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CREATING SURVEYS FOR MOBILE DATA COLLECTION Introductory Guideline Using Kobotoolbox for Field Research
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Content
I. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
Surveys & Common Pitfalls ......................................................................................................................... 3
II. Creating a Survey ............................................................................................... 5
General Rules for Formulating Meaningful Questions ................................................................................ 5
Requirements for Questions: Good and Bad Examples .................................................................................. 5
Requirements for the Response Options ......................................................................................................... 8
Question Types and Answer Formats .........................................................................................................10
Open questions ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Open questions with given response options ............................................................................................... 11
Closed questions with rating scales .............................................................................................................. 11
Questions using skip option (filtered questions) .......................................................................................... 12
III. Creating A Survey With KoBo .............................................................................. 13
Setting Up an Account ................................................................................................................................13
Two Modes of Creating a Survey .................................................................................................................. 13
The Online Option ......................................................................................................................................14
Answer Formats .........................................................................................................................................15
Entering Answers & Assigning Values .......................................................................................................17
Question Settings .......................................................................................................................................18
Question options ........................................................................................................................................... 19
Skip logic ...................................................................................................................................................... 21
Validation criteria ......................................................................................................................................... 23
Grouping Questions ...................................................................................................................................24
IV. Survey Deployment & Data Collection .................................................................. 26
Deploy Your Survey Form ..........................................................................................................................26
Connecting the Mobile Device with the Online Account ...........................................................................26
Connect to your account ............................................................................................................................... 27
Get your survey form .................................................................................................................................... 27
Upload data ................................................................................................................................................... 28
Download data .............................................................................................................................................. 29
V. References ...................................................................................................... 30
Author: Vasco Schelbert ([email protected])
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I. INTRODUCTION
Mansoor, A. (2010): The Pitfalls of Questionnaires. Process Brief.
Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, UK: Practical Action.1
A questionnaire survey is an extractive process, a tool that is generally considered as a quick and cost-effective method to generate large quantities of data. The purpose of any survey, such as questionnaire depends on what the specific objectives are and what you need to know at the end of the process. Even though subjects may vary widely the tool is often applied in the same standardized way offering little flexibility in application – the questionnaire is prepared, administered through enumerators to a sample group and the data analysed. For the purpose of project baseline surveys and evaluations, it is always important to sit back and consider the purpose of the surveys and range of methods available to meet that purpose.
SURVEYS & COMMON PITFALLS
Although, questionnaire surveys are still a common method of data collection, but there are a number of important considerations and potential pitfalls you need to take into account. Some of these pitfalls are outlined below.
Preparation Initial research into the community and their values does not often happen. What may be important to one person may not be a priority to another and without investigation often key observations are not made before the questionnaire is applied. Often there is a lack of engagement with the community from the out set. Sample groups What is an appropriate sample size? When large numbers are used then long term monitoring is difficult to achieve. Field tests are crucial and if not trialed it is unknown if the questionnaire is relevant and suitable for the specified sample group. Localized differences between communities can mean that a survey developed for one community may not be an appropriate proxy in another. Not enough thought goes in to who will give you the required outputs - are they young, old, men, women, teenagers, children under 5, mothers, fathers, unemployed, small business owners? There is no point asking the wrong people for information. For example asking the male head of the household “how long it takes to get water” when it is the women and children who collect it. Length Often questionnaires are too lengthy. This can lead to confusion, people can get bored, the questions can be invasive and inaccurate information can result.
1 http://medbox.iiab.me/modules/en-practical_action/Social%20and%20economic%20development/Social%20Development/The%20pitfalls%20of%20questionaires_KnO-100376.pdf, accessed 29.05.2018.
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Questions Often the questions are not clear and concise or relevant to the topic; there are conceptual gaps when using terminology and no thought of how it will be understood by those receiving it; differences in interpretation; varying levels of consistency between each survey. Below are some examples of inappropriate questions:
1. Asking those living in urban or rural areas who don’t receive a set income and rely on many different ways of making a living “What is your yearly income?”
