KoBoToolbox—A Simple Yet Powerful Data Collection Tool!

The process of collecting and analysing data is essential to any research project’s end goal. Making sure your information is stored correctly and organised is needed in shaping that process. One of the tools we explored for data collection and analysis at Data Innovators is Kobo Toolbox, an open-source suite of tools for the collection and analysis of varied data. It is comprised of three different features, namely, form design, data collection, and data analysis. In this article, I focus on how to use Kobo Toolbox for data collection and looking at analysing data using the platform.

About the tool

When using Kobo Toolbox, you can collect data through computers or mobile phones which is stored online. The tool can be accessed through the weblink option or installed on a local server. It is a widely used tool and has an active, dynamic user and collaborator community. The app gives you access to survey forms which can also be used for your data collection. There are two options for data collection, Kobo Collect and Enketo Webform and these are dependent on the recommended device. For example, Kobo Collect run on any Android device (Phone/Tablet) only, whereas Webform runs on any device (including Apple iOS and laptop).

Kobo Toolbox has been used by students, large humanitarian projects for researchers, and aid workers. The free and open-source software platform is now used to conduct humanitarian needs assessments by organizations such as the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, the World Bank and Save the Children. These assessments also help these agencies and NGOs get a better idea of how to improve their programs and services.

Tips

There are some requirements for using the Kobo Toolbox before you start:

What you need:

• A computer (to build the form)
• Smartphone, tablet, or computer (to collect the data)
• Internet access (the great thing about KoBo is that the Internet does not need to be consistent)

Ensure the following:

• Confirm the questions which will be on your survey.
• Provide translations for the survey questions (if required)

Collecting data with KoBoCollect on Android:

The KoboCollect is free, and the app can be installed via Google Play Store. For setup, the user needs to configure the app with their KoboToolbox account.

The setup continues as follows:

Open KoboCollect > Open General settings then select server (this leads to) > configure the URL, username, and password from the Server settings beneath URL, enter the server https://kc.kobotoolbox.org or https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info – based on the server being used. A device may sometimes have trouble connecting to the server if the device date and time are incorrect, in that case, you will need to resolve the issue through troubleshooting.

Getting Blank Forms in KoboCollect

Follow the steps to get blank survey forms to the app: > Ensure that users have successfully deployed at least one project through the user’s KoboToolbox account > Ensure that users have set up the URL as mentioned above > Ensure that the device is connected to the internet securely > Select Get Blank Form from the home menu.

A list of all the deployed survey forms should appear. Press Select All to have all the survey forms to the app or select the ones manually and then press Select All. Then press Get Selected.

Collecting data in KoboCollect

Once the blank forms are in the app, users no longer require an internet connection to collect data. The blank forms and the filled-up forms should stay on the device until they are deleted or submitted to the server.

Follow the steps to start collecting data using the app > Press Fill Blank Form from the home menu > Select the survey form to start collecting data > Go through all the questions (swiping your finger from right to left) > At the end of the survey, press Save Form and Exit.

Make sure the form is marked as ‘finalised’. If this is unchecked and still press Save Form and Exit, the filled-up form goes to ‘Edit Saved Form’ while it does not go to Send Finalised Form. In such a scenario, go back to Edit Saved Form, open the form and then press Go To End and press Save Form and Exit, making sure the form is marked as ‘finalised’. Generally, when finished collecting data and when the form is marked as ‘finalised’ and pressed Save Form and Exit, the saved form simultaneously goes to Edit Saved Form and Send Finalised Form.

Collecting Data through Web Forms

You can always use Enketo web forms if you are not using the KoBoCollect app on an Android device for data collection. Enketo web forms are used by KoBoToolbox to preview your forms and to enter data directly on your computer. You can also use web forms for collecting data on your mobile devices - even if you are offline at the time of data collection. It works on virtually any device, including any other smartphone, tablet or computer.

How to analyse data collected using Kobo Toolbox

There are three main ways to analyse the data collected via webforms available on the app which I will briefly explain below:

• Excel analyser (best for creating reports quickly)
• Mapping responses (only if GPS or mapping data has been collected)
• Analyse Data within Kobo’s website (best for quickly checking responses to questions)

Analyse data using Excel analyser:

• Once the data is collected, you will then need to download the data using Excel for analysis to quickly create tables and charts for reports.

Analyse data through Mapping responses:

• Kobo automatically creates a map for you if your survey asks for GPS points. This enables you to search a map to answer your questions.

Analyse data using the’ Analyse Data’ tab on Kobo’s website:

• The 'Analyse Data' tab in Kobo can provide a quick overview of answers to questions from data collected via surveys. It is, however, preferable to download the data to Excel or the Excel analyser when writing reports.