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How decisions are made affect brands and a lot of effort is devoted trying to understand interactions and the decision making process. Yet, achieving understanding seems to remain a challenge.
Reconstructed consultations and viewing facilities contribute to textbook answers and may encourage contrived behaviour. Clients feel that they are left wondering what the true insights might be.
Also, consultations are only a piece in the whole dynamics of decision making – the outside in is equally important. Nonetheless, capturing truer emotive as well as rational interactions may help towards achieving that understanding.
Online activity has been growing in popularity and feasibility as both mindsets and technology evolve.
Many of us enjoy exchanging thoughts and experience to the point where word of mouth has become a major driver of attitudes and behaviours.
The healthcare field is entrenched in this evolution as we become more engaged and savvy with our health, and healthcare professionals advisers to be trusted.
It seems like only yesterday when social scientists started to take an interest in the ‘online disinhibition effect’*, the effect of online that makes some of us express the otherwise inhibited/unsaid. We are increasingly engaged.
*Dr John Suler, Professor of Psychology, Rider University USA
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We decided to observe interactions online and eczema/atopic dermatitis was selected because the therapy area is particularly sensitive for sufferers and prone to emotive attitudes and behaviours.
We opted for webcam interviews , using a supporting online platform that allows observation and chat.
We interviewed recruited diagnosed adult patients and parents of diagnosed children.
THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE IN 3 STEPS
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Brief each of the patient/parent and physician individually
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Have the interaction – 10’ or so as in ‘real life’.
Debrief each individual on:
• takeout/decision and
• how they felt during the interaction, and
versus face-to-face.
All patients/parents presented as ‘new’, and the interactions followed the pattern of a real life anamnesis.
A key finding was the discrepancy in perceptions and mindsets emerging from the interactions between the dermatologists and the patients/parents.
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Dermatologists tried to educate and provide as much information as they could; patients/parents were mostly interested in one question: what else can I try?
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Dermatologists were discussing steroids as an option or probing into current dosing, but patients/parents do not like them/misuse them.
Dermatologists were trying to discuss preventative treatment, but patients/parents did not understand the concept.
Interestingly, although dermatologists were keen to point out that visual observation in consultations is crucial to make a decision, they felt confident with the details gathered from patients/parents and happy with the decisions they had reached.
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PARENT/PATIENT FRUSTRATION WAS PROMINENT – MINDSETS WERE CLEAR
Raw frustration created a barrier to dialogue.
Engaging dermatologists were able to manage the frustration and address patients as peers, generating positive feedback, hope and helping them look at issues from a new perspective .
Patients/parents felt that they could voice their feelings and also that it was ‘good for the shy’ .
TECHNOLOGY DID NOT PROVIDE A SMOOTH
PROCESS
Broadband service uneven; platform unreliable; respondent patience was tested.
A lot of IT support was required before and during sessions.
Plan B had to be ready for implementation – a back-up line was provided.
Visceral reactions occurred that are rarely seen in a traditional research, face-to-face setting.
It was good to understand the context and mindsets for greater insight , and provided room to generate education material.
But the situation remains artificial, not genuine, and the focus cannot be on solutions/brands.
Perhaps recruiting patients for their first consultation would help uncover the details of the thought process towards the solution more clearly.
TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO OFFER MORE FLEXIBILITY
Platforms evolve fast and technology may be more manageable soon.
However, the scale of the survey would remain limited to a few interviews per market.
Platforms may also offer the opportunity for diaries/pre-tasks before the interaction, and self-completed exercises, so as to capture specifics complementary to the ‘consultation’.
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