Why this matters
Paper questionnaires are slow to enter and easy to get wrong. Most NGOs and research teams now collect field data on phones with free tools such as KoboToolbox and ODK, and several M&E and research adverts name them directly. If you can build a working form, test it and download clean results, you have a practical skill that projects across northern Ghana need.
The tools
ODK (Open Data Kit) is a free, open source set of tools for phone data collection. KoboToolbox is built on ODK technology and adds a friendly website where you can build forms, store submissions and download data. KoboToolbox has a free plan for individuals with usage limits you will not reach while learning, which makes it a good place to start. Forms work in the KoboCollect or ODK Collect Android apps and also in a web browser.
Both tools collect data offline. Enumerators fill forms in a village with no signal, and the phone sends the submissions when it next connects.
Two ways to build a form
- The Formbuilder in KoboToolbox lets you add questions by tapping and typing. It is the easiest way to begin.
- XLSForm is a spreadsheet layout that both KoboToolbox and ODK understand. You write each question as a row in a sheet called survey, and list answer options in a sheet called choices. Larger projects use XLSForm because it is easy to review, copy and translate.