Technology Opportunities

Highlights

• User surveys enable companies to identify target markets and provide improvements to products and services.
• There is a need for a system that can collect data provided by a smartphone user and process it in real time.
• New system combines sensors and media information in surveys (location, accelerometer, pictures and voice).
• Collects and presents survey data in real time.

Our Innovation

Software application for smartphones that enables real time user positioning and survey data collection

Figure represents results of a survey about users’ sense of security in Nottingham. Red areas represent sense of insecurity. Green areas represent areas where people feel more secure. Information based on reports that were sent via the SensoMeter application.

Key Features

• Generic application that can be controlled from a remote web interface.
• Targets relevant participants based on their location (location-based surveys)
• Software automatically finds precise location of user and tracks changes.
• Data automatically conveyed to server.
• Questions are user-specific and are prompted based on participants’ behaviour.
• Enables understanding of where user went, order of and time spent at each location, user’s precise enjoyment or dissatisfaction assessed in real time.

Development Milestones

• Larger-scale pilots are required to optimise for implementation.
• Current version has been developed for Android phones – development required for other types of mobile operating systems such as iOS.

The Opportunity

• System has unique advantages for travel and location applications such as tourism, transportation, retailing and marketing.
• Possible applications in retail store design and marketing
• Integrates spatial analysis and display of results of the survey process, in real time if required