How can we utilize apps and smart phone technology in future data collection

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How can we utilize apps and smart phone
technology in future data collection

• Trond Båshus, Hilde Degerdal, Rune Gløersen,
• Dag Gravem and Øyvin Kleven
• Statistics Norway
• Seminar on New Frontiers for Statistical Data
  Collection,
• Geneva, Switzerland, 31 October 2 November 2012

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Dealing with Mobile Web

• In many countries smart phones have become a
  device that replace or supplement the role of our
  PCs, cameras, telephones, cam recorders, video
  players, notebooks etc.

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Dealing with Mobile Web

• Most of our knowledge on how to make good
  questionnaires is based on experiences with pcs
  and big screens. In the very near future we
  might also need to make all our questionnaires
  usable for smart phones..
• This might radically change the way we are
  thinking about good questionnaire design.
• In the research litterateur on questionnaire
  design there is a growing interest in
  Smartphone's and tablets (For example Petchev and
  Hill (2010), Couper 2010)

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Dealing with Mobile Web

• Many organisations are developing surveys
  specifically for smart phones
• For example has CentERdata (University of
  Tilburg) developed a Web version of the style
  sheet for Blaise IS (Amin and Wijnant 2012)

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• Rather than being at the forefront of the latest
  innovations in the conduct of social surveys web
  surveys, survey methodologists are playing
  catch-up as they learn to master these new survey
  development tools
• (Dillman Bowker 2001159-160)

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• Respondents have gone ahead of both survey
  methodologists and survey companies/survey
  platforms. Without asking our permission they
  are filling out surveys from whatever device they
  have at hand at that moment
• Callegaro 2012

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How can a NSI deal with the fact that respondents
are filling in our surveys by mobile devices?

• There are ways to detect what devices respondents
  are using to complete surveys (Callegaro 2010)
• Ignore it, make no change to the online survey
• Blocking mobile phone respondents, redirect them
  to complete the survey on laptop/desk computer
• Develop a mobile survey version optimized to a
  specific type of mobile device (Iphone/Android/Win
  dows 8)
• Creating an online version of the survey
  accessible by any device

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How many are actually filling in our surveys with
smart phones?

• Research litterateur suggest it depends of the
  survey and the type of respondents (Couper 2012)
• Litterateur suggest between 3 30 (average 5
  )
• In other words probably not our biggest problem
  at the moment
• But for the generations to come it can be a
  bigger problem

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Advantages and disadvantages for Web
questionnaire on PCs vs smartphones
Software Hardware Hardware Hardware Advantages Disadvantages
Web pages, eg HTML, javascript CSS PC PC PC Big screens Easier to make user friendly and standard layout Attached to one locality (only deskPC), Can be outdated
Web pages, eg HTML, javascript CSS Smartphones Smartphones Smartphones Respondent can fill in the survey on the move Formatting often interpreted differently on different machines. Many surveys of today is to long to be completed on a small screen

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Advantages and disadvantages for web pages vs
apps on smartphones
Hardware Advantages Disadvantages
Smart- phones Web pages, eg HTML, javascript CSS Web pages, eg HTML, javascript CSS Web pages, eg HTML, javascript CSS Standard, Works on all devices. Formatting often interpreted differently on different machines.
Smart- phones Apps Apps Apps Persistent internet connection not needed. Survey alerts, reminders can be automated Need separate app for each OS. Requires respondent to install app  

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Examples of what often happens when trying to use
a smart phone to complete a survey
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Examples of what often happens when trying to use
a smart phone to complete a survey
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The road ahead rebuilding our surveys for the
lowest common denominator?

• It would be a shame if Web survey design
  prescriptions resulted in cockie-cutter designs
  or in one-size-fits-all approaches Designing for
  the lowest common denominator, thereby avoiding
  any design enhancements, would lead to boring
  surveys and a lack of innovations.
• Mick P. Couper Designing Effective Web Surveys
• Many of our surveys are complicated and takes
  quite a long time to complete, to adjust them to
  a smart phone environment seems not to be a god
  idea.
• Ergonomics and technology

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Better to identify surveys that are suitable for
smart phone environments

• An example of how our Rental Survey can use apps
  and smart phone technology

Download App by qr code
Sample of renters
Letter of invitation
SSB Rental Survey
Respondent fill in the Survey on the smart
phone
The app activates once a month
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Letter of invitation
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Better to identify surveys that are suitable for
smart phone environments

• An example of how our Rental Survey can use apps
  and smart phone technology

Download App by qr code
Sample of renters
Letter of invitation
SSB Rental Survey
Respondent fill in the Survey on the smart
phone
The app activates once a month
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Demo of how aquestionnaire from app
could/should look like
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• Danger of selection effects when only using smart
  phones
• Respondents who have not completed the survey
  after a week need to be re-contacted and asked to
  complete the survey by other modes
• There need to be a volume of respondents
  downloading the app, else it is not cost efficient

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Litterateur/References

• Amin, Alerk and Arnaud Wijnant 2012. Blaise
  On-the-Go Using Blaise IS With Mobile Devices
  Paper presented at the IBUC 2012. 14th
  International Blaise Users Conference
• Buskirk, T.D. and C. Andrus. 2012. Smart surveys
  for smartphone exploring various approaches for
  conducting online mobile surveys via smartphones.
  Survey Practice. Available at http//surveypracti
  ce.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/smart-surveys-for-smar
  t-phones/.
• Callegaro, M. 2010. Do you know which device your
  respondent has used to take your online survey?
  Survey Practice. Available at http//surveypracti
  ce.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/device-respondent-has-
  used/.
• Callegaro, M. and T. Macer. 2011. Designing
  surveys for mobile devices pocket-sized surveys
  and yield powerful results. Short-course
  presented at the annual meeting of the American
  Association for Public Opinion Research, Phoenix,
  AZ.
• Callegaro, M 2012. Coping with panelists taking
  surveys from devices other than a desktop/laptop.
  Methodological and questionnaire design
  considerations. Paper presented at the 6th Mess
  Workshop
• Couper, Mick P. 2008. Designing Effective Web
  Surveys. New York Cambridge University Press
• Couper, M. P. (2010). Visual design in online
  surveys Learnings for the mobile world.
  Presented at the Mobile Research Conference 2010,
  London. Retrieved from http//www.mobileresearchco
  nference.com/uploads/files/MRC2010_Couper_Keynote.
  pdf ,
• Couper, Mick P. 2012. Dealing with Mobile Web
  Surveys. Seminar held at Statistics Norway 15th
  October 2012.
• Dillman, D. A., Bowker, D. K. (2001). The Web
  questionnaire challenge to survey methodologists.
  In U. D. Reips, M. Bosnjak (Eds.), Dimensions
  of Internet science (pp. 159-178). Lengerich
  Pabst Science Publishers.
• Peytchev, A.A. and C.A. Hill. 2010. Experiments
  in mobile web survey design similarities to
  other modes and unique considerations. Social
  Science Computer Review 28 319335.