A collaborative approach to rapidly implementing mobile design for data collection.

A collaborative approach to rapidly implementing mobile design for data collection.

What if we could use technology to overcome your industry’s challenges

What if we could use technology to overcome your industry’s challenges

Client

A team led by Stanford Medicine University sought to address the ongoing decline in response rates for surveys used in medical research. As part of the proposed solutions, we considered leveraging mobile applications to simplify and incentivize participant responses.

Services

Product Design

Mobile Development

Maintenance

Education

Industry

Education

Maintenance

Mobile Development

Product Design

Identifying the client’s needs

Our team, collaborating closely with our product design and UX research teams, took on the responsibility of designing and developing mobile applications for data collection. This encompassed defining paradata and creating data visualizations tailored for researchers. Our focus was on ensuring the user interface was both user-friendly and compliant with HIPAA standards.

Additionally, our goal was to assess the impact of push notifications on motivating repeat responses. This multifaceted project demanded collaboration with a diverse cross-functional team, including Stanford Medicine Researchers (epidemiologists), survey research experts (former Cornell University ISR manager), statisticians, doctors, and representatives from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Effectively integrating different perspectives and requirements from this varied group was essential in translating them into the application.



Privacy and security of Health Data

The primary goal of HIPAA is to safeguard and protect the privacy and security of individuals' health information. Entities involved in healthcare, including healthcare providers, insurers, and their business associates, must comply with HIPAA regulations to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI).

Empowering researchers throughout data collection

We designed and deployed two mobile applications, for both Android and iOS platforms, along with two monitoring dashboards. One dashboard focused on evaluating response and subscription metrics, while the other, in collaboration with Facebook, aimed to assess advertising investment and its impact on app downloads.

Data for the dashboards was sourced from various platforms, including the Facebook API, Google Analytics API, Medable APIs (Backend), Google Maps API, among others. Additionally, we implemented and executed machine learning algorithms to enhance data analysis, identifying geolocation patterns, new clusters, and more.

To incentivize participation, subjects were rewarded with a $10 Amazon gift card upon completing both surveys. Furthermore, respondents received helpful tips and recommendations related to the survey's topic and were consistently motivated through gamification features.To address the challenge of aligning diverse visions and needs, we employed a semi-Scrum methodology. This approach involved continuous communication, a heightened awareness of deadlines, and an ongoing exchange of ideas, where receptivity played a crucial role in the process.

Engagement through gamification

We developed and ran machine learning algorithms to improve the data analysis such as identifying geolocation patterns, new clusters, etc. The apps had gamification features to keep subjects motivated to complete the surveys.

The collaboration with Onetree

The project had really positive outcomes in two ways. Firstly, the developed apps helped improve response rates on surveys, which was the major challenge to be solved. Secondly, the monitoring dashboard in conjunction with Facebook allowed us to compare the costs involved in answering surveys through social media compared to the cost of the traditional methods (e.g. call center).

In the numbers

  • The cost of downloading was reduced 4 times when using social networks versus using the traditional ABS method.
  • Participants recruitment’s rate through social media was 3 times the traditional ABS method
  • The survey response rate was twofold in comparison with other methods previously measured.

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