for Emerging Talent.
The award is organised by the Association of Qualitative Researchers (AQR) which seeks to recognise anyone working within the research industry who has a passion for their work and consistently delivers results with flair, innovation and a job done brilliantly.
Carina has certainly made her mark at Acumen; joining the company as part of her work experience for her Anthropology degree before returning to the company in a full time role as a Qualitative project manager; earning high praise amongst many of our clients.
Ken Parker, after whom the prize is named, was passionate about helping young people develop their passions so we’d like the fund to be put towards personal development. Think conferences, courses, talks, learning a new language, developing a new skill, or trying a new experience, from Semiotics to sky-diving. The fund will be held by the AQR secretariat and can be allocated to one or multiple courses or experiences (up to the value of £1,000) over the course of the year.
We’ll be keeping everything crossed for Carina while the judges deliberate over all 6 candidates up for this year’s prize. And while the winner of the Parker Prize will be announced on the 30th of June, we’ve long since known that Carina is a winner with both her colleagues and our clients.
An unexpected positive of the last 12 months has been the ability to conduct more remote usability testing conveniently and quickly. As a provider of participant recruitment for UX studies, Acumen has put together 5 steps on running an awesome field stage of a UX project.
Define but also diversify your personas
Define the personas you want to test from an appropriate source – this might be existing customer data or even competitor data if your client is seeking new customers. Ask yourself if you need to think about life stage, gender, income, ethnicity, abilities and recruit a broad range of participants.
Have your links ready
Have a clear idea of the platform you’ll use and how participants will join it when you put your brief together. Then you can check they have the right setup during recruitment (browsers, screening in mac/ pc users), and they will receive one clear invite which has everything they need on it rather than a drip of information.
Do tech checks
The technical ability of the general population has increased alongside their reliance on it. Hands up if your granny can now use Zoom? But when remote testing some platforms may struggle; internet connections may vary. A tech-check the day before (at roughly the same session time) for just a couple of minutes can iron out any teething problems.
Listen and take time
There is huge pressure to run back to back sessions, jumping from one to another. Even if you’re eager to cover ground with participants, active listening is essential. Consider a formal qualitative moderation course to help develop this skill. Arrange sessions with rest times between to alleviate the stress of overrunning, and give yourself time to make notes.
Avoid bias during testing
Keeping things contained, low cost and casual led many developers to use friends, family and colleagues in the past to test. This can cause a false consensus effect if participants are not neutral to the process. Screen out those who might have hidden agendas, and balance the range of criteria so that your participant’s characteristics are weighted in any one way.
Acumen provides project management and recruitment for in person and remote user tests. Screener writing, recruitment, tech checks, hosting, and incentive payments can all be handled by our expert team of project managers. To chat about how we can help email enquiries@acumenfieldwork.com
By Gareth Dyson
