Perception Analyzer Dial.Log

Using Perception Analyzer® with USB

Many new laptops are no longer provided with 9-pin serial ports, instead using the newer, smaller and more versatile Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. However, the Perception Analyzer’s wireless interface console is a serial device. To connect the PA console to a laptop, a USB to serial converter is required. This is a short $30 cable with a USB connector on one end and a serial (9-pin) converter/connector on the other. One end connects to one of your laptop’s USB ports and the other to a serial cable or directly to the PA console. It can be purchased at a computer supply store or online. We have tested and recommend the Cables-to-Go “Port Authority” USB to serial adapter. It is available on-line at techdepot.com, product number S1402639. This device may be used on both standard and hi-speed USB ports.

Generally, these converters only work with PA version 7.1 and newer: The converters usually don’t work on COM1, which is the only port available for PA version 7.0 and older. You can check in the Windows Device Manager to determine which COM port your adapter is using. You can then have the same COM port number designated for it in the PA 7.1 Setup dialog’s “Advanced” section.

MSInteractive plans to keep the PA console as a serial device because USB cabling is limited to just 5 meters. Sometimes it is necessary to place the PA console further than 5 meters from the system-operating computer in order to optimize wireless dial transmission. Serial cables work to at least 15 meters. In fact, we have used serial cables with USB adapters as long as 60 meters without problems.

Purchase decisions 95% subconscious?

According to Harvard Business School professor and author, Gerald Zaltman, 95% of consumer's purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious mind. This piece in HBS's Working Knowledge offers Professor Zaltman's thoughts on the matter and how he proposes getting into the subconscious mind of the consumer.

Internet ad revenue up 21% in 2003

Led by a spike in keyword search ads (fees advertisers pay online companies to tie a listings and/or links to their site to specific search terms), Internet ad revenue experienced a health bump in 2003 according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). This is especially relevant during a time when other forms of advertising are flat at best. And, while keyword search ads jumped 20%, banners dropped 8%, clearly showing that context-relevant ads work.

Advertising agency and consumer disconnect?

Church of the Customer posts interesting stats on what the American public thinks about advertising vs. what the chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies has to say.

Quant v. Qual

Knowledge@Wharton has an interesting article on the balance needed between quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The theme of the article can be summed-up by a statement by Peter Fader, marketing professor at Wharton, who says, "Thanks to technology and other innovations we know far more about our customers than we ever did before, but I would contend that we don’t understand more about our customers than we did 40 years ago."

The article also cites opinions of Americus Reed, marketing professor at Wharton, on the need (and techniques by which) to overcome respondent's unwillingness to be candid regarding certain topics or their uncertainty of why they do certain things by getting them to "project" what they really think. We previously referenced Professor Reed's opinions on focus groups in this post.

Success by design

FC Now links to an interesting study that highlights a correlation between design (actually, companies known and awarded for design) and business performance. It uses the UK FTSE 100 index (British equivalent of the Dow Jones) and found that design-intelligent companies beat the index by 200%.

Passwords for candy bars?

In London, a survey conducted in advance of the Infosecurity Europe trade show later this month found that 70% of people would reveal their computer login and password in exchange for a candy bar and 34% did it without any incentive.

So, why are public cell phone conversations so annoying?

Jakob Nielsen provides the results of a study by Andrew Monk and colleagues from the University of York that tries to determine why public cell phone conversations seem so much more annoying to bystanders than those of two people engaged in a face-to-face conversation.

Turns out, ring tones are less annoying that one might think, increased volume of those talking on a cell phone has some bearing, but the main hypothosis (and it's juts a hypothsis, as the research does not seem to be there yet to support it) is that only being able to hear one side of a cell phone conversation may be the most annoying of all.

More broadband = less TV?

While U.S. figures may be different, a recent survey of 800 European broadband users, by Strategy Analytics, revealed that 56% are spending less time watching TV since subscribing to broadband. Though it would be nice to know how much less TV they are watching (which the survey may reveal, but the article does not), this does speak to the fact that fast and efficient communications, entertainment and content delivery via broadband will likely continue to whittle-away at traditional television viewership over time.

Online BOOMers

Results from a new survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project conclude that boomers (ages 38-56) are nearly as likely to use the Internet (68%) than those 18-37 (78%) with older Americans at 34%. The key here, as pointed out by Forrester Research analyst Jed Kolko, is that as boomers become seniors, more and more seniors will be online. For our purposes, that will making researching seniors via the Internet much more feasible.