Hello Ara Opens Immersive Research Environment

Hello Ara, which conducts research through conversations rather than surveys, has opened a multi-room immersive environment, designed to accommodate different types of research.

South Africa-based Hello Ara uses a wide range of approaches - including panels, social media, SMS, WhatsApp and QR codes - to enable people to express themselves freely in their own words, chat, and share voice notes, photos or videos. Last year, the company launched a 360-degree AI-based methodology called #Explore, to help brands engage 'future users'.

Its new immersive research environment can be customisable with research materials, sound, video, and 3D elements. According to the firm, participants in immersive research (research in 3D or metaverse environments) spontaneously mention that they feel they can 'be themselves, without being judged'.

Company Director and co-founder David Wright (pictured) explains: 'With the new immersive space, respondents are more engaged and relaxed and find it easy to open up - zoom fatigue can impact online qual and being in an immersive space combats many of the challenges that come with looking at a group of strangers. It is possible to be very creative with research methodology, and the ability to easily create context around category or usage is a real strength. Currently most of the work we have done is qualitative in nature, but the natural next step is to scale immersive research.'

Web site: www.helloara.io .