More than a hundred thousand measurements have been taken. Tens of thousands of people have been measured. Hundreds of projects have been completed. We have collected a mountain of data! At Anthrotech, we are proud of our long history of success for clients in a variety of project types. Today, rather than digging into a particular project and sharing results, we’re going to discuss some of the most memorable, innovative and yes, unusual, places we have conducted measurements and sourced data.
Notable Measurement Locations
For some projects – like those conducted on behalf of the military – our client is responsible for arranging individuals for us to measure. But for other projects commissioned by private companies, we often have to find study participants ourselves. Either way, we have taken measurements in some pretty interesting places, including:
- Malls
- Truck shows
- Truck stops
- Aboard Naval ships
- Hospitals
- Ferry boats
- Firing ranges
- Military Tents
- Offices
Finding the Right People
Each project requires we measure a certain subset of the population. Sometimes we have to get crafty to find the right people for a particular project! For example, for a project commissioned by a U.S. company marketing truck seats to drivers in Europe, we found people to measure while crossing the English Channel! You see, trucks between mainland Europe and Britain cross the channel on a ferry, so lots of truck drivers assemble on the ferry and aren’t busy during the crossing. We set up a measuring location and rode the ferry back and forth for two days until we had enough measurements completed. For this project, we also had an interpreter who spoke six languages to ensure we could communicate with the drivers.
Getting People to Say, “Yes”
Most people have had their height and weight taken, but many people are surprised at the number of different measurements we take (132 for one study!). With our long history of conducting studies that help improve the safety or fit of protective equipment or clothing, when we explain the purposes of the study, participants are typically happy to participate. Nevertheless, we often compensate our participants with thank-you gifts that may include coupons, meal vouchers or cash.
One reason study participants feel comfortable being measured by our team is that privacy is of the utmost importance to us. No one’s personal information and measurements will end up in the public’s hands. A guarantee of privacy is one of our most important covenants; participant data is safe with us.
In addition to keeping privacy top of mind, we also consider comfort. When possible, we try to measure in as private and as comfortable a location as possible. Of course, sometimes that isn’t possible (like on a public ferry in Europe), but we do our best!
Each Anthrotech team member who has taken part in a measurement project can tell you their own story of a unique place or situation where measuring was conducted. Whether it’s a military mess hall, under a stairway in low lighting, or at a truck stop, the one thing that remains standard is our dedication to accuracy, privacy, and consistency.
