1. Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Using Mobile Technologies to Conduct PDA-Based Surveys in Remote Areas
Part II: Electronic Form Design and Data Management Methods
Module 7 of 10
PDA-Based Electronic Form Design I
Jeffrey Shaffer, Ph.D.
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine 1 1 1 1 1

2. Electronic Form Design and Data Management Methods
Module 7
Electronic Form Design and Data Management Methods
Module 8
PDA-Based Electronic Form Design II
Module 6
Motivation and Practices
Module 9
Data Preparation, Management, and Visualization
Module 7
PDA-Based Electronic Form Design I
Module 10
A Complete Case Study 2 2 2 2 2

3. Module 7 Learning Objectives
1. Identify several issues involved with setting up mobile-based forms for household survey questionnaires.
2. List the basic requirements for developing mobile-based forms.
3. Identify the components of mobile-based forms
4. Describe the steps for constructing mobile-based forms.
5. Understand the structure of mobile tables and describe how they relate to mobile-based forms.
6. List the basic control types associated with
mobile-based forms. 3 3 3 3 3

4. Module 7
The Problem
The household survey covered in this course calls for e-forms to be developed to record three levels of information:
Household
e.g., location, house material, power, pets
Mother
e.g., health insurance, age, education
Child
e.g., vaccinations, age, weight 4 4 4 4 4

5. The Problem Partial screenshots for each of the forms are given below.
Module 7
The Problem
Partial screenshots for each of the forms are given below.
Household
survey –
36 questions
Mother survey –
32 questions
Child survey –
19 questions 5

6. Module 7
The Problem
The paper forms are shown in Spanish as the study setting is two rural communities in Mexico.
The objective is to create three forms, one each for household, mother, and children data
It is preferred to make the forms relational to facilitate data entry and management. 6 6 6 6 6

7. The Problem A three-level hierarchical structure Level 3 - Household
Module 7
The Problem
A three-level hierarchical structure
Level 3 - Household
Level 2 - Mother
Mother 1
Mother 2
Level 1 - Child
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
Child 4 7

8. Module 7
Linking the Forms
Define a field for a unique household identifier, and use it to link the forms.
Facilitates navigation among the forms and records
Reduces likelihood of data entry errors
Household Form
Household # ____
Question 1…..
Question 2….. :
Mother Form
Household # ____
Question 1…..
Question 2….. :
Child Form
Household # ____
Question 1…..
Question 2….. :

9. Linking the Forms Assign a unique identifier to each household
Module 7
Linking the Forms
Assign a unique identifier to each household
Considerations
Mother, no children
Multiple mothers
No mothers, some children

10. What is Required to Create a PDA-Based E-Form?
Module 7
What is Required to Create a PDA-Based E-Form?
Desktop or laptop computer
PDA (≈ 300 USD)
Software for developing PDA-based e-forms
e.g., Visual CE (≈ 129 USD)
Data synchronization application (freely available)

11. Software Resources – Form Design
Module 7
Software Resources – Form Design
Visual CE
Use: PDA questionnaire design
URL:
Price: $129
System Requirements:
PC: Windows 95 or later
Mobile device: Windows CE device with Windows Mobile (Classic, Standard, Professional, or Embedded versions) or Windows CE 3.0
or later.

12. Classifications of Windows Operating Systems
Module 7
Classifications of Windows Operating Systems
Windows – entire collection of all Microsoft operating systems.
Windows XP, Vista, 7 – specific versions of Windows for desktop or laptop computers.
Windows CE – a flexible, core operating system for handheld devices.
Windows Mobile – a specialized operating system that uses Windows CE as its core structure
(formerly called Pocket PC).

13. Steps for Constructing PDA Forms
Module 7
Steps for Constructing PDA Forms
1. Construct form on laptop / PC (Visual CE software)
3. Final form on the PDA device
2. Synchronize (MS ActiveSync / MS Mobile Device Center)

14. Form Content Module 7 Macros Labels Controls
Images may also be used, but consider available space.

15. Developing PDA-Based E-forms
Module 7
Developing PDA-Based E-forms
Four main issues:
1. Designing the mobile table.
2. Matching each variable in the mobile table with an appropriate input mechanism, which is known as a control.
3. Designing the layout of the e-form (Module 8).
4. Assigning macros to make forms the user interface more user-friendly and make the forms relational (Module 8). 15 15 15 15 15

16. The Visual CE Interface
Module 7
The Visual CE Interface
Main menu
Control buttons
Standard toolbar
Form editor 16 16 16 16 16

