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What's New in V6.4?
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| 1. | The Password question has been replaced by a question on page 1 of your survey called Start. The Start question may be moved anywhere on page 1.
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| · | Improved interface for managing passwords.
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| · | Up to 125 password fields (variables) may be used (before, just two passwords could be used, named UserName and Password). You may name password variables anything you choose following SSI Web question naming conventions.
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| · | Each password field can be up to 255 characters in length, using numbers, letters, or even some symbols (before, the limitation was 12 alpha-numeric characters for UserName and 8 alpha-numeric characters for Password).
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| · | Up to 248 additional "merged" data fields representing information you may know about respondents prior to asking this survey may be imported and are automatically merged into each respondent's data when the respondent accesses the survey. These data fields may be used during the questionnaire, such as to show the respondent's prior data, in skip patterns, etc. Because they are part of the final data set, these merged data fields may be used in Export.
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| · | You may use cookies (instead of respondent passwords) to prohibit respondents from taking the survey multiple times and also to allow respondents to restart. (Of course, if respondents have set their browser to block cookies, they may complete the survey multiple times, and they cannot restart their surveys.)
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| · | A new option is available to let respondents specify their own passwords. If they terminate the survey early, they can restart where they left off by retyping their customized password.
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| · | Only a single password file (STUDYNAME.pwds) is created (rather than potentially many, under the old .p001, .p002, etc. naming convention). The .pwds file is saved in a Microsoft Jet Database format (Jet databases can be modified using Microsoft Access and can be accessed from Microsoft Office applications).
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| · | Previously, if importing a very large number of passwords from a text file, it could take a long time to complete the operation. The new importer is much faster.
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| 2. | Quota control now allows you to set multiple independent quotas. To illustrate this idea, consider quotas involving gender (male/female) and age (young/old). In the previous version of SSI Web, the quota might be established with 4 "buckets" (Male&Young=50, Male&Old=50, Female&Young=50, Female&Old=50). This example defines the composition of 200 respondents to be collected, each bucket defined by the intersection of gender and age. With v6.2, you have another option: setting two independent quota settings and check points, one for gender and one for age. The quota rules for gender might be: (Male=100, Female=100) and the rules for age might be: (Young=100, Old=100). Notice with this approach that we aren't concerned about how many young males, etc. we interview. Each variable is considered independently--we are just interested ("on the margin") in how many male vs. female, old vs. young we interview.
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| 3. | We have changed the "One-Click" respondent access (bypass page 1) method. The syntax used for the URL to bypass page 1 has been improved, making it compatible with more systems. We have also simplified the way that variables are "passed into" the survey, having you specify the variable names in a table (as part of the new passwords dialog) rather than asking you to set up individual questions on the first page to capture these passed-in variables. See One-Click Access for more information.
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| 4. | Users can now right-click a question in the Write Questionnaire dialog, revealing a menu that lets them rename the current question (or other actions). This saves the user a few clicks.
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| 5. | The Admin Module has been updated, with an improved look and easier navigation. We've also provided an advanced feature for custom logins that define which menu items are available within the admin module.
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| 6. | Response option labels in select-type questions are now clickable (rather than requiring just that the radio-button or check box be clicked).
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| 7. | A new Excel file format (.xml) export option permits more than 256 columns (Excel 2007 required).
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| 8. | Explore Study Folder icon on the toolbar automatically opens the study folder in Windows Explorer. This is a convenient time-saver.
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| 9. | Respondent's IP Address and Browser/OS information is now exportable. Collecting this information may also be turned off if there are privacy concerns (see the new Privacy tab on the Global Settings dialog).
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| 10. | New System Functions: Browser( ), OperatingSystem( ), UserAgent( ), IPAddress( ), EncodeForURL( ).
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| 11. | We've changed the way we transform raw MaxDiff scores to the 0-100 probability scaling. The assumptions we made in prior versions of the software regarding how the raw weights should be transformed to a probability (ratio) scale resulted in relatively extreme scaling. Starting in v6.2, the probability scale will be less extreme. The new assumptions we are making regarding how raw weights should be transformed to a ratio scale are more true to the original context of the MaxDiff questionnaire and the data generation process. Click here to read more about this topic.
