1. The pros and cons of creating online research panels for transit
 Making waves
The pros and cons of creating online research panels for transit

2. What is an online research panel?
An online research panel is a community of pre-screened respondents who have expressed a willingness to undertake ongoing market research.

3. Why use a research panel?
Your football team will win the Super Bowl!
Go Seahawks!
Super Bowl Champions!

4. Why use a research panel if you don’t have a football team?
They are flexible
You can collect survey results quickly and cheaply
They show your agency is listening

5. Limitations Building and maintaining a panel can be costly
Not necessarily quantitative results
Can attract panel members with agendas

6. The budget Development: $37,000 Passive recruitment: $3,500
Active recruitment:$20,000
Monthly maintenance: $8,500

7. Passive recruiting
On board posters
Social media
Rider materials

8. Active recruiting
We approached riders at stops, stations and on-board to join the panel

9. Incentives
We offered two airline tickets as an incentive to sign up for Sound Waves
(Yes, our lawyers approved it.)

10. Where we are today The panel currently has 1,450 members
The panel includes large groups representing nearly all bus routes and rail.

11. Obligatory charts & graphs
(You are not obligated to pay attention)

12. Demographics

13. Modes of transit

14. Where the panelist come from

15. How did they hear about the panel?

16. End of obligatory charts & graphs
(You can now pay attention again)

17. Panel web site: Soundwavespanel.org

18. SoundOff
SoundOff’s are one-question surveys offered every other week to help keep the panel engaged.

19. Survey topics Rider attitudes. Customer satisfaction.
Message development
Awareness of transit issues
Input on planning
Evaluation of agency actions

20. Panel research goals
Engage panel members with regular surveys and/or SoundOffs every couple of weeks.
Focus on content which provides recommendations that can be acted on.
Make members feel that they are helping make important service decisions that improve their rider experience

21. Questions?