1 How can we utilize apps and smart

1 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 1

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. 2

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Dealing with Mobile Web • Most of our knowledge on how to make good questionnaires is based on experiences with pc’s 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) 4

Dealing with Mobile Web • Many organisations are developing surveys specifically for smart phones • For example has Cent. ERdata (University of Tilburg) developed a Web version of the style sheet for Blaise IS (Amin and Wijnant 2012) 5

”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 2001: 159 -160) 6

”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 7

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/Windows 8) – Creating an online version of the survey accessible by any device 8

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 9

Advantages and disadvantages for Web questionnaire on PCs vs smartphones Software Web pages, eg HTML, javascript + CSS Hardware Advantages Disadvantages PC • Big screens • Easier to make user • Attached to one locality (only friendly and standard layout Smartphones desk. PC), • Can be outdated • Respondent can fill in the • Formatting often interpreted survey “on the move” differently on different machines. • Many surveys of today is to long to be completed on a “small” screen 10

Advantages and disadvantages for web pages vs apps on smartphones Hardware Smartphones Advantages Disadvantages Web pages, eg HTML, javascript + CSS • Standard, Works on all • Formatting often interpreted devices. differently on different machines. Apps • Persistent internet • Need separate app for each OS. connection not needed. Requires respondent to install app • Survey alerts, reminders can be automated 11

Examples of what often happens when trying to use a smart phone to complete a survey 12

Examples of what often happens when trying to use a smart phone to complete a survey 13

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 14

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 Sample of renters Letter of invitation Download App by qr code The app activates once a month SSB Rental Survey Respondent fill in the Survey on the smart phone 15

Letter of invitation 16

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 Sample of renters Letter of invitation Download App by qr code The app activates once a month SSB Rental Survey Respondent fill in the Survey on the smart phone 17

Demo of how a questionnaire from app could/should look like 18

• 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 19

Litterateur/References Amin, Alerk and Arnaud Wijnant 2012. Blaise On-the-Go: Using Blaise IS With Mobile Devices Paper presented at the IBUC 2012. 14 th 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: //surveypractice. wordpress. com/2012/02/21/smartsurveys-for-smart-phones/. Callegaro, M. 2010. Do you know which device your respondent has used to take your online survey? Survey Practice. Available at: http: //surveypractice. 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 6 th 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. mobileresearchconference. com/uploads/files/MRC 2010_Couper_Keynote. pdf , Couper, Mick P. 2012. Dealing with Mobile Web Surveys. Seminar held at Statistics Norway 15 th 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: 319– 335. 20