This paper describes an experiment in which a single questionnaire was fielded in four different styles of presentation: Text Only, Decoratively Visual, Functionally Visual and Gamified. Respondents were randomly assigned to only one presentation version. To understand the effect of presentation style on survey experience and data quality, we compared response distributions, respondent behaviour (such as time to complete), and self-reports regarding the survey experience and level of engagement across the four experimental presentations. While the functionally visual and gamified treatments produced higher satisfaction scores from respondents, we found no real differences in respondent engagement measures. We also found few differences in response patterns.

Transitioning from "single" to "married" is a rite of passage for male adults worldwide. This transition often takes the recognized form of a marital engagement. The most prominent symbol of such an engagement in the U.S. is a diamond engagement ring, proffered to the woman as a symbol of the future union. Decisions related to selecting, purchasing, and presenting an engagement ring are momentous and personal-often completely foreign to the man prior to deciding to embark on the engagement journey. The path to engagement and marriage is clearly a personal transition, but is also linked to larger community and societal expectations as well as historical norms and traditions.Companies involved in ring selection and sales, particularly those involved in online ring commerce, would benefit greatly from gaining insight into this transition experienced by potential customers. Specifically, what happens when Internet technology is inserted into the process? Can a place be created on the Internet that supports this transition? Using such insights, a company may provide support in the ring selection and purchase process that not only results in a sale but also helps to guide the customer through the process and results in a positive experience-the long-term benefits of which include customer satisfaction, loyalty, repeat business, and referrals to others in the ring selection process.How is such customer insight most effectively gained when the research topic involves a deeply personal, societally-influenced and life-changing journey? We propose that a combination of traditional market research and applied ethnographic methods-contextual inquiry, observation, customer experience mapping, surveys-is the best approach for such a study. By drawing from the various strengths of each method, a large pool of information can be amassed that, when considered in total, paints a rich and comprehensive picture of the engagement journey.