Inversity Challenge in Collaboration with Ipsos

The Inversity Challenge, in partnership with Ipsos, recently concluded its seventh installment titled "Reimagining Market Research: How can technology help us work out what people are thinking and turn these insights into action?"

This innovative challenge aimed to leverage the power of technology to transform market research, drawing a diverse array of creative solutions from participants.

 

Celebrating Youth Creativity

One of the standout aspects of this challenge was the remarkable creativity demonstrated by young participants. The innovative solutions presented highlighted how the younger generation is not only engaging with new technologies but also leading the way in developing practical applications that address real-world issues. Their fresh perspectives and tech-savvy approaches are reshaping industries and paving the way for future advancements.

The winner, Adrian, introduced "NextGenVoice," a mobile app designed to engage Generation Z in market research through an AI-powered chatbot. This app stood out among the competition for its forward-thinking approach and practical application, securing Adrian the top prize of £1000.

Beyond the monetary reward, Adrian's victory marked a significant milestone in his career journey as he transitioned from the British Army to his first civilian role as a software developer.

The challenge saw tough competition, with remarkable entries from other participants. Iryna, a student from Worcester Sixth Form College, and Harry from Aquinas College emerged as the runners-up, each earning £200 for their innovative solutions. Iryna's entry, which focused on custom AI-powered survey software, and Harry's "Opinion8," a tool to enhance survey engagement, showcased the range of creative thinking present in the competition.

Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos, and David Zotter, Global CTO of Ipsos, played pivotal roles in setting and judging the challenge. Their involvement underscored the importance of integrating cutting-edge technology with market research to derive actionable insights.

 

 

Challenge Highlights

Highlighting some of the top entries, Harry, a 17-year-old student from Stockport, garnered attention with "Opinion8," a tool designed to engage survey participants more effectively.

Chris' AI-powered survey tool and Melissa's personalized dashboards for market research insights also received notable mentions.

Iryna, an 11th-grade student from Ukraine, impressed the judges with her entry, showcasing her adaptability and innovative thinking.

The challenge underscored the collaborative spirit and forward momentum in the market research field. Each participant brought unique perspectives and solutions, contributing to a vibrant and dynamic competition.

Congratulations to Adrian and all the participants for their exceptional contributions, and thanks to Ipsos for their support and dedication to fostering innovation in market research.

To gain deeper insights into their innovative solutions and personal journeys, Ipsos iSay team interviewed the winners for an exclusive Q&A session. Here is what they have to say.

 

Meet Melissa

What inspired or motivated you to participate in the Inversity Challenge?

When I heard that Ipsos was sponsoring the challenge, it was a no-brainer to enter. It is rare to have the opportunity to put forward my own ideas to one of the leading market research companies in the world; this challenge allowed me to utilize my problem solving skills and be creative in an industry that I have previously not had a lot of experience with.

How do you believe your submission addresses the challenge theme of reimagining market research with technology?

My submission addresses the challenge theme by revolutionizing how customer insights are analyzed and utilized. Leveraging advanced technology enhances the efficiency and personalization of market research. Specifically, my approach focuses on making complex data more accessible and actionable for clients. By presenting insights in a clearer, more intuitive format and integrating predictive analytics, the submission not only simplifies data interpretation but also tailors future projections to meet individual client needs. This enables more informed decision-making, helping companies to move forward with confidence.

What specific technologies or methodologies did you utilize in your submission, and why did you choose them?

In my project submission, I integrated several technologies and methodologies aimed at enhancing user interaction and the analytical capabilities of the system. As a newcomer in the tech field, I created a basic mock-up of my envisioned prototype, which included a chatbot developed on a platform similar to ChatGPT to answer specific questions based on the provided data. Additionally, I used Python to run a 'Top 3' recommendation list, Canva to create an AI Avatar for video presentations of findings, and simulation tools to forecast potential outcomes based on these insights.

I chose these tools and methods because I really wanted to make the insights easy to grasp for everyone. It's all about breaking down the data in a way that's straightforward and engaging so people can understand and use it without needing a lot of technical background.

What impact do you hope your submission will have on the field of market research or society as a whole? 

I hope my submission will really change the game in market research by giving every client a custom dashboard that's designed just for them. This isn't just about gathering data. It's about making sure that everyone, no matter their background or technical skills, can really understand and use the insights we provide. Our dashboard helps break down the data, shows what it means, and suggests ways to use these insights for better decision-making. What I'm aiming for is to not only improve how we do market research but also to make it a tool for positive change within companies. I believe this can make a big difference in the field and have a positive effect on society, too.

