LeicSurvey: A digital survey tool for the heritage sector
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
The heritage sector needs to support and measure participation in heritage-related activities to allow local/national decision-makers to understand the impact of different policies and practices. A key aim is to demonstrate the value of heritage assets for addressing societal challenges, such as loneliness and educational disadvantage. This is critical for transforming perceptions of their role in supporting community cohesion, wellbeing, and social and economic regeneration. This is challenging due to lack of optimal surveying methods. LeicSurvey is an innovative tool which combines a simple and attractive user interface with powerful tools for collating and presenting complex data, including changes in user engagement and satisfaction over time. Our state-of-the-art analytic pipeline enables mining, processing, and visualisation of multi-dimensional data and trends that may otherwise be missed. LeicSurvey has the potential to be transformative in facilitating strategic evaluation of the role heritage assets play in addressing societal challenges and informing policy/practice.
Organisations
| Description | We intended to achieve the following via the award: - Conduct market exploration to assess potential customers' willingness to pay for LeicSurvey: We successfully established there is an urgent need for an inclusive survey tool, such as LeicSurvey, and that customers are willing to pay for it. We also learned that there is an urgent need for a multimodal survey tool that can record and digitise feedback in multiple formats. We are currently innovating solutions (which will be commercialised in the near future) to rapidly address this need. - Understand market needs and barriers, and develop solutions to overcome them: This was met (see above) - Be 'pitch ready': This was met. Himanshu Kaul already pitched (using the deck and presentation prepared as part of the ARC Accelerator program) at the initial round of the Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up competition and has been invited to the semi final (to be held on March 19). - Finalise LeicSurvey's charging model: This was one of our most important accomplishments, as well as the most critical for the success of our venture. The workshops we attended as part of the funding gave us confidence to create a cost structure that gave us significant competitive advantage. - Obtain Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7: This means we successfully conducted prototype demonstration in multiple operational environments (Heritage and Hospice organisations). - Incorporate LeicSurvey: This was accomplished in November 2024. - Spin out company: We are in the process of spinning out. This requires approval from the university underpinned by a business plan, which we are in the process of finalising. - Scale the number of users: We managed to achieve this. Currently, >20 organisations have either deployed or are trialling LeicSurvey. This number was 0 at the start of the funding period. |
| Exploitation Route | This is not applicable given the scope of the award. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Financial Services and Management Consultancy Healthcare Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Retail |
| Description | Understanding service-user experience is mission critical for charities and social enterprises. However, this process is challenging and non-linear. Challenges include users' psychological inertia in offering feedback, barriers to data gathering, survey tools that neither allow co-creation nor include customisable data analysis, uncontrollable events (the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant reduction in feedback rate for numerous hospices), and, lack of inclusive survey tools (linguistic- and/or disability-based challenges discourage participation). Importantly, analyses of the evaluations need to consider locally available resource and expertise, which makes assessments a challenge for practitioners and policy makers. Taken together, the surveying tool, questions, and data pipelines need to be co-designed for specific contexts rather than externally imposed: the gap we addressed. Our broad portfolio of software-based products is enabling third-sector organisations in the UK, South Africa, India, and USA, particularly hospices, both gather and analyse feedback/evaluations efficiently, economically, and ethically. >25 organisations are either using or trialling our products. Our impact includes: • Change in practice: we have digitised feedback gathering for our beneficiaries • Optimised feedback gathering: hospices working with us have seen up to 5x increase in completed surveys • Environmental impact: the carbon emissions tied to paper-based feedback gathering have reduced by >30% • Improved staff morale: multiple hospices have confirmed (see testimonies) increase in staff morale due to positive respondent messages • Economic benefits: staff spends 70% less time gathering/analysing feedback, which is being spent on other core tasks • Spin-out: LeicSurvey® offers our products under the software-as-a-service model. 4 organisations currently have signed three-years contract |
| First Year Of Impact | 2025 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | LeicSurvey: Digitalising feedback gathering for the hospice and heritage sectors |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | CONTEXT: We estimated that hospices spend up to 1000 hours per site per year gathering and analysing feedback. This puts significant stress on an already overburdened staff. A contributing factor is that within this sector feedback is generally conducted on paper, which means time spent conducting data entry, data processing, post-processing, and report writing (in addition to data gathering). Similarly, the surveying needs of the Heritage sector have historically been poorly met leading to inconsistent scattered data on cultural heritage and lack of holistic and comparative evaluations. As mentioned above, 5 hospices in the UK and India have adopted LeicSurvey as their primary means of conducting feedback gathering from their service users. In the Heritage sector, the University of Leicester Heritage Hub have adopted LeicSurvey. THE CHANGE: The adoption of LeicSurvey by these organisations means that we have helped change practice given these organisations either did not conduct feedback gathering or used to do so on paper. Based on our 'Carbon calculator', the switch to digital feedback gathering has reduced feedback-associated Carbon emissions by ~30%. Our calculations also suggest that we have reduced staff time spent conducting and analysing feedback by more than half, saving these organisations time and money (we are in the process of quantifying the precise saving in costs). |
