Hello! I have been using the Interviewer interface to administer a social network questionnaire for a few months now, and it has been great!
My lab is transitioning to using tablets instead of laptops for questionnaires. Unfortunately, it appears that the Interviewer app is not available to download for our tablets- ASUS Zenpad 10 Z300 series (android).
Is there something that can be done to allow the use of the app on these devices? Or perhaps a workaround that would allow me to install the interface in some other way on the tablets?
Thanks for the kind words about the software - very happy to hear that it is working well for you.
Could you confirm which version of Android is on these tablets? The research I have done suggests it might be version 5. If that is the case, sadly we cannot support those devices, since we require android version 12 or above. Version 5 was released in early 2015.
As to what can be done: it is a real shame that your lab is switching away from laptops for this use-case. Android tablets in general are not in a great place at the moment, with only Samsung really continuing to make higher quality devices. The rest are largely very cheap and perform poorly, with infrequent software updates. If there is any potential to advocate against this policy, I would suggest doing so.
Aside from that, if you absolutely need to use the software on these devices there are two options:
I can try to create a debug build of the software that will run on your android version. I cannot say for certain that this will even be possible, as the Android developer tools have begun requiring newer SDK target versions, and we have updated the app accordingly. You would have to test yourself.
You could look into using Fresco (https://documentation.networkcanvas.com/en/fresco) which would have a number of other benefits. I could potentially assist you with making the web interface feel more like a native app, depending on if you have a small amount of development budget to support that work.
Hypothetically, you could also install an older version of the software. However, since we only really release new versions to fix bugs, I wouldn’t advise this.
Thank you very much for the thoughtful response and for all the useful suggestions!
I think fresco is a great and simple solution. I have already created the web-based questionnaire using your helpful guide, and it works pretty well on the tablets!
I do have a question about the cloud storage. As I understand it, no one should have access to the data collected apart from me and anyone else who has the password. Is that correct? Additionally, do you know whether the cloud storage service in the guide, which I used, is suitable for HIPPA research ethics guidelines? I do not understand much about cloud storage and thus am nervous I’m missing important details about this important issue.
If it is not suitable, I understand there is also an option of using a different cloud service that the lab would manage. Is that correct?
Thank you again for all the help, I greatly appreciate it!
Yes that is correct. Unfortunately Fresco is a single user system, so you cannot have multiple user accounts. However, access to the data is secured via username and password.
I totally understand being concerned about this - the technology is new to us all, and the PHI is obviously extremely sensitive.
I am not an expert on this issue by any means, but my understanding is that the database provider we suggest in our deployment guide (Neon, via Vercel) is HIPAA compliant. I am basing that on this post by them: Neon is HIPAA Compliant - Neon. I have to say that post was very reassuring for me, and anecdotally the company has a great reputation.
Whether or not your research requires HIPAA compliance is something I can’t advise on specifically, but I imagine your IRB will have advised you on this to begin with. Hope this helps!
If for some reason the services we suggest won’t work, it should be straightforward to find a cloud hosting provider, database provider, or resources within your institution that would be suitable. I know for example that Amazon provides special cloud infrastructure for HIPAA compliance, which may be available for you to use through your institution at a discounted rate (or for free).
Please let me know if I can assist further with deployment related questions.