17. Designing a Mobile Table
Module 7
Designing a Mobile Table
From the main menu, File > Create Table…
Table name
Variable name
Click to assign variable and define its type 17 17 17 17 17

18. Designing a Mobile Table
Module 7
Designing a Mobile Table
Variable Type
Usage / Notes
Text
Integer
Floating pt.
Date/Time
Memo
Picture
Yes/No
Short string responses; allows for input masks; user can add responses to drop-down lists; permits multi-value selection
Numeric, no decimal places
Numeric with decimal places
Dates or times
Long string responses; user can add info in drop-down lists; permits multi-value selection
Pictures and scribble notes
Typically associated with a single checkbox 18 18 18 18 18

19. Module 7
A Mobile Table
Controls
Associated variables 19

20. Module 7
Visual CE Controls
From the main menu, click Control
The next step is to define and associate appropriate controls for each of the variables in the mobile table.
We adopt the terminology described in the Visual CE (version 12) documentation. 20 20 20 20 20

21. Module 7
Control Descriptions
Label – static descriptive text; describes the form and its interactive controls.
Edit box – a single-line text box.
Note box – a multi-line text box.
Checkbox – a selection box that can be either selected or left empty. 21 21 21 21 21

22. Module 7
Control Descriptions
Drop-down list – set of choices; one or more selections permitted.
Radio buttons – set of choices; one selection permitted.
Calculated field – no user entry; field is calculated based on responses from another field(s).
Command button – essentially a macro feature. 22 22 22 22 22

23. Control Descriptions Scribble box – best suited for signature fields.
Module 7
Control Descriptions
Scribble box – best suited for signature fields.
Timestamp – a single touch or click inserts the current date or time.
Image – for displaying images or inserting electronic attachments.
Jump button – best suited for navigating among multiple forms; covered in Module 8. 23 23 23 23 23

24. Module 7
Control Descriptions
AutoNumber – a sequential identifier for each record in a table
Lookup – data displayed from a related table
Grid control – displays entire record from data in a lookup field
mEnable stoplight – used to monitor the status of real-time synchronization activity between a PDA and a remote database.
Red – disconnect from remote database
Yellow – execute synchronization
Green – connect to remote database 24 24 24 24 24

25. Issues Involving Controls
Module 7
Issues Involving Controls
Drop-down boxes
Save space
Unable to view responses
Radio buttons
Can see buttons
Spacious
Other considerations
Validation rules
Input masks

26. Issues Involving Controls
Module 7
Issues Involving Controls
Consider a question which results in one of three possible responses: yes, no, or unspecified. Which of the following control types is most appropriate for this type of question:
Drop-down box
Radio button
Multiple selection box
Open text field

27. Issues Involving Controls
Module 7
Issues Involving Controls
Consider a question which results in one of three possible responses: yes, no, or unspecified. Which of the following control types is most appropriate for this type of question:
Drop-down box
Radio button
Multiple selection box
Open text field

28. Issues Involving Controls
Module 7
Issues Involving Controls
Consider a question about age where responses are recorded in terms of five-year ranges; e.g., 0-5, 5-10, …85+. Which of the following control types is most appropriate for this type of question:
Drop-down box
Radio button
Multiple selection box
Open text field

29. Issues Involving Controls
Module 7
Issues Involving Controls
Consider a question about age where responses are recorded in terms of five-year ranges; e.g., 0-5, 5-10, …85+. Which of the following control types is most appropriate for this type of question:
Drop-down box
Radio button
Multiple selection box
Open text field

30. Module 7 Learning Objectives
1. Identify several issues involved with setting up mobile-based forms for household survey questionnaires.
2. List the basic requirements for developing mobile-based forms.
3. Identify the components of mobile-based forms
4. Describe the steps for constructing mobile-based forms.
5. Understand the structure of mobile tables and describe how they relate to mobile-based forms.
6. List the basic control types associated with
mobile-based forms. 30 30 30 30 30

31. Hands-On Demonstration
Module 7
Hands-On Demonstration
A hands-on demonstration of creating a mobile table is provided next. 31 31 31 31 31

32. What’s Next? This concludes Module 7.
In Module 8, I cover some specific techniques for using the Visual CE software application to design PDA-based e-forms. 32 32 32 32 32

33. Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Using Mobile Technologies to Conduct PDA-Based Surveys in Remote Areas
Part II: Electronic Form Design and Data Management Methods
Module 7 of 10
PDA-Based Electronic Form Design I
Jeffrey Shaffer, Ph.D.
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine 33 33 33 33 33