Last month, we introduced you to field data collection, a more "industrial" application of the PalmPilot. Because of its portability, the PalmPilot is an ideal computer to take into study groups, malls, and warehouses to capture information. In this second part of his series on custom solutions, Stu Slack describes how the PalmPilot was used to study smokers and may help gather important information to improve lives.

Originally, SRG used a paper-based data collection system, but quickly found that the results were both inaccurate and difficult to collect. Additionally, through their research, SRG found that subjects change behavior during the course of a study (lasting six to eight weeks). Since paper forms are not interactive, and can't "learn" from the subject, the questions (and responses) cannot change as the subject moves from smoking to abstinence. All of this led SRG to develop their own automated data collection tools.

For the past several years, SRG has been using another device as their data collection tool. The device they used is stable and met their size and cost specifications. But the device had many characteristics that limited SRG's solution. The text-only 4x20 character display makes it difficult to format complex questions. Graphical "controls" cannot be created; any user interface features (such as range controls, and so on) have to be implemented as text-based simulations. This in turn results in time-consuming and expensive training of research subjects in the use of the application.

Why PalmPilot?
Given their long-standing frustration with the old system, SRG considered the PalmPilot for use in its research almost as soon as it hit the market. They had been looking for a new solution to solve the problems of their aging application. The PalmPilot provided just the functionality SRG was looking for.

The PalmPilot was attractive for a variety of reasons, including its small size, low cost, graphical screen, HotSync technology, and industry-standard development environment (C-based instead a proprietary environment). At the same time, switching platforms meant abandoning the substantial investment they had made in the old environment. In the end, however, SRG decided that the flexibility offered by the PalmPilot platform opened enough new opportunities to justify the cost of integrating a new set of tools.