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Our Metaverse Pilot Study In the UK.

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Image of the post author Kadence International

At Kadence, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of research innovation. We identify and explore how emerging technologies will reshape the research landscape- and share findings with the industry.

Our primary focus is identifying developments that will enhance the richness and depth of insights we deliver to our clients.

In recent years we have partnered with clients to pilot a range of new methodologies:

● Artificial Intelligence in qualitative research with Starbucks
● Blockchain survey sampling with Unilever
● Augmented Reality pack-testing with Asahi

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In late 2021 it was hard to avoid talk of the Metaverse, including Facebook’s repositioning to focus on virtual reality and augmented reality and the change of company name to ‘Meta’. Alongside Meta, there were vast inflows of investment into the metaverse infrastructure from tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and NVIDIA. At the same time, the falling cost of VR headsets made these accessible to many consumers (an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset fell to around £300).

As opportunities for customisation grew, our focus turned to the Metaverse and, specifically, a curiosity to understand whether the exciting developments present an opportunity for the research industry. To explore this, we partnered with a major US media brand.

Over the past few months, we have undertaken a comprehensive program of qualitative exercises in the Metaverse, an industry-first. Our pilot included focus groups, triads, and depth interviews.

All respondents and moderators participated using VR headsets. We tested a range of qualitative exercises (including co-creation), seeking to make the most of the tools available within the metaverse environment.

As well as assessing the quality and depth of insights gathered, we also examined the nature and quality of interactions between participants. Additionally, we investigated respondents’ ease of use and technical challenges that could inform future use.

The pilot has now concluded, and we are excited to share and discuss our groundbreaking learnings with the industry over the coming months at various conferences. 

 We will be sharing our conclusions on the following topics:

● Can we successfully harness this infrastructure to conduct qualitative research?

● What benefits does this offer over face-to-face and online methods?

● What opportunities exist for market research in the short-term and medium term?

● Will the Metaverse reshape our industry?

Please get in touch to learn more about our work in the Metaverse.

Contact Name: Rupert Sinclair, Head of Insight, UK

Email: [email protected]