Research operations

Puppet Interview

A configurable, multilingual child-research platform proven through work with Notre Dame, Northwestern, and USAID teams.

Our role: End-to-end mobile, web, and platform engineering
Product: Research operations
Capabilities: Web products and frontends · iOS and Android products · Platforms, backends, and APIs
Work: Research UX · Mobile app · Study CMS · Custom questions

The challenge

Make serious research work for young children.

Young children cannot simply be handed a standard questionnaire. International research teams also cannot assume stable internet, a single language, or perfectly consistent administration. The product had to make the interview comfortable for the child while keeping the study controlled from setup through results.

What we delivered

Configure each study. Run it anywhere.

We designed and built the mobile app, research CMS, administration tools, and backend. For each study, researchers can create custom questions, add translations and recorded audio, and choose from six animated puppet styles. In the field, assessors select the interview language, guide each child through consent and setup, and collect answers without a network connection. The platform syncs results back for live oversight and research-ready export.

What it proves

One platform, multiple research programs.

Collaborated directly with Notre Dame and USAID research teams on the USAID-funded CREST program
Adapted the platform into distinct white-label research deployments for Northwestern and Notre Dame
Combined multilingual study authoring, animated interviews, offline fieldwork, centralized oversight, and research-ready exports
Handled sensitive participant work with controlled access, participant IDs, and locked study versions
Supported seven years of product evolution across institutional and international research

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