| Description | From Evidence to Action: Strengthening Child Wellbeing Systems in South Africa |
| Amount | £149,998 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Epg\100059 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 03/2026 |
| Description | LeicSurvey®: digital, large-scale feedback gathering and analysis tool |
| Amount | £35,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NXW-EX-OCT24-11-Leicester |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Description | Survey Optimisation for People with Learning Disability and Autistic People |
| Amount | £30,512 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | RDNSF07 |
| Organisation | NIHR CRN Staff and Facilities Throughout the UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2025 |
| End | 02/2026 |
| Description | The CONTENT Study: A Mixed Methods Study to Evaluate the Implementation and Impact of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism |
| Amount | £83,077,637 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NIHR206598 |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2027 |
| Title | LeicSurvey |
| Description | LeicSurvey is an inclusive, multi-modal digital survey platform created by researchers based in the University of Leicester. LeicSurvey was registered in 02/2024. The trademark covers the following classes (broadly): computer software and mobile applications, downloadable electronic publications, data processing and analysis, education, advisory, consultancy, sports, fitness, nutrition, cultural activities, research and design, Saas, PaaS, surveys, medical services, health advice, etc. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Trade Mark |
| Year Protection Granted | 2024 |
| Licensed | No |
| Title | LeicSurvey: An inclusive and multi-modal survey tool |
| Description | LeicSurvey is a multi-modal survey tool that caters to organisations trying to get feedback from service users who may be elderly, illiterate, have learning disabilities, prefer to give feedback only in writing, or have limited digital skills. LeicSurvey couples frictionless, inclusive, rapidly customisable surveying with sophisticated data science to support the hospice and heritage sectors in real-time, routine evaluation of programmes. It is being rapidly adopted by third sector organisations as their choice tool to quantify the societal impact of their assets and activities. Our AI-powered modules are enabling organisations to rigorously capture the impact of their activities on lives and livelihoods in real-time and over the long term. In 5 years, we aim to be recognised as a leader in the digital survey landscape. |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Our impact includes: • Increased survey completion rates for organisations who switched to LeicSurvey • Quantification of unstructured surveys and their integration with quantitative data, which was a significant challenge in the Heritage sector • Reduced survey-based carbon emissions for organisations following switch to LeicSurvey • Reduced staff time spent on feedback following switch to LeicSurvey |
| URL | http://www.leicsurvey.co.uk |
| Company Name | Leicsurvey Ltd |
| Description | |
| Year Established | 2024 |
| Impact | Our impact includes: • Increased survey completion rates for organisations who switched to LeicSurvey • Quantification of unstructured surveys and their integration with quantitative data, which was a significant challenge in the Heritage sector • Reduced survey-based carbon emissions for organisations following switch to LeicSurvey • Reduced staff time spent on feedback following switch to LeicSurvey |
| Description | Data with dignity: University of Leicester trials new ethical surveying software (Press Release) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The University of Leicester did a press release showcasing this award and our research. The press release was picked up and further shared by four media outlets: e-Hospice, Museums+Heritage, Ethical Marketing News, and UK Fundraising. As a direct result of this press release, we were approached by the St Francis Hospice to create a survey questionnaire and data dashboard for them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://le.ac.uk/news/2024/april/leicsurvey-ethical-survey |
| Description | LeicSurvey Community Building Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We invited practitioners and experts in the hospice sector, which included Business Managers, Patient Care Managers, and a CEO, to inform them of the barriers to effective feedback and how to overcome them, share best survey practices, communicate forthcoming innovations we are championing, and get their feedback on their usage of LeicSurvey. Participants were from Bristol, Isle of Wight, the Midlands, and India. Participants heard from each other about the specific challenges they face, and especially the challenges unique to Indian hospices. The following comments best encapsulate how participants felt about the event: "[...] it was a very productive and inspiring day. As [...] said, it is very encouraging to find a group such as yours who are supportive of hospices and working to provide practical solutions" "To be in room with positive people who want to make things better for hospices and other organisations was very rewarding. The international and cultural aspects were interesting to think through. Your hospitality was very generous and very welcome and it meant that I could fully engage with the event." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |