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LEHI — A local company is taking advantage of a relatively new Internet sensation — and in a big way. When the creators of Lehi-based Qzzr saw the need for an easy-to-use online quiz-creation program, they jumped into action.
“We’re trying to build a movement around quizzes,” said Josh Little.
Little, who founded the company along with a handful of web developers, affectionately calls himself “The Chief Qwizard of Qzzr.” They opened shop, so to speak, in November 2013 and are now at the tip of the spear when it comes to Internet popularity.
Online quizzes are essentially questionnaires that provide a user with some trivial information about themselves based on how they answer the questions. Their current popularity, Little said, has to do with a desire for feedback and the need most people have for a little “me drug."
“A quiz is a 2-minute sip of the ‘me drug,’ you know?” Little said “Get just a little sip of ‘me’ in the afternoon, it always feels good.”
The online quiz craze really began in late 2013 when the New York Times experimented with a quiz about regional dialects. Within 10 days, it was the most popular story on the Times website, and it stayed that way for a year.
Buzzfeed.com and other news and entertainment websites quickly capitalized on the popularity of quizzes.
A quiz is the most effective feel-good mechanism right now on the web. Because more than an article, more than a video, more than a PowerPoint deck, or more than anything else, it feeds you and gives you feedback along the way.
–Josh Little, Qzzr
“They create quizzes around interesting topics, and they understand their audience really well," Little said. "People are on BuzzFeed to kinda burn a couple of minutes and be entertained for a couple of minutes, right?”
Small companies who want to jump in on the action rely on Qzzr to essentially provide them a free template to use. The quizzes get shared on various social media websites, and voila! Advertising, product placement, even direct sales are marketed directly to consumers.
“We kind of think of quizzes as similar to a mirror. It’s hard to walk by without at least taking a glance in the mirror, right?” Little said.
It's part narcissism, part curiosity, but 100 percent addicting.
“It feeds all of those psychological motivators for us to find out more about ourselves, find out who we are,” said Bucky Flowers, a web developer at Qzzr.
“A quiz is the most effective feel-good mechanism right now on the web," Little said. "Because more than an article, more than a video, more than a PowerPoint deck, or more than anything else, it feeds you and gives you feedback along the way."
And the Qzzr group — arguably more suited for Silicon Valley than Utah County — will be ready.
Contributing: Jordan Ormond