How do you plan to develop further or implement your idea beyond the challenge?

Personally, I need to increase my own technical experience to have a greater understanding of the depth of the technologies needed to bring my idea to fruition. However, I would love to further develop my idea by focusing on the accessibility of the dashboard, for example, ensuring it is compatible with screen readers for those with a visual impairment or providing sign language/closed captions through the AI avatar for those who are hearing impaired. Essentially, it is important to continue to make the technology accessible to a broader audience and ensure that it addresses the needs of diverse user groups.

 

Meet Iryna

What inspired or motivated you to participate in the Inversity Challenge?

This time, my motivation was slightly different from the previous challenge because the field that Ipsos specializes in is the one that interests me the most - data sampling and analysis. I am quite keen on statistics, and the idea of having the opportunity to help a surveying company became my motivation.

How do you believe your submission addresses the challenge theme of reimagining market research with technology?

My submission would enable Ipsos to gather statistics from the younger generations, who are poorly motivated to complete any surveys

What specific technologies or methodologies did you utilize in your submission, and why did you choose them?

I created an enhanced version of their website that had a more colorful design and had interactive questions instead of 'choose an option' ones to make it less boring and more attractive for teenagers. I also added a friend list function and a dashboard for youth's competitiveness. 

What impact do you hope your submission will have on the field of market research or society as a whole?  

I hope my submission will help Ipsos gather data from a larger spectrum of perspectives in aid with their research

How do you plan to develop further or implement your idea beyond the challenge?

If I were to continue the design further, I would add more personalization, i.e., the surveys would be marked 'For sixth form students'/'For vegetarians' and then recommended to people who have indicated in their profiles/answered previously a question determining their preferences, that they belong to a certain group.

 

Meet Harry

What inspired or motivated you to participate in the Inversity Challenge?

My college had just subscribed a few months ago when Ipsos's challenge was released - I'd already entered (and won!) the previous challenge hosted by the Government Digital Service and the in-person hackathon at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, so I felt quite confident going into it that I'd be able to make something worthwhile.

I became very intrigued when I watched Inversity's interview with Ipsos's CEO since I've always been quite interested in analyzing data and statistics, and I felt like there'd be a good opportunity to innovate and create something new.

How do you believe your submission addresses the challenge theme of reimagining market research with technology?

I think that Opinion8 is an app that stands out from the swathe of survey apps already available for a few reasons. First and foremost, it's an app that its target audience of young people will actually enjoy using since it engages them in current affairs. From my own observations and what I've read, a lot of people my age have something of a disconnect with politics and the goings-on of the world around them.

However, I don't think that's necessarily their fault or something which can't be changed. My app addresses this issue by offering a set of engaging questions every day for people to answer and discuss with their friends.

It utilizes technology because it will allow market researchers to collect opinions on certain topics a lot faster than they would via traditional means, as the data can be displayed in real time. If I had more time to work on the project, I'd definitely have liked to add some form of AI to analyze the data, too, and provide some potential insights.

What specific technologies or methodologies did you utilize in your submission, and why did you choose them?

I chose to use React to code my prototype, which is a popular JavaScript framework. I mainly chose to use React as I'd worked with it before, so I felt quite confident that I'd be able to develop an app that worked how I wanted it to.

There's also quite a big community of others who use it, which is great because it meant I knew if I got stuck someone else would likely have encountered the same issue and posted a potential solution online.

ChatGPT was also a very helpful tool for me, both in helping to spot bugs in my code and suggesting some more general improvements that I could make to my idea and methodology.

What impact do you hope your submission will have on the field of market research or society as a whole?

I hope that as a concept, my submission highlights how there's a growing need for market researchers to reward the people they're interacting with - and not just through 'points' and the promise of gift cards - but by actually making them feel that they're engaging with current affairs and that their opinion will have an impact.

I think this is especially important for young people, as our generation is probably quite unlikely to take an interest in filling out long, boring surveys that seem irrelevant to us.

We spend a lot of time on our phones, and I think there's an area of opportunity there for researchers to utilize through creating meaningful experiences for us to interact with (a win-win situation, as they can learn from our data, and we can feel that we've had fun contributing!).

 

What Are Your Final Thoughts on Inversity Challenge?

Addressing real-world issues is definitely one of the most challenging things to do, especially now when the world tends to become increasingly more difficult to understand.

However, as we have seen from the examples above, there are young creatives who are ready to show how it is possible to transform the world through innovative solutions and new technological approaches.