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

data collectiondata 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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Percent of People Using Smart Phones: Selected Countries in EuropeSource: Google Consumer Barometer

0 %

25 %

50 %

75 %

100 %

Norway

United

Kin

gdom

Sweden

Denm

ark

Spain

Irelan

d

Nethe

rland

s

Switzer

land

Finlan

d

Franc

e

Austri

a

Germ

any

Italy

Hunga

ry

Belgium

Russia

Greec

e

Portu

gal

Czech

Rep

ublic

Poland

Slovak

ia

Turke

y

Roman

ia

Ukrain

e

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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)

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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 2001:159-160)

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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/Windows 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 Advantages Disadvantages

Web pages, eg HTML, javascript + CSS

PC •Big screens

•Easier to make user friendly and standard layout

•Attached to one locality (only deskPC),•Can be outdated

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

•Standard, Works on all devices.

•Formatting often interpreted differently on different machines.

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

Sample of renters

Letter of invitation SSB

RentalSurvey

Download App by qr

code

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

Sample of renters

Letter of invitation SSB

RentalSurvey

Download App by qr

code

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://surveypractice.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/smart-surveys-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 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.mobileresearchconference.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: 319–335.