ClearPicture plans to release a second version of its mobile survey application, JUDI, at the end of January, having released the first version on Nov. 4.

ClearPicture has been creating online surveys since 1995. The Halifax-based company was one of the first in the online survey industry. It offers surveys to capture insights around things like employee engagement, community newspaper readership and athletic associations.

Scott Murray, President and CEO of ClearPicture, said that the company used its survey expertise to ask customers what they would like to see from the company. Many answered innovation. 

The company took its customers’ feedback seriously and decided that with the uptake in mobile usage, JUDI fit this criterion.  JUDI allows users to provide opinions on anything a company or individual may want to know about its audience. Due to JUDI’s presence on smartphones, customers can answer companies’ questions quickly. This allows companies to ask questions on time-sensitive and relevant materials.

“We wanted a mobile-based solution that provides feedback and opinions when the user has an opinion and is willing to give it,” Murray said. “The mobile smartphone market is speed—it’s fast, it’s agile. Answering a 70 or 50 question survey is neither agile nor quick.”

The second version of JUDI will allow administrators to see the response rate to their questions within the app, rather than logging on to the online portal to see it, which is the current method. A later version of JUDI will also contain a library of questions so that users can search for questions related to their interests, such as sports, leisure and business.

 “Most providers online are simply taking a survey application and making it fit onto a mobile device, so it’s not built specifically for mobile use, but adapted,” Murray said.

With its launch at the beginning of November, over 600 users have signed up for JUDI. Sixteen of those users are companies or organizations, such as Shopify and the Greater Halifax Partnership, but the rest are customers, including Mayor Mike Savage, who was one of the first people to use JUDI.

Murray said that he hopes to see more businesses, post-secondary institutions and municipalities use JUDI.

Survey administrators on JUDI can make their questions private or public. Private channels require an invitation and companies often use them to ask their own employees questions. Anyone can answer questions in public channels.

Customers can also receive rewards points when they answer companies’ questions. JUDI offers two kinds of rewards: one offers invitations to private channels, and the other offers points within existing reward programs.

“JUDI’s filling a void in the market,” Murray said. “It’s working its way to becoming a very social application…giving feedback in peer groups and driving those type of feedback on mobile devices is very telling to the millennial generation.”

JUDI remains free for companies with one administrator and less than 100 participants. Once the company exceeds one administrator or 100 participants, JUDI costs $79 per month, and charges per administrator.

Customers can use JUDI for free. You can purchase JUDI on the iTunes store or Google Play.