When Apple’s ResearchKit was announced, almost immediately some squawked about the ethical problems that may be raised by its use. One argument suggested that because teens use iPhones, and because teens “aren’t supposed to take part in medical studies without parental consent” this would be bad. The argument proceeds…
Survey Data Collection Part 2: 12 Pre-launch Steps to Quality Data
Use this as a checklist for your own studies – or as a tool to evaluate survey research collaborators. Researchers who do not consider each of these elements will make disastrous mistakes. A solid researcher is not one who is perfect – it is one who learns from past mistakes. Here are the final six (of twelve)…
Survey Data Collection Part 1: 12 Pre-launch Steps to Quality Data
Ready to Launch a Survey? It’s just a press of a button, right?
How I wish that were the case! As with any science, care must be taken to ensure there is a consistent application. Bias introduced by inconsistencies in the study implementation is not desirable. Survey researchers can minimize such bias by…
ResearchKit: will Apple change social science research? Geolocation, iSperm, and DNA
It seems that every few days, an announcement brings forth a new use for Apple’s ResearchKit. My first reaction was one of excitement, mixed with horror. The excitement stemmed from…
The SoundRocket LaunchPad
I hope you have enjoyed reading the past 6 posts to our new blog – the Launch Pad. If you have not yet read them, I encourage you to go back to the beginning and read about our story. I have certainly enjoyed writing them!
I look forward to using this blog to write about and share our experiences. While I expect the focus will adapt as we ourselves evolve, the plan will be…
Survey Sciences & SoundRocket: Our Origin Story
The Beginning: From Rubber Bands to Plastic Bags to Survey Sciences Riding from house to house on my scooter, aiming to "porch" every edition of the San Jose Mercury News that I could (especially for the big tippers in the small ranch on the corner), the 16-year-old...
Naming a Business: Our Story, Part 6
Why SoundRocket?
As with any naming – be it a business, a child, a service – there is an internal gut feeling that one must be comfortable with. It is that internal check that…
A Decision: Our Story, Part 5
SoundRocket: A Name IS Selected
With six names to choose from, it was time to make a decision. Today I will emphasize the process of elimination…
Name Discovery: Our Story, Part 4
SoundRocket: Six Names to Consider
In my previous post, I described the process we went through in identifying our brand characteristics. Coming from that place of having a clearly defined brand character, with a stated Purpose and a strong Mission, I found the name discovery process both terrifying…