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About every 8 weeks Sawtooth Software sends out an electronic newsletter via email. Our eNews contains information on conjoint/choice analysis, our interviewing software, and upcoming workshops and conferences. We will not share your email address with any other company. See a sample eNews below.

Sample eNews

IN THIS ISSUE:

* Conjoint Analysis Studies Featured in "The Economist"
* Beta Testers Give ACBC a Workout
* Online Market Simulator Demonstration at Upcoming Conference
* Product Development Plans for 2009
* Solid Turnout Expected for Sawtooth Software Conference 2009

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Conjoint Analysis Studies Featured in "The Economist"

A recent article in "The Economist print edition" highlighted an intriguing use of conjoint analysis ("The Price of Prejudice," "The Economist print edition," Jan 15, 2009). The article described two research studies conducted by a group of researchers led by Eugene Caruso of the University of Chicago (who incidentally used our CVA software for portions of the research). The team used conjoint analysis to quantify the biases and prejudices respondents expressed against people based on weight and gender. The two situations where bias was quantified using conjoint analysis involved a choice of a team-mate for a trivia game or the choice of a boss for a future job.

In the first experiment, a set of conjoint cards were generated showing photographs of potential team-mates that respondents imagined could join their team in a trivia contest where the winning team would be awarded a cash prize. The potential team-mates varied in terms of a) educational level, b) IQ, c) previous experience with the game, and d) whether the person in the photograph was slim or fat. The respondents rated the profiles, and afterward were asked how important each of the four attributes was in their decision. The respondents reported that weight was the least important factor, but the derived part-worth utilities via conjoint analysis showed that it actually had been the most important factor in explaining their evaluations. The part-worths revealed that respondents on average would trade 11 IQ points for a team-mate that was thin.

In the second experiment, students about to graduate were asked to rate conjoint profiles describing potential jobs that varied in terms of a) starting salary, b) location, c) holiday time, and d) the gender of their potential boss. Gender turned out much more important than the respondents stated (for both male and female respondents). The researchers quantified that respondents were willing to pay a 22% tax on their starting salary for a male boss.

The subtitle for the article, "It's what you do that counts--not what you say you'd do" has obvious meaning to us in marketing research as we advocate that choice/conjoint analysis is more valid and insightful than stated preferences or importances.

For more information, you can Google "The Price of Prejudice" + "Conjoint" + "Economist" to find and read the full text of the article on The Economist website.

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Beta Testers Give ACBC a Workout

We now have 58 beta testers of our new Adaptive CBC (ACBC) system. Based on our most recent poll of these users, 38 ACBC projects have already been completed. There are more than a dozen currently in field. The software has been performing exceptionally well, with very few bugs or problems. The overall feeling across the group is of satisfaction and excitement about this new methodology and software. One of our beta testers, Emanuele Leveroni, has already completed six studies. Read more about his experience with ACBC at: http://www.sawtoothsoftware.com/products/acbc/customer_experience.shtml.

The expected release date for ACBC is March 15, just prior to the Sawtooth Software Conference.

Take an adaptive CBC survey:

Fine Dining Restaurants http://www.sawsft.net/~acbc/dine/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=dine

Utility Tables http://www.sawsft.net/~acbc/life/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=life

Home Purchases http://www.sawsft.net/~acbc/hou1/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=hou1

Grand Pianos http://www.sawsft.net/~acbc/pia1/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=pia1

Download the ACBC Technical Paper: http://www.sawtoothsoftware.com/download/techpap/acbctech.pdf.

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Online Market Simulator Demonstration at Upcoming Conference

We have been working on an online (web-based) version of our market simulator for about nine months now. It will deliver a more up-to-date interface that should appeal to researchers and especially clients. With an administrative license, you can perform your own market simulations and administer your clients' login accounts. You may customize the simulator settings and functionality on a client-by-client basis. For example, if you want Client X to have a simple interface that takes away any advanced options (such as ability to change the Exponent, weighting, or choice of simulation model), you can do so. You can also turn off the ability to show utility/importance reports, so that only market simulations can be conducted. The output includes graphics (bar charts and pie charts) that you can directly copy-and-paste into Word or PowerPoint.

We are building the software using Java, and it runs under SSL (Secure Socket Layer) for added security. The conjoint data are warehoused on our servers (the administrative interface lets you upload .HBU, .UTL, and .CSV files), but the computations are performed locally on your PC or laptop, which significantly reduces strain on the servers. For companies that cannot allow respondent data to be stored on third-party servers, we plan to offer an enterprise version that is installed on the customer's server.

We expect to offer the new Online Market Simulator in beta within a few months and to be selling it by summertime or earlier. We'll demonstrate the new tool in an after-hours software clinic at the upcoming Sawtooth Software Conference in Florida (March 25).

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Product Development Plans for 2009

There are three product releases for the first half of 2009 that we are eagerly anticipating:

-ACBC (Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint)
-CBC/HB v5
-Online Market Simulator

We have spent a lot of ink already discussing ACBC with our users. If you haven't yet learned about ACBC, please visit: http://www.sawtoothsoftware.com/products/acbc/. Expected release date is March 15.

CBC/HB v5 will offer some great new features that its many users have been asking about, including:

-New file formats that are easier to work with than the .CHO files (.CHO file will still be supported) -Covariates (more complex upper-level model specification) -64-bit processor version -Quick design test will automatically warn the user if the experimental design is deficient -Improved interface

The Online Market Simulator is a new direction for us, in terms of programming technology and software delivery. Read about it above, in a related article.

But those three products aren't the only things we have been thinking about.

As a "teaser," Rich Johnson and Bryan Orme have been working on a method for developing "typing questionnaires" for MaxDiff. Typing questionnaires are very short versions of MaxDiff questionnaires (such as 3 to 6 questions) that can assign respondents to segments previously developed using a full MaxDiff questionnaire. As soon as we can clear up some programming resources, we'll push forward on this new project. The early analytical results are impressive.

Looking further into the future, we also envision doing significant work to improve the functionality of SSI Web--especially the online reporting of results and installation of study files to web servers. "Randomized Blocks" of questions is also a top priority.

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Solid Turnout Expected for Sawtooth Software Conference 2009

We are delighted with the early registration for the Sawtooth Software Conference, to be held March 23-27, in Delray Beach, Florida. Already, 125 people are registered. We hold this event just every 18 months, so it's not to be missed! What will make the event feel even bigger and more successful is the influence of the Conjoint Analysis in Healthcare Conference that will be held simultaneously in the same hotel. The healthcare conference attendees will be joining us for meals and receptions.

The conference features a day of optional 4-hour tutorials, followed by 2.5 days of 30-minute papers delivered by accomplished practitioners and academics. The topics include:

-Conjoint and Choice Analysis
-Segmentation
-Web-Based Data Collection
-Application of Multivariate Methods
The cost of attending the core 2.5 days of the conference is $1,050. Read more or register at: http://www.sawtoothsoftware.com/education/conf09.shtml.