What’s special about Dub?

The post below is the result of a discussion between Ray Poynter from NewMR and Stephen Cribbett from Dub.

Q: Can you describe Dub for me in 140 characters?
A: We enable researchers, designers and strategists to use technology to better understand consumers’ attitudes, behaviours and emotions.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about what these technologies are and how they help people understand consumers?
A: We provide a platform (available on all devices) and support for researchers, strategists and designers to get as close as possible to people’s everyday lives, enabling online qual projects, short and long-term communities and ethnographies. With over 30 languages available and a global team, we provide agility and the research capbility in over 150 countries. We help our clients take a more human-centred approach to research and brand building that delivers an extremely positive research experience. This in turn helps design better experiences, products and services at a time when a great product alone is not enough to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.

Q: Could you give me an example of one of these projects?
A: At one end of the spectrum we are working closely with LinkedIn to help them understand their employees’ career development and the visceral connections they have internally to help design a new Learning & Development solution. Fun, interactive activities and discussions are enabled via our online community platform. We co-designed an engagement programme and research plan using behavioural techniques to elicit rich emotional responses to questions and projective exercises.  At the other end of the spectrum we simply provide access to and technical support for our research community platform to one of the leading global community research businesses, InSites Consulting.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your technology? For example, how you tackle mobile?
A: Our technology is web-based and mobile-too (not mobile only). This means consumers can seamlessly move across devices to share moments, experiences, observations and opinions wherever they are, on whatever device is closest and most convenient. This is how they are using technology in their worlds, so we make sure we do the same. By designing simple and extremely usable interfaces, we don’t bias the response being captured, something which can happen if you frustrate the user.

Q: So, is the key to what you offer technology?
A: The technology itself doesn’t help people understand consumers, it’s just a tool to engage and build trusted relationships with people. It’s our people and their communication and relationship-building skills that help deliver the insight. We help our clients ask questions the right way – respectfully, in plain English etc. – we help them build true relationships online – a skill few people truly know and appreciate – and we help them immerse themselves with consumers’ lives, experiences and their inner sanctums.

To find out more about Dub, visit their website.