What an app is
The problem it solves
Picture a field team monitoring schools. Every quarter they record which school, what training was delivered, and what they observed on-site — three separate blocks of questions. Built as three separate forms, someone fills them out one after another and nothing ties them together afterward: three unconnected response lists, and a manual spreadsheet exercise every time someone needs “everything about this school” in one place.
Built as an app, those same three blocks become three stepsof one session, all filed against that school's record. Open the record and the whole history is already there, in order. Next quarter's visit does not start a new, disconnected form — it adds one more entry to the same file.
School details
RegistersFilled onceCreates the school's record — happens once, the first time it's visited.
Training delivered
AttachesRepeatableFiled against that same school every quarter, forever.
Site observations
AttachesRepeatableAlso filed against that same school — a second entry on the same visit.
Form or app? A quick test
Ask one question: will anyone ever need to see two submissions side by side, as the history of one thing? If yes, that is an app. If every submission genuinely stands on its own, a plain form is not a lesser choice — it is the correct, simpler one.
Build an app when
- The same school, patient or household is measured again and again over time.
- Several forms are always filled together, about the same subject, in one sitting.
- Someone needs “everything we know about this school” on one page.
- A later form needs to read back an answer given on an earlier one, for that subject.
A plain form is enough when
- Each submission stands completely alone — a survey, a contact form, a registration.
- There is no ongoing subject to attach anything to, only one-off respondents.
- One form genuinely covers the whole thing.
The four pieces an app is made of
| Piece | In plain terms |
|---|---|
| Record type | What kind of thing is being tracked — a school, a patient, a household — and, crucially, how the system tells two visits to the same one apart from a visit to a different one. |
| Steps | The forms themselves, in the order a respondent works through them, each with its own rule for how many times it can be filled. |
| Public link | Its own address, its own look, its own access rules — separate from any single form’s. |
| Windows (optional) | A reporting schedule — a quarter, a term — so the app only accepts data during the periods that are actually open. Windows can be set by hand or repeat automatically on a schedule. |
Each of these has its own page: Record types, Steps, and App appearance covers how it all looks and pages together.
What filling one out actually feels like
A respondent opens the app's link, the system works out which existing record this is about (or starts a new one), and they work through the steps — either all on one page or a step at a time, whichever the app is set up for. If drafts are allowed, they can leave partway through and pick up later, which matters when a visit gets interrupted or the connection drops.
Access is locked down by default
An app requires sign-in from the start, unlike a plain form. Creating a permanent record is a bigger commitment than collecting a survey answer, so the safe starting point is closed rather than open. If the app genuinely needs to be public, change that in App settings → Access.
For records about children, go one step further: turn on Only assigned people can use this app under Settings → People, so that only the people you name can add entries — each limited to their own district or block.
Running it: dates, people and the phone app
An app has a life. It can have a start and end date, be paused or closed, and be renewed for the next cycle — a six-month pilot and a registry that never ends are the same kind of app. The people who do the work can be assigned to it, limited to their own area, reminded about who still needs an entry, and given a phone-sized app to do it in.
Running a programme
Start and end dates, pause and close, the next cycle, archive and Trash — for a six-month pilot or a registry that never ends.
Field workers and areas
Create field worker accounts, give each their schools or area, and choose what they can change.
The ImpactLens App
Install it on a phone, find your records, see what is due, and add or correct entries.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I use a data app instead of a form?
- When one subject needs many forms over time — for example a school visited each quarter, or a household surveyed in sections.