Reaching a wide variety of participants is a requirement of most research plans. That rule doesn't change with digital or remote research methods, but it does impact the barriers to participation. Most online research platforms require participants to have wifi, computers or smartphones, and to use one or more apps. While obvi text only required a smartphone, it was still a limiting factor—about 1 in 10 people in the US have a cell phone that’s not a smartphone (Pew).
We’re happy to announce that obvi text is now enabled for 100% text-based projects. This means that anyone with a cellphone with text capabilities can participate in an obvi diary study. Beyond that, it’s a way to make research easier for participants that have limited or no access to broadband and wifi.
Here’s how it works:
Turn-off request selfie in Participant Signup.
Each participant will have an initial icon as their avatar instead of their submitted selfie.
Request text responses in Assignments by leaving the “request photo/video” button off.
You will need to make sure you design your questions/assignments to request only text (emojis can still be used for those with smartphones).
Adjust your diary study plan by making sure your questions are worded appropriately for text-only responses and you’re good to go!
For more tips on how to make ANY obvi text diary study more effective, check out our post here. Want more on running a text-only diary study? We've got you covered.
