An introduction to Askia

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An introduction to Askia
Askia Managing change and avoiding disaster
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
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Representing Askia today

• Jerome Sopocko
• Nick Southwood

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Company background

• Founded Paris 1994
• UK Office opened London 2001
• US Office opened New York 2003

4
Askia products

• Askia Suite (questionnaire design, tools and
  analysis)
• Askia Voice (CATI)
• Askia Face (CAPI)
• Askia Web
• Askia Panel Management
• Askia Entry (paper key-in)
• Askia Analyse
• Askia Vista (online analysis)

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Askia software

Askia Face (CAPI)
Askia Design
Askia Voice (CATI)
Askia Analyse
Askia Web (CAWI)

• One interface for CAPI, CATