Celebrating 10 years of Q-interactive
Celebrate 10 years of Q-interactive with us!
Chances are, everyone’s appreciation for digital assessment looks a little different (and is hopefully a bit less dramatic), but no matter the setting, for the last decade, Q-interactive has been making an immeasurable impact. The last 10 years with Q-interactive have given us a better understanding of how our customers use our tests and how we can help them discover even greater efficiencies, greater accuracy, and — most importantly — greater connections through digital assessment.
“We’ve heard of amazing use cases we never would have considered that technology really helps address. The most interesting one was someone we spoke with early on. She does remote testing in Alaska and has to get on these tiny little prop planes and fly out to all these remote locations, and they’ve got a weight limit on those planes. The woman told me — and this is going to sound a little dramatic, but it’s what she told me — ‘Before, if I had to pack a WISC, and a WIAT, and a CELF, and whatever else I might need, that’s a lot of weight. Now I just have two tablets and my set of blocks. I have more room to pack survival gear in case the plane goes down.’ My immediate reaction was, ‘Wow, I never really thought of that one.’”
~ Dustin Wahlstrom, Vice President – Technology Strategy, Pearson
In celebration of the 10th “Birthday” of Q-interactive, Product Owner, Kristen Getz, and I sat down with Dr. Jeremy Sharp, host of the well-known podcast, “The Testing Psychologist”. We had a lively discussion about some of our observations and conversations over the last 10 years, the culmination of all that gathered knowledge — the new Assess app — and where we see Q-interactive in another 10 years.
We first met Jeremy shortly after Q-interactive first launched, so we started our conversation by talking a bit about some of the changes we’ve seen in digital assessment over the last 10 years.
Something noteworthy that Kristen and I both touched on during the podcast was the change in sentiment from our customers. In the beginning stages of Q-interactive, we heard consistent feedback from our assessment users that they wanted to be in control. As a result, the initial Q-interactive design asked users to do things that the iPad® could have automated. For example, if an examinee touched a certain image on the screen, we made our users log that response themselves. Over time, and as people became more comfortable with the level of influence technology has in our lives overall, our customers cared less about that control and asked for the efficiency of automatic digitally recorded responses, which Q-interactive now does.
From initial apprehension to decisive adoption
One of the greatest drivers of digital assessment adoption/transformation/confidence has always been peer influence. As our trailblazing Q-interactive users continued to share their successes, their peers began to gain the confidence to jump on board... and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s been a bit of a groundswell as we’ve based most of the changes and growth on their voices, but the result is that while Q-interactive is built on our technology, it is driven forward by its users.
Another huge factor in increasing confidence in digital assessment involved a bit of serendipitous timing. 10 years ago, tablets were gaining in popularity right around the time we were investigating the best delivery method for our new digital assessment system, Q-interactive.
While laptops were a viable option, the upright screens created a physical barrier between examinee and examiner that tablets did not. Boasting lightning-fast processing speeds, ever-increasing internal memory, and unparalleled portability, tablets were the obvious choice, and over the last decade, our customers’ feedback has validated this decision for us. Additionally, tablets are especially engaging with younger and harder-to-test individuals, and simply put, a comfortable, engaged client is going to lead to more accurate results and better outcomes.
Collective voices dictate innovation
As digital assessment adoption grew, so did the amount of valuable feedback we were receiving. As we began the process of updating our Q-interactive Assess app, all this feedback became invaluable to us. Based on customer voice, we knew we needed to focus on a few key areas:
- Streamlined workflow
- Updated look & feel
- Improved reliability
- Better connectivity
- Enhanced features and subtests
I am happy to report that we’ve been able to deliver all this and more in the new Assess app that launches this summer!
The new Q-interactive Assess app
Aside from the updates that were needed based on customer feedback, we also knew that the legacy Assess app was nearly 10 years old and contained heavily customized code that was maintenance heavy and prohibited us from developing the next generation of digital tests that our customers are expecting. The new version of Assess contains a modern code base that allows for better performance and a much-improved customer experience.
Some of the new benefits and features of the new Assess app our users can expect include:
- A brand-new user interface that is easy to navigate and use
- More intuitive and user-friendly test administration processes
- A streamlined scoring process that reduces the likelihood of errors and saves time
- Significant improvements to the app's stability and performance
It’s not simply a free trial. It’s a “gift of experience”.
Kristen and I know there are a lot of professionals out there that are still a little hesitant to make the jump to digital assessment. We know they have a multitude of reasons — security concerns, the transitional learning curve, cost, etc. — and believe me, we understand each and every one of them. That’s why, during our 10-year birthday celebration, we are giving the gift... of experience. We want those who are still on the fence to experience Q-interactive firsthand without fear of commitment. We want them to dive in, try out everything Q-interactive has to offer, and get a front row seat to what their practice could look like. We’ve seen so much success come from these free trials that it seemed like there was no better way to celebrate the voices of those who have been with us over the last decade than to share them.
If you’d like to experience Q-interactive and the new Assess app for yourself, today is the day. 10 years from now you’ll be so glad you did. Sign up for a free trial and our team will reach out and get you started!
Kristen, the team, and I look forward to hearing your voice!
Dustin Wahlstrom, PhD
Vice President of Technology Strategy at Pearson Clinical Assessment