Sona Systems, a management software platform that allows researchers at universities all over the world to run behavioral labs, is being used in TCU’s Neeley School of Business and College of Science and Engineering.

TCU installed Sona Systems in 2020 and receives about 700-800 participants for behavioral labs each year. The software acts as a participant management tool to recruit students to partake in these behavioral labs, according to Sona Systems.

Neeley specifically uses Sona Systems research for gathering marketing analytics and customer insights. On the other hand, the College of Science and Engineering lets students in the Department of Psychology use Sona to gain experience with psychological research.

The Sona Systems research done through Neeley and the Department of Psychology helps TCU professors publish academic journals to build TCU’s credibility.

“Part of what school rankings and prestige are based on is how well the professors publish and conduct research, so these research studies and student responses are important in finding insights about cutting edge topics,”  said Jennifer D’Angelo, a TCU marketing professor.

D’Angelo participated in Sona research as an undergraduate at the University of Southern California. She now co-runs the behavioral labs with Gretchen Ross, a TCU marketing professor. 

“We are better able to pursue academic research and knowledge through the labs,” Ross said. “It can be a practical tool, we are able to gain customer insights and as a student you are able to learn something.”

Not just a simple survey

By participating in the labs, students become familiar with psychological and business oriented research through personal experience.

The labs range from interactive hot sauce tastings to computer-based hypothetical shopping surveys.

To conduct the labs in a controlled environment, Neeley opened a new behavioral research lab in 2022. The behavioral lab team has since been able to perform more studies in order to demonstrate TCU’s commitment to research, according to the Neeley School of Business.

“Sometimes it may just seem like a simple survey, but it’s really about getting your insights, opinions and mind onto things,” D’Angelo said.

Sona research is held in Neeley 1222 and is open to any TCU student 18 years or older. For more information on Sona Systems and how to participate, visit TCU’s website.