SBIR-STTR Award

NOVA Research Company proposes to design and develop a Questionnaire Development System for Web Administration (QDS-Web) as a Windows XP-based application to generate files necessary for Web-based questionnaire/form data collection and data management, including diagnostic scoring and reporting. Primary use is targeted toward behavioral research surveys, multisite clinical trials, and health care/service provider data management and reporting. The application will be based on NOVA's commercial Questionnaire Development System (QDS(tm)), which has a user base of more than 500 users and more than 2,500 modules sold to date to U.S. Government, university, and commercial customers. Phase I will involve: (1) enhancing QDS (tm) Design Studio module, where a questionnaire/form is specified, to generate an output control file that can be deployed by the new Web administration module; (2) designing and implementing a Web administration module, which will generate and post HTML code to permit survey administration using Internet Explorer (IE), encrypting all responses for secure transmission to the Web server database; and (3) developing a set of database templates to assist users in implementing their own Web server database for receiving and storing data to be interpreted by an enhanced QDS(tm) Data Warehouse module for permanent storage and downloading of collected data to statistical analysis applications. To demonstrate in Phase I that the system is feasible, NOVA proposes to prototype a brief instrument, selected in collaboration with the NIDA Program Official, from instrument specification in the redesigned QDS Design Studio through sample data collection to reporting responses from the database generated on NOVA's Web server. Near conclusion of Phase I, individual demonstrations, hands-on use, and in-depth qualitative interviews will be conducted with several novice research users to elicit feedback on user ability to implement Web-enabled questionnaire administration, including input about ease of questionnaire specification and Web posting, general usefulness, and satisfaction with conducting Web-based research surveys using NOVA's newly developed QDS-Web questionnaire administration module. For more information on NOVA's current QDS(tm) software suite, please see URL: http://www.novaresearch.com/Products/QDS/index.html for a free downloadable trial version, and under Support/Documentation, NOVA's Quick Start Guide and detailed Version 2.x Manual (PDF).

Thesaurus Terms:
Internet, computer human interaction, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, data collection methodology /evaluation, questionnaire computer assisted instruction, computer data analysis, confidentiality, impression, information system, performance, statistics /biometry audiotape, clinical research, human subject, interview

QDS-Web(tm) Interview Administering System PEW surveys report 73% of American adults (147 million) use the Internet and 20% indicate it greatly improves getting health information, including drug and disease treatment facts. Thus, it is also an increasingly popular, cost-effective survey research environment. Web surveys facilitate health researchers rapidly and efficiently reaching very large numbers of targeted individuals. Web interviews can collect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to disease prevention, health promotion, and clinical trial and/or health services delivery participation. However, to effectively conduct Internet research requires an easy, intuitive and rapid survey development and deployment tool designed to accommodate complexities of research interviews. Most web- based survey development tools are designed for simple, linear market research and customer satisfaction surveys. Few are designed for the researcher conducting multifaceted research and/or surveillance survey studies and still fewer meet Federal web survey requirements. NOVA's proposed Questionnaire Development System (QDS(tm)) module for Internet administration (QDS-Web(tm)) is such a tool. It uses Windows-based designs to easily generate survey files that meet Federal Web display (Sec. 508) and DHHS/FDA data security/audit trail requirements, an administrator's tool to quickly deploy secure Web-based complex research surveys, and a Web-based database to securely store and manage interviewee responses. Targeted users are researchers conducting behavioral surveys, clinical trials, health services research, and disease surveillance. QDS-Web(tm) supplements NOVA's commercial QDS(tm) Suite, with a growing base of more than 1,500 users worldwide. Phase II involves (1) enhancing code to handle survey control file functionality, including response types, skip patterns, range edits/consistency checks, logic expressions, and randomization algorithms; (2) creating web options allowing user-designed cascading style sheets and Web-based reports; (3) providing Cyrillic, Arabic, and Asian scripting and capability to select character formats (font, style, size); (4) implementing secure data transmission and storage, audit trails, and data transfer to SAS/SPSS using format libraries; (5) providing support for additional databases, middleware languages, and application servers; and (6) developing online documentation. During Phase II, individual and small group evaluations, in-depth qualitative interviews, and standardized usability surveys will be conducted with diverse sets of researchers. Beta testing will evaluate usability and functionality on comprehensiveness of features, ease of survey development/deployment, general usefulness, and overall satisfaction with using the QDS-Web(tm) module. The end product, QDS-Web(tm), as an added module to the QDS(tm) Suite, will be the only U.S.-made survey development integrated product enabling researchers to conduct computer-based surveys in all current modes of data collection from one design specification and securely manage data in one Warehouse Manager. QDS-Web(tm) Interview Administering System Questionnaire Development System Web-based data collection administration module (QDS-Web(tm)) is an added module to NOVA's commercial QDS(tm) Suite that enables public health researchers to conduct knowledge, attitude and behavior data collection for pubic health research and surveillance for general and sensitive health information. While most web-based survey research software is designed for simple, linear market research surveys and only supports web surveying, the QDS(tm) Suite, when including QDS-Web(tm) will permit researchers to easily, quickly, and cost-effectively conduct complex research surveys in all existing modes of survey administration from one integrated set of survey specifications that meet DHHS data transmission and storage security and audit trail requirements for behavioral, health services, and clinical trials research. Web surveying facilitates health researchers reaching large numbers of targeted populations, remote and hidden populations, and otherwise difficult to interview individuals not visiting face-to-face interviewing venues, and individuals not wanting to be personally identified