There are many pros and cons to collecting user data online, one of the greater cons from the researchers' point of view is the uncertaintly as to whether participants are paying attention and are answering as best they can.
According to the British Psychology Society blog, one new tool may help remove some of those niggling doubts.
The UserActionTracer collects data such as mouse movements, all inserted text, response times, unnaturally fast click-through rates and the selections made to try and identify suspicious changes or unnatural behaviour.
The idea is that this data could be compared to the participant's results and a second source of info, and that this might help to eliminate survey results that are not of the standard desired.
It could also be used prior to the study's launch to see which questions cause users to go back and correct entries, or to click-through without giving the question the thought they require.
Well they do say preparation is everything. Let's hope this tool manages to improve the quality of online research so researchers can more confidently harness the benefits of the internet.