2. Asking informal traders in slum areas “Are you a registered business?” 3. Asking slum dwellers “what is their integrated waste system within their home and how much waste do
they generate in a day: 1-2kg, 2-5kg?” This is a question that would be difficult for anyone to answer. There are often confusions with translation, for example “what time does it take you to cook dinner” can be easily misinterpreted as “What time did you start cooking”. This will affect your end result therefore careful consideration needs to be taken when designing questions. Qualitative vs quantitative Through using only quantitative methods one type of information is gathered without taking into consideration the quality of life of the beneficiaries or their social relationships, aspirations and individual values. Often it is not an empowering process for those taking part as it is not a participatory process but technical in nature. Administering When administering a survey the meaning can be lost in translation; not enough time is put into training; administrators can show bias or ask leading questions therefore influencing the results; there may not be gender equality within your administering team; lack of confidentiality in cases where information is sensitive, especially issues surrounding health. The administering process is also a drain on resources, time and money needed to carry them out. Analysing This can be time consuming and can also be a drain on resources. Often in the beginning thought is not put into what the information is going to be used for and how it is going to be analysed. How do you identify the most crucial information, how are you going to generate your results and how do you plan to present this data? How much of the data collected will be used?
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II. CREATING A SURVEY
Mosler, H.-J., Contzen, N. (2016). Systematic Behavior Change in Water Sanitation and Hygiene. A practical guide using the RANAS approach. Version 1.1. Dübendorf, Switzerland: Eawag.2
GENERAL RULES FOR FORMULATING MEANINGFUL QUESTIONS
Developing a questionnaire and formulating meaningful questions is usually a challenging yet pivotal endeavour in the data collection process. The goal is to ensure to collect the same type of information from all participants in the same way. In order to do so, a survey tool that includes a structured questionnaire and eventually an observation protocol is key to reliable data. Typical challenges consist of formulating questions according to predefined standards, to formulate questions that are comprehensible to the specific local community, and – if included – to convince stakeholders that the local population is able to answer questions with rating scales (rather than simple yes/no questions). General rules for arranging the questions in a questionnaire are as follows:
Go from general to particular Go from easy to difficult Go from factual to abstract Start with simple demographic questions (e.g. education, main livelihood, age,…). Do not start with sensitive questions, including sensitive demographic questions (e.g. income). Be
aware that what is “sensitive information” is dependent upon the context. The question type determines the answer formats. Therefore, they must be compatible. In the following you will be introduced to requirements for meaningful questions, illustrated with good and bad examples, followed by a section on characteristics for good answers. REQUIREMENTS FOR QUESTIONS: GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES On the left hand side of the table you will find the requirements of a good question, followed by an illustrative example and further explanations. Sometimes, the examples include a “tick box” that are preceded by a number, e.g. “1”, “-4” or “88”. These are values that are being given to the response options (see Requirements for the Response Options, p. 8).
2 https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/accbe3_5c9557ff3d424500a4644e3e22e88bd4.pdf
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Requirements Examples Explanations
Simple “How much do you think that if you wash your hands with soap before you eat that this consumes much time or consumes not much time?” “How much do you think that washing hands with soap before eating is time-consuming or not time-consuming?”
While the meaning of the two questions is essentially the same, the first is formulated more long-windedly while the second is more straightforward.
Short “How much do you think that it may be disgusting or not disgusting if you drink untreated water which you had fetched from an unsafe water source?” “How much do you think that drinking untreated water is disgusting or not disgusting?” “How confident or unconfident are you to start washing hands with soap before handling food again after you had stopped to wash hands for several days, for example because there was no water or soap for handwashing?” “Imagine you have stopped washing hands with soap before handling food for several days, for example because there was no water or soap for handwashing. How confident or unconfident are you to start washing hands with soap and water before handling food again?”
While the meaning of the first two questions is essentially the same, the first includes additional aspects or information, which is not necessary but lengthens the question. If you have to ask a long, complex question (see third and fourth questions), to increase comprehension try to break it into several sentences (as in the fourth question).
Concrete “Do you wash your hands?” “Do you wash your hands with soap and water before eating?”
With the first question, we only gain information on whether the participant washes hands or not. However, no information is gained with regard to the handwashing agent or with regard to the key time. With the second question, we gain information on whether hands are washed with a specific agent at a specific key time.
Precise “In the past few weeks, how often did you fetch water at the safe source?” “In the past two weeks, how often did you fetch water at the safe source?”
In the first question, the time frame is very imprecise. For one participant, “past few weeks” might mean the last two weeks; for another, it may mean the last four weeks.
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“In the last 14 days, how often did you fetch water at the safe source?”
In the second question, the time frame is still imprecise as one person might understand it as the two weeks before this week and another as “the last 14 days”. In the last question, the time frame is precise; i.e. the last 14 days.
Unidimensional, without “and” or “or”
“How much do you like or dislike the temperature and the color of the water?”
-4 Dislike it much
-2 Dislike it
0 Either like or dislike it
2 Like it
4 Like it much
The question contains two separate ratings, one regarding the temperature and one regarding the colour of the water. A response may represent a weighting of the two aspects or the rating of that one aspect which is more important to the participant.
Without negation “How much is handwashing something you do without thinking?”
0 Not at all
1 A little
2 Quite
3 Much
4 Very much
“How much is handwashing something you do attentively?”
0 Not at all
1 A little
2 Quite
3 Much
4 Very much
Negations as applied in the first question tend to confuse participants. In particular, the meaning of the response “not at all” might be difficult to understand; it implies “I DO wash my hands WITH thinking”. If possible, it is advisable to omit negations and use positive wordings.
Without double negation
“How much is handwashing something you do not without thinking?”
0 Not at all
1 A little
2 Quite
3 Much
4 Very much
Double negations are even more confusing than negations; we risk receiving wrong answers due to misunderstandings. Double negations have to be omitted in any case.
Without expressions unfamiliar to the target population
Have you ever suffered from abdominal typhus?”
Depending on the sample, participants may or may not be familiar with the term abdominal typhus. In the latter case, the disease would first have to be explained to the participant.
Not suggestive “Do you agree that drinking untreated water is disgusting?”
The first question implies that drinking untreated water is disgusting.
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“How much do you think that drinking untreated water is disgusting or not disgusting?”
0 Not disgusting
1 A little disgusting
2 Quite disgusting
3 Disgusting
4 Very disgusting
The second question (1) emphasises the subjectivity of the rating, and (2) leaves open whether it is disgusting or not.
Careful regarding sensitive topics
“Where do you go to defecate?” “Where do you go to poop?”
Often the question is not so much whether it is possible to talk about a sensitive topic at all but rather which words are appropriate to use. Which topics are sensitive and which words are appropriate depend on the specific local context. In one context, for example, it is more appropriate to ask about “defecation”, while in another the appropriate word may be “pooping”.
In line with the response options
“Do you like or dislike the temperature of the water?”
-4 Dislike it much
-2 Dislike it
0 Either like or dislike it
2 Like it
4 Like it much
While the question is formulated as a yes-no question, the response option is a rating scale.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RESPONSE OPTIONS
Requirements Examples Explanations
Precise “At what time of the day do you usually go to fetch water?” 1 Morning 2 Afternoon 3 Evening 4 Irregularly “At what time of the day do you usually go to fetch water?” 1 Morning, before preparing breakfast 2 Morning, before eating breakfast 3 Morning, after breakfast
The answer options of the first question are very broad. Therefore, we cannot gain much information. For the second question, the answer options are much more specific, and we gain a clear picture about when a person fetches water.
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4 Morning, before preparing lunch 5 Noon, before eating lunch 6 Afternoon, after lunch 7 Afternoon, before preparing dinner 8 Evening, before eating dinner 9 Evening, after dinner 10 Evening, before going to sleep 11 Irregularly
Note. Depending on the context, people may not be used to thinking in hours. Therefore, specifying the time (e.g. at 9am) may be difficult for them. Often it is more appropriate to ask about tasks which they do before or after.
The grades should be of a consistent breadth.
Example with a consistent breadth:
0 Never
1 Seldom
2 Sometimes
3 Often
4 Always
Example with inconsistent breadth:
0 Never
1 Sometimes
2 Often
3 Very often
4 Always
Only with a consistent breadth can we calculate mean values in Step 2.3. In the lower example, the breadth between grade 0 and 1 is larger, and between 2, 3 and 4 smaller than between 1 and 2.
The scale at best contains 5 grades.
