However, where data to be collected by fieldworkers are primarily quantitative in nature, here are my top 10 reasons (in no particular order) to use a good mobile data collection service (I’d like to include Mobile Researcher in that category but will let others decide that):

1. Capture once: With Mobile Researcher, you only capture the data once – in the field during survey conduction – it is then available for export as an Excel file (for example) once it has uploaded from the handset.
2. Validate in the field: Mobile Researcher allows you to design logic and validation rules which prevent many common erroneous entries (the clichéd “pregnant male”, accidentally skipped questions, etc) in the field. As there’s no separate data capture involved, there are also fewer points of failure.
3. Reduce latency: Data collected via Mobile Researcher is available for analysis as soon as it is uploaded – typically within a few minutes. This allows for faster analysis, near real-time data cleaning (automated or manual) and the opportunity to pick up anomalies while the study is in progress rather than weeks or months afterwards.
4. Conserve the environment: Obviously not using paper saves money and trees. We’ve had thousands of survey responses, each equivalent to 50 printed pages or more, captured using Mobile Researcher.
5. Reduce cost: In many cases, using Mobile Researcher is actually cheaper than paper (apart from the other benefits).  This is due to the removal of the exhausting print, distribute, collect and capture processes.
6. Increase flexibility: Surveys can be modified very easily – even with fieldworkers in the field. Survey design errors can be corrected, missed questions added, confusing questions rephrased, etc.  That’s very expensive and logistically taxing with paper.
7. Monitor activity: Using Mobile Researcher you can see what time surveys were started and completed. If the handset is GPS-enabled, we will also stamp the location of where the survey took place.
8. Improve data integrity: Once data has been captured using Mobile Researcher a full audit trail is maintained recording who modified data (if they even have permission to do so), when it was modified and what it was modified from and to.  Ensuring data is able to be cleaned without being incorrectly altered is more challenging on paper.
9. Preserve confidentiality: Once data has been captured on Mobile Researcher, it is securely transmitted to our servers.  Only authorised personnel you grant access to can view the data (there are other very granular permissions as well).  Our systems utilise the same level of encryption used by online banks.
10. Simplify survey conduction: Fieldworkers don’t need to understand branching or skip logic – this is built into the design of the survey.  Based on their response to each question, they are automatically directed to the next appropriate question.  This simplifies training substantially – particularly where prerequisites are complex.

I’ve covered some of the challenges involved in paper-based data collection in several previous posts but here I wanted to summarise the key factors I feel are important.

Perhaps there are other factors which are more important to you? Or are their areas where you disagree? Feel free to post your thoughts.