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| 1. Print Study. This feature allows you to print/save a copy of your questionnaire in two formats:
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| a) Graphical View: a graphical PDF or HTML format that shows what the questionnaire looks like to the respondent as displayed by a web browser, with optional question name labels alongside each question for easy reference.
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| b) Text and Settings View: a text-only format intended for internal review that includes many details about each question: question text, response options, answer settings (such as min, max, number of responses, randomization, etc.), skip logic, lists, constructed list logic, attribute and level lists, and conjoint settings.
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| 2. Quick-Print Functionality. In the previous version of SSI Web, there were many dialogs that contained information that we have wanted to be able to print or save to file for further review. These areas that now are quick-print enabled are: skip logic, lists, quota control, CBC conditional text and conditional pricing, prohibitions, conjoint attributes and levels, and the question list dialog.
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| 3. Enhanced SPSS Export. We now can export Variable Labels (question text) using text in your Header 1, Header 2, or Question text fields (we optionally can strip the HTML). You may choose whether to export multi-select questions as either checked/not checked fields or item numbers (previously, only checked/not checked was offered). With this new version, we also export variable names longer than 8 characters to SPSS, rather than truncating them.
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| 4. Improved Internationalization. In the previous versions of SSI Web, you needed to change your regional settings in Windows before working on a study that involved a different character set. This is no longer necessary, and the different character sets (such as double-byte characters to display Chinese) are displayed correctly in all dialogs and reports within SSI Web.
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| 5. Style Selector. A new Styles tab on the Global Settings dialog lets you select different Styles (implemented via CSS) to apply to your entire survey. This dramatically changes the appearance of your survey, creating some unique and professional displays. Select from the styles currently shipping with the software, or develop and import your own styles (by following our annotated CSS file format and editing it to your specifications). We have tested our style sheets across all supported SSI Web question types (including conjoint and MaxDiff).
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| 6. Graphical Next Button. Allows you to specify your own graphic (rather than just text) to use for the "Next" button.
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| 7. New Scriptable Settings Fields. In the previous version of SSI Web, you could provide dynamic fields (scriptable with SSI Script commands) instead of fixed values for settings such as the Min and Max permitted in a numeric question, or the total points to be allocated in a constant sum question. In v6, we have expanded the scriptable fields to include number of items to rank in a ranking question, and the min and max checks permitted in a checkbox question.
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| 8. New SSI Script Functions. QuestionName, DisplayTotals, SortbyLabel, PageNumber, TotalPages, NumChecked, TextExists
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| 9. Ability to Customize Look of Online Administrative Module. This is an advanced area, but if you follow our instructions for creating a .CSS file and uploading it to your graphics folder, you can put your own company's logo and title on the administrative module rather than Sawtooth Software's.
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| 10. Study Notes. This dialog (File | Study Notes...) lets you record comments and annotations about the study that might be helpful for you and others sharing your work.
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| 1. Dual-Response None Format. Some researchers are including the "none" alternative as a second-stage question in CBC studies. Respondents first choose among available alternatives (a standard CBC question, without the "none"), and then specify directly below whether they would in reality buy the product they just selected. The dual-response "none" increases the statistical efficiency of the study and leads to a stronger "none" parameter (which many researchers suggest is more realistic). CBC/Web v6 supports this questionnaire format. If using Sawtooth Software tools, estimation must be done with CBC/HB v4.
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| 2. Constant Sum Format. For some industries (such as pharma), researchers often employ constant-sum (allocation) questions in CBC. Respondents are asked to allocate some number of points (such as 100) across available alternatives, to reflect, for example, the probability of prescribing each medication to a specific population. CBC/Web v6 supports this questionnaire format. If using Sawtooth Software tools, estimation must be done with CBC/HB.
