The best kind of research is happiness research

Every year Marco Polo commissions independent research into the impact of our technology on the people who use it. Why? Because our purpose–helping people feel close–is what drives us. For us, it’s not just a good thing when our app does what we want it to do; it’s fundamental to who we are as a company. And our yearly research ensures that we hold ourselves accountable to that purpose.

For us the stakes are high because it’s your relationships that contribute the most to how happy you are, and we want to be a part of creating a happier, more connected world.

Research Snapshot

The biggest question we seek to answer every year is: does our app help you feel close? But we also want to know if we’re keeping our commitment to only create technology that supports your well-being, respects your privacy, and increases your happiness. Those are all questions our research helps us answer.

Consistently feeling close

Each year, we ask 100 people who have never used Marco Polo to trade texts for Marco Polo with one person for 14 days and we ask them to self-report via video every day of the study.

And for the last four years, we're proud to report that on average 90% of participants have felt closer at the end of the study.

The extra fun part: The Trade Text for Polo Challenge

Colloquially around Marco Polo, we have started calling our format for the research The Trade Text for Polo Challenge because that’s essentially what people do–instead of sending a text when they would send a text, they send a Polo. And that simple change yields some big results beyond the quantitative ones above.

Participants report enjoying real moments of real connection that they wouldn’t have had through a text or a “like.” In many cases, people are using Marco Polo with a close friend or a family member that they’ve already known for years. Yet after they complete the challenge, they too report feeling significantly closer to them.

Ninety-percent of participants feeling closer is huge but really feeling closer to someone you love, that connection, that’s something you have to experience to truly understand.

So do it! Experience it for yourself.

Here’s how:

Share your trade text for Marco Polo challenge progress here