Deploy a field survey with an app collection link

This tutorial outlines the steps for designing and deploying an app collection link for mobile data collection in a field survey.

When conducting a field survey (such as a KAP survey or a baseline survey for your project), you need to deploy a data collection form that can easily be used by enumerators. Enumerators often need to collect data from remote areas with limited connectivity, and need to move about quickly to gather large volumes of data, for example from one household to another.

With app collection links, Form designers can deploy a survey that enumerators can install on a mobile device (phone or tablet). App collection links enable one-way data entry from users without requiring a license. This means that anyone who has the link can add Records to your Form but they are not able to view the submitted Records. Data collectors using an app collection link can add Records even when offline. App collection links are supported on both Android and iOS devices.

To follow this tutorial, you will need to have the permissions to perform the following Operations:

• Add forms, folders, and reports
• Manage collection links

If your data collectors need to have access to submitted Records (e.g. to be able to view the historical data) or if they need to be authenticated when submitting Records (especially when working with sensitive information), then they will need to use ActivityInfo’s full mobile app. Using the full mobile app requires that the user has a paid license, has been added to the Database, and is logged in.

The full mobile app can be installed on Android or on iOS devices.

Step 1. Set up a Form for your survey

To successfully deploy a collection link, you need to first create a Database to store the incoming data. Then you need to design a Form, add Fields that can capture the survey questions and answers. Note that you can only add Databases and design Forms on the Desktop site.

Let’s set up a survey Form to collect data from the participants of our project. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your Database. If you do not yet have a Database, see Add a Database.

If you don’t have the permission to add Databases, you can sign up for a free trial of ActivityInfo.

2. Click “Add form.”
3. Name the Form (e.g. “Annual Farm Survey”).
4. Click “Add Field” to add the questions to your survey. Add a field for each question that you need to ask in your survey. To work with a pre-built example, you can use the Development Assistance Project database template.
5. The Form is created and you are redirected to the default view of your Form. To change to a different view, see Changing the Default view.

Step 2. Add an app collection link

Once the Form design is done, add an app collection link through which you can start collecting responses.

You can open a collection link from the Table View of your Form. To do so, follow these steps:

1. From the toolbar, click “Collection link.”
2. From the options presented, click “Add app collection link”.

3. Click “Copy URL.”
4. Share the collection link with your data collectors via email, WhatsApp or other messaging platforms.

You can open multiple collection links as needed (for example, when collecting responses across different channels or from different groups).

Step 3. Deploy the app collection link

When enumerators open the collection link you sent, they will be prompted to download the Form as an app to their mobile device. This saves the Form as a Progressive Web App (PWA).

Enumerators need to follow these steps to download the app to their mobile device:

1. Open the medium through which they received the collection link.
2. Click on the link. They will be prompted to save the Form as an app to their device.

Always be mindful of cyber security when opening links. Verify the source, and report phishing attempts to your IT department.

3. Follow the instructions on their screen to save the app to their device.
   

4. The survey form app is installed on the home screen of the device.

Step 4. Submit Records using the app collection link

Once the app is installed, enumerators are able to start submitting Records. To do so, they need to follow these steps:

1. Open the app on your device.
   When they first open the app, they see that no draft Records have been entered yet.

2. To begin adding Records, click “Add record” at the bottom of the page.

3. Proceed with filling out the required fields.
4. If enumerators are unable to provide all the required data at this time, they can save the Records as a draft. To do so, click on “CLOSE” in the top navigation bar, then click on “Save as draft”. Otherwise, they can discard any entered data or return to data entry.

5. Once the enumerator fills out all the required fields and is back online, they can immediately send the Record to the server by clicking on “Submit record”.
   If they are offline, enumerators are prompted to save the Record as a draft.

6. To add another Record, repeat steps 2-5.

It is possible to come back to the app to submit additional Records at a later time.

7. When enumerators enter all the Records they wish to submit, they can review their drafts. You can edit any Record that is marked as “Invalid”. Click on any record to view the data entered. For fields that have validation issues, an error message is displayed, explaining what the issue is.
8. When all drafts are valid and you the user is online, they can proceed with submitting your Records by clicking “Submit all valid drafts.”

Step 5. Close the collection link

When you as a Database administrator have collected all the required data, you can close the app collection link. Closing the app collection link prevents users from submitting any more Records using that link.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the “Collection link” button in the toolbar.
2. Select the collection link you wish to close and click on the “Close collection link” button.

As a result, ActivityInfo informs users who try to open the previously shared URL that the link has been closed.

Step 6. Analyze your data

Now that you collected all the data, it is time to make sense of the Records.

You can easily analyze your data by adding a Report.

There you have it! You successfully designed and deployed an app collection link for mobile data collection in field surveys.