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| 3. Enhanced Prohibitions (between-concept, n-way prohibitions, null levels). The dialog has been improved to more closely resemble our SMRT software product (an older generation conjoint platform) for checking prohibitions. Additionally (for those licensed with the Advanced Design Module), we now support prohibitions for levels between concepts, rather than just levels within the same concept. This allows the researcher to specify (for example) that a specific brand-price combination cannot appear in competition with another brand-price combination. For Advanced Design Module users, up to n-way prohibitions (where n is the number of attributes in your study) can be specified, for both between- and within-concept prohibitions (previously, prohibitions between only two levels could be defined). Between-concept prohibitions are less detrimental to design efficiency than the traditional within-concept prohibitions. Also, if you are including null (often as "blank") levels within your attributes, you may now prohibit too many null levels from appearing within the same concept.
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| 4. Enhanced Test Design (logit report based on simulated dummy data, D-Efficiency). Previous versions of CBC/Web have used a test design algorithm based on OLS principles that does not consider that concepts are grouped in sets (wherein, for example, level overlap matters). While this tool has been quick and handy, it doesn't let you test advanced designs very competently (such as those with interaction effects or alternative-specific parameters), and it doesn't support the industry-accepted standard of simulated respondent data followed by computing relative D-efficiency. The new designer automatically simulates random respondent answers and produces a logit report (allowing you to study the pattern and magnitude of standard errors for the parameters) along with a relative D-efficiency statistic.
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| 5. Import/Export Designs. In the past, the only way (other than through a separate utility) to view your design prior to fielding was to import dummy respondent data via the paper-and-pencil module and then export the data as a .CHO file. Also, there wasn't a way (again, other than through a separate utility) for researchers who had developed a design elsewhere to import that design for use in CBC/Web. Both capabilities are supported in v6, using an easy, rectangular Excel-compatible file format (.csv).
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| 6. More Efficient Partial-Profile and Alternative-Specific Designs. The Complete Enumeration and Balanced Overlap design algorithms are now available for Partial-Profile and Alternative-Specific designs (Advanced Design Module options only). Previously, only Shortcut and Random methods were possible. For standard web-based interviewing (with hundreds of questionnaire versions), Complete Enumeration creates slightly more efficient designs than Shortcut and usually dramatically better designs than the purely Random method. The margin of superiority for Complete Enumeration is greater when very few versions of the design are being used (such as in paper-and-pencil surveys). With just a few designs, Complete Enumeration is often from 10% to 30% more efficient than the Shortcut method.
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| 7. Short Labels for Analysis (applies to attributes and levels). This allows you to assign short labels for use in subsequent part worth estimation and market simulations (through SMRT).
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| 1. Option to Drop Importance Questions. In two recent research studies, we found that dropping the importance questions resulted in better share predictions for holdout choice tasks using ACA/HB estimation. If sample size is relatively large and share prediction accuracy (rather than individual-level hit rate prediction) is the goal, then our research suggests that dropping the importance questions is the better way to go. If you drop the importance questions, prior importances (for purposes of designing the conjoint pairs) can be taken from previous respondents' data, or can be set to be equal.
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| 2. Ability to Customize Importance Questions. Of the sections in the ACA survey, the self-explicated importance questions are perhaps the weakest link. One of our clients had a need to collect self-explicated importance information through a constant-sum question (this client was surveying sophisticated financial analysts who were adept at allocation tasks) rather than using ACA's standard importance question format. In v6, we have made it possible for you to ask importance judgments using constant sum or any other question type that saves positive numeric values.
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| 3. Enhanced Randomization Options. Previously, you could not randomize the order of presentation of attributes (in the importance and ratings sections), and attribute levels within the level ratings section. That functionality is now available. Also, attribute positional order in the conjoint pairs section previously was always sorted by prior attribute importance (more important attributes appeared above less important attributes). You can now turn off that sorting if you prefer that attribute position follow natural order. (For example, if brand is the first attribute in your attribute list, it will always appear as the first attribute in a conjoint pair involving brand.)
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| 4. New Prohibitions Dialog. We have updated the prohibitions dialog to more resemble that of our older-generation SMRT conjoint platform (ACA for Windows). This dialog was generally preferred by users.
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| 5. ACA/HB Integration. If you own ACA/HB v3, its capabilities are now integrated within SSI Web's menus (or you can continue to use ACA/HB as a separate program).
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| 6. New SSI Script Functions. ACABestLevelLabel, ACAMostImpAttLabel, ACAStrictImportance
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