Example with 3 grades:
0 Never
1 Often
3 Always
Example with 5 grades:
0 Never
1 Seldom
2 Sometimes
3 Often
4 Always
Example with 7 grades:
0 Never
1 Very seldom
2 Seldom
3 Sometimes
4 Often
5 Very often
6 Always
With less than 5 grades, the rating scale is not able to differentiate adequately between participants. With more than 5 grades, participants tend to be overwhelmed by the number of response options and the degree of differentiation.
The scale should be unipolar or one sided (i.e. 0 to 4) if it represents an increase from “nothing” to “much”.
0 Not tiring
1 A little tiring
2 Quite tiring
3 Tiring
4 Very tiring
Use unipolar scales if the rating is of a dimension with a natural zero point or if the antonym is, in the specific case, meaningless.
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The scale should be bipolar or symmetric (i.e. -2 to 2) if it represents a two-sided increase starting from a neutral middle grade.
-4 Very difficult
-2 Difficult
0 Either difficult or easy
2 Easy
4 Very easy
Use bipolar scales if the rating is of a dimension from “negative” to “positive”, i.e. when the antonyms are both meaningful.
In the following you will be given examples of different question and answer formats that can be used.
QUESTION TYPES AND ANSWER FORMATS
On the left hand side of the table you will find the description of each question type, followed by an illustrative example and some further information, such as pros and cons. Sometimes, the examples include a “tick box” that are preceded by a number, e.g. “1”, “-4” or “88”. These are values that are being given to the response options, which is further explained in Requirements for the Response Options on p. 8. OPEN QUESTIONS
Description Examples Further information
The interviewer reads the question. The participant answers in his/her own words. The interviewer writes the answer(s) down.
Single-response question: What is the single most important reason to collect your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well? ……………………………………………
Advantages: We gain the participants’ own
answers Allows exploration of the range
of possible themes arising from an issue, including those which we had not anticipated
Can be used even if a comprehensive range of response options cannot be compiled
Disadvantage: Effortful and time-consuming for
the participant and the interviewer
Answers are difficult to compare Effortful and time-consuming for
the data processing, as the responses have to be categorized
Open multiple-response questions: Difficult to analyse.
For multiple-response questions: If the participant keeps silent after a response, the interviewer asks ‘Anything else?’ Only when the participant responds ‘No’ does the interviewer proceed to the next question.
Multiple-response question: What are the advantages of collecting your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well? ……………………………………………
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OPEN QUESTIONS WITH GIVEN RESPONSE OPTIONS
Description Examples Further information
The interviewer reads the question. The participant answers in his/her own words. Based on the answer(s), the interviewer selects the corresponding response option(s).
Single-response question: What is the single most important reason to collect your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well? 1 Taste 2 Distance 88 Other……………….
Advantage compared to the previous format: Responses are pre-
categorized to facilitate data gathering, entry, and processing
Prerequisite: knowledge about likely responses.
Disadvantage of open multiple-response questions: Difficult to analyse
For multiple-response questions: If the participant keeps silent after a response, the interviewer asks ‘Anything else?’ Only when the participant responds ‘No’ does the interviewer
Multiple-response question: What are the advantages of collecting your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well? 1 Taste 2 Distance 88 Other……………….
CLOSED QUESTIONS WITH RATING SCALES
Description Examples Further information
The interviewer reads the question and the response options. The participant chooses a response option. The interviewer ticks the chosen response option.
Unipolar: How much do you think that collecting all your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well is tiring or not tiring?
0 Not tiring
1 A little tiring
2 Quite tiring
3 Tiring
4 Very tiring
Bipolar: How difficult or easy is it to collect all your drinking and cooking water at the arsenic safe well?
-4 Very difficult
-2 Difficult
0 Either difficult or easy
2 Easy
4 Very easy
Advantage: Precise and explicit
responses Easy and quick to gather Easy to compare and
analyze Easy to report Disadvantage: Unknown responses or
aspects are not detectable.
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QUESTIONS USING SKIP OPTION (FILTERED QUESTIONS)
Description Examples Further information
Based on the response to question A, the interviewer asks questions B and C if the answer was ‘Yes’ or skips questions B and C if the answer was ‘No’.
A: Has anyone in your household had diarrhoea over the past 14 days? 1 Yes 0 No B: If yes to A: How many people? ………………………………………… C: If yes to A: Who was it? Male under 5 years Female under 5 years Male between 5 and 15 years Female between 5 and 15 years Male above 15 years Female above 15 years
Filter questions help to select the appropriate responses for certain questions. This is important to avoid asking meaningless questions. This will be further elucidated in the upcoming chapter on “skip options” (see below).
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III. CREATING A SURVEY WITH KOBO
SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT
To use the Kobo Toolbox platform and its features you must create an account. In order to do so, go to www.kobotoolbox.org and scroll down the page until you see the window displayed below. There are two options available. If you work for a humanitarian organisation you can choose the left option framed by the green box. Anyone else can use the option on the right framed by the yellow box.
The difference regarding the option chosen is that if you are working for a humanitarian organisation, you will get better (technical) support. In any case, the amount of storage space for data is unlimited and your data not public, unless you want it to be. TWO MODES OF CREATING A SURVEY With KoBo Toolbox you can create either online surveys using the KoBo platform, or offline by creating a XLS survey form using Microsoft Excel that you upload subsequently. The following list presents you some pros and cons of each option.
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Online Offline
+ – + –
Easy to understand
Time-consuming, because repetitive (e.g. yes/no answers)
Elegant & uncluttered
Needs some time to learn the basics
Changes must be adapted seperately for each question
Quick adoption of changes to the survey form
Needs a steady internet connection
Can be done from anywhere Changes can be lost if internet connection is interrupted
For the offline version, please visit www.xlsform.org where you will find an easy introduction on how to create a basic survey in Microsoft Excel.
THE ONLINE OPTION
Once you have created a new project choosing the option “Design in Form Builder” you can start formulating questions by clicking the “+” symbol (see red box).
When selecting the “+” symbol, a window with a blue frame will pop up that allows you to enter your question. Formulate your question and click on “+ Add Question”.
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It is recommended to always number your questions according to the logic they are subjected to. For instance:
1. Preliminary questions 1.a. Preliminary question #1 1.b. Preliminary question #2 1.b.1. Preliminary sub-question #1 1.b.1.a. Preliminary sub-sub-question #1
1.b.2. Preliminary sub-question #2 2. General questions 2.a. Preliminary question #1 2.b. Preliminary question #2 2.b.1. Preliminary sub-question #1 2.b.1.a. Preliminary sub-sub-question #1
2.b.2. Preliminary sub-question #2 This facilitates orientation when questionnaires are translated with letters different from e.g. the Latin characters, for example into Hindi, Chinese or Arabic.
ANSWER FORMATS
KoBo Toolbox offers you a variety of answer formats in order to provide the most suitable option depending on your question type. Once you have selected “+ Add Question”, a window will pop up from where you can choose of a range of different answer formats.
Some characteristics of the most common answer formats are outlined below. Depending on the question type, some of them are more suitable and can help to clarify or facilitate its readability, which enhances user friendliness. This becomes even more evident when other question options such as “appearance options” (see Appearance, p. 20) and/or “validation criteria” (see Validation criteria, p. 23) are used.
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Symbol Explanation
Allows you to collect information about “when” the particular survey takes place.
Allows you to locate the location, i.e. the “where” the particular survey takes place (works only outside of buildings!)
Allows you to enter an answer by text (difficult on smartphones due to small keypad)
Allows you to enter an answer using integral numbers
Allows you to enter an answer using decimal numbers
Given answer format, allows you to limit the selection of only one answer
Given answer format, allows you to select multiple answers
The Question Matrix response type allows users to create a group of questions that display in a matrix format, whereby each cell within the matrix represents a separate question. To use this response type, define the number of rows and columns you want in your matrix set and give each row and column a label or name. Each column can be a different question type.
NOTE: This response type only works when using Enketo (online)
Using the note option, a message or e.g. welcome note will be displayed, no answer needed/possible
Allows you to take a photo (be aware of data volume, might complicate uploading of finished surveys in case of poor internet connection)
Allows you to record an audio (be aware of data volume, might complicate uploading of finished surveys in case of poor internet connection)
Allows you to record a video (be aware of data volume, might complicate uploading of finished surveys in case of poor internet connection)
Inserts a tick box, can be combined with mandatory response, e.g. to acknowledge a declaration of consent
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ENTERING ANSWERS & ASSIGNING VALUES
Once you have decided on an answer format that includes a “given answer” you have the option of assigning values or characters to each answer. While the inserted answer option, i.e. “the label” is what will be displayed on the mobile device to the interviewee, in the value column you can define in what format the device saves the answer. For instance, you could assign the number. This is especially useful for data that is meant to be processed e.g. with a statistical program. Nevertheless, even though you have assigned different values to the labels, you will still be able to download both types of data (see Download data, p. 29). The default setting is set to “AUTOMATIC”. This means that if you do not make any modifications, KoBo will automatically assign a value based on the response option (“label”) entered once you have saved your form. Below you find an example for the default setting (see purple box) as well as an adjusted value column (see orange box). You make changes by selecting “AUTOMATIC” and entering the desired value. Default setting and automatic values
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Adjusted value column
QUESTION SETTINGS
Once you have formulated your question, selected “+ Add Question” and decided on a corresponding answer format, you have a variety of options to fine-tune your question. In order to do so, click on the toothed wheel on the right end of the question entry field (see red box).
The window displayed below will pop. You can choose between three different setting options (see green box):
the question options, the skip logic and validation criteria.
Each of them will subsequently be introduced in a separate sub-chapter.
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QUESTION OPTIONS The question options contains six different fine-tune options. Data column name This field is mandatory for every question. Only letters, numbers, and underscores are allowed in this field, and the field must start with a letter or an underscore. KoBoToolbox will automatically give every questions a default name to begin with (such as how_old_are_you), but you can change it to anything you like, such as age or A01. The name (ID) is important because it is used in the column headers of tables and spreadsheets after your data has been collected. If you want your spreadsheet to follow a specific naming convention, you should specify the name for each of your questions before deploying the form as a data collection project. Note that the automatic naming of questions is based on Latin characters only. If your question labels don't use any Latin characters, your automatic names would be just underscores and number Question hint Hints are help texts that will be displayed underneath your questions on the form. Hints are optional. The hint text is often used to provide additional instructions to your interviewer staff. For example, your question label might be “How old are you?” and your hint might be “If respondent doesn't know, enter 999”. Mandatory response If a question is required, the interviewer needs to provide an answer in order to finalise the form. 'Read a Note' questions cannot be made required because the interviewer cannot actually give a response to it (notes only consist of a label - see Response Options. Default response This allows specifying a default response that the interviewer can accept or change. In most studies this would not be recommended as it might create an accidental bias, but it may be useful for date or time questions where the responses tend to be around a certain known point. For date questions, the default response needs to be written in the format YYYY-MM-DD e.g. 1974-12-31). For Select One or Select Many questions the response needs to be written using the unique Value - not the label (e.g. first_grade rather than First grade).
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Appearance This advanced setting allows displaying the question in a modified way. A list of possible appearance values is outlined below. KoBoToolbox has integrated a list of possible appearance options through a dropdown menu. However, compared to the ODK based survey creation (see table below), the range is limited – and not all of them are working on smartphones. List of appearance options
Appearance attribute Question type Description
multiline text Best if used with web clients, makes the text box multiple lines long.
minimal select_one, select_multiple Answer choices appear in a pull-down menu.
quick select_one Relevant for mobile clients only, this attribute auto-advances the form to the next question after an answer is selected.
no-calendar date For mobile devices only, used to suppress the calendar.
month-year date Select a month and year only for the date.
year date Select only a year for the date.
horizontal-compact
select_one, select_multiple For web clients only, this displays the answer choices horizontally.
horizontal select_one, select_multiple
For web clients only, this displays the answer choices horizontally, but in columns.
likert select_one Best if used with web clients, makes the answer choices appear as a Likert scale.
compact
select_one, select_multiple [choices with images]
Arranges image answer choices side by side.
quickcompact select_one [choices with images]
Same as previous, but this one auto-advances to the next question (in mobile clients only).
field-list groups Entire group of questions appear on one screen (for mobile clients only).
label select_one, select_multiple
Displays answer choice labels (and not inputs).
list-nolabel select_one, select_multiple
Used in conjunction with label attribute above, displays the answer inputs without the labels (make sure to put label and list-nolabel fields inside a group with field-list attribute if using mobile client).
table-list groups An easier way to achieve the same appearance as above, apply this attribute to the entire group of questions (might slow down the form a bit).
signature image Allows you to trace your signature into your form (mobile clients only).
draw image Allows you to sketch a drawing with your finger on the mobile device screen.
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SKIP LOGIC Skip logic controls which question should be displayed only if a certain condition is (or multiple conditions are) fulfilled. Skip logic is also sometimes referred to as “filtered questions”, “branching” or “relevant conditions”. By default, all questions are always visible. Conditions are always applied to the question or group that should be sometimes hidden, sometimes visible. (This is important, as many paper surveys approach the problem from the other direction, writing things like "If yes, go to question 35".) Conditions can be added to each question by clicking on Settings inside the question card, then Skip Logic. There are two ways to add a skip logic condition:
• Add a condition: Use the skip logic wizard to help you build your conditions (recommended) • Manually enter your skip logic in XLSForm code: Use the XLSForm syntax to build advanced
conditions Example
Q.1. Are you currently in school?
Q.1.a. Which grade are you in? You would want to display the second question only if the respondent answers 'Yes' to the first question. The correct skip logic condition should display: Q.1. Are you currently in school? = Yes (see orange box)
You can delete skip logic conditions by clicking on the trash can symbol. To add multiple conditions, add your first one, then click on the “Add another condition” button.
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Example
Q.2.a. How often do you eat in the cafeteria?
Q.2.a.1. In your opinion, how much do you like the food served in the cafeteria?
You can choose between four different conditions:
The follow-up question (Q.2.a.1.) outlined above does only make sense for people that are eating in the cafeteria. In this case, you could choose either skip condition options “c)” or “d)”: Either add the condition that the follow-up question only appears if the answers “Sometimes”, “Often” and “Always” were selected ((=), i.e. using option “c)”), or if the answers “Never” and “Rarely” were answered ((not (!=), i.e. option “d)”). In the example below (see orange box), option “d)” is outlined, since it requires only two (instead of three) conditions.
a) general condition for a previous question that has been answered
b) general condition for a previous question that has not been answered
c) condition must be equal to a particular answer option
d) condition must not be equal to a particular answer option
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When using two or more conditions, be sure to choose between the two options whether the question should match any (at least one) of these criteria (see purple box), or all of them.
VALIDATION CRITERIA Validation criteria are also sometimes referred to as constraints. This feature allows you to avoid accidental or invalid answers, especially in numeric questions (Integer or Decimal response types). However, validation can be used on any question. To add validation criteria for a specific question, go to Settings, then Validation Criteria. Example Assume you would be interested in the price satisfaction of students eating in the local cafeteria. You would first ask about their satisfaction to sort out those satisfied with the pricing, e.g. with a scale ranging from “I like it much” to “I dislike it much”.
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For those dissatisfied with the price setting, you could insert a follow-up question (using skip logic) as outlined below:
Q.2.A.1.a. In your opinion, how much do you 'like' or 'dislike' the price setting for a lunch meal in the cafeteria?
Q.2.A.1.a.1. What would be a price that you would find reasonable for a lunch meal? Assume secondly that the current price for a meal was $15. Now it makes sense to insert a validation criterion to prevent implausible answers from being entered.
In this case, you insert the condition that only entries between 0 and 15 are accepted (see orange box). If the interviewee enters a value outside of that range, you can indicate that with an error message that pops-up (see purple box).
There are many other possible combinations, including advanced mathematical calculations. Click here for more details.
GROUPING QUESTIONS
Groups are collection of one or more questions inside a form. Groups can also be grouped themselves. There are many scenarios when using groups can be useful:
• A large form can be divided into multiple large sections • Several questions can be skipped by grouping them and setting a single Skip logic condition • A set of questions should be repeated indefinitely for every unit, such as members of a household • A set of questions should be displayed together on the same screen during data entry
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Creating Groups and Displaying Multiple Questions on the Same Screen
1. To create a group just select one question, then click the Group Questions button (see red box). Then, drag and drop the other questions in your form that you want included in this group.
2. A group label can be changed just like question labels. The label will appear above the questions that are within it (see green box).
3. You can drag questions into a group, or out of them (there has to remain at least one question in the
group though). You can also drag-and-drop the entire group to a different location.
4. To remove a group, click the Delete button in the group header (see orange box). It will only break apart the group; its child questions will not be affected.
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IV. SURVEY DEPLOYMENT & DATA COLLECTION
DEPLOY YOUR SURVEY FORM
When you are working on your survey form and save it every now and then, the form is saved as a draft. In order to be able to download the survey on a mobile device or to make it accessible online via Enketo and collect data, you must deploy your form. To deploy a survey, consider the following steps:
1. Select your project list (see red box) 2. Select the project you want to deploy 3. Click on “DEPLOY” (see green box), you will receive a confirmation message in the left bottom corner
once your project has successfully been deployed
CONNECTING THE MOBILE DEVICE WITH THE ONLINE ACCOUNT
In order to fill out a survey on a mobile device using an (offline) application, make sure you download a corresponding application. We recommend “ODK Collect”. To download an application, consider the following steps:
1. Open “Google Play” 2. Download “ODK Collect”
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CONNECT TO YOUR ACCOUNT
To connect your survey on a mobile phone with an application (e.g. ODK Collect), consider the following steps:
1. Open the application 2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner (see red box) 3. Select “General Settings” 4. Select “Server” (see green box) 5. Adapt the URL. The URL consists of the server-address and your username (see orange box).
Depending on your account (NGO or private researcher, see Setting Up an Account, p.13), you either connect to the KoBo Toolbox (kc.kobotoolbox.org) or the UNOCHA server (kc.humanitarianresponse.info).
GET YOUR SURVEY FORM In order to download your deployed3 survey form consider the following steps:
1. Open the application 2. Select “Get Blank Form” (see red box) 3. Select the forms you want to download (tick box, see green box)
3 Important: Only deployed projects are accessible for the mobile application. Make sure to always deploy your project and to download the newest version if you make any modifications to your survey form.
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4. Click on “Get Selected” (see orange box) 5. Go back to the main menu and choose “Fill Blank Form” (see purple box)
UPLOAD DATA In order to upload your completed survey form(s) consider the following steps:
1. Open the application 2. Select “Send Finalized Form” (see red box) 3. Select the forms you want to upload (tick box, see green box) 4. Click on “Send Selected” (see orange box) 5. You will receive a confirmation message if the submission was successful (see purple box)
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DOWNLOAD DATA You can download your data in multiple formats. As soon as any data has been collected, the following formats are available for download:
XLS (formatted spreadsheet) CSV (comma separated values) ZIP (a zip folder of your photos, videos, or sound recordings - if applicable) KML (a file containing all the GPS points collected - if applicable)
XLS and CSV export types have additional, one-time options that can be reached by clicking the "Advanced Export" button on their respective pages. These options disabling of the automatic disaggregation of responses to select-many questions into a binary column for each possible response, and changing the group delimiter when naming sub-items of groups and select-many responses. To download collected data go to your list of projects (see red box) and select the respective project. Note: You can only download data when data has been submitted (see green box).
In order to download your data consider the following steps
1. In the top row, select “DATA” (see red box), 2. then select “Downloads” (see green box). 3. You can then select the export type (see orange box) and in what format the values and headers should
be (see purple box). 4. Export your data (see blue box)
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V. REFERENCES
Literature:
Mansoor, A. (2010): The Pitfalls of Questionnaires. Process Brief. Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, UK: Practical Action. URL: http://medbox.iiab.me/modules/en-practical_action/Social%20and%20economic%20development/Social%20Development/The%20pitfalls%20of%20questionaires_KnO-100376.pdf
Mosler, H.-J., Contzen, N. (2016). Systematic Behavior Change in Water Sanitation and Hygiene. A practical guide using the RANAS approach. Version 1.1. Dübendorf, Switzerland: Eawag. URL : https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/accbe3_5c9557ff3d424500a4644e3e22e88bd4.pdf
Links:
www.sandec.ch/facet
www.kobotoolbox.com
Contact information:
Vasco Schelbert [email protected]
Eawag-Sandec, 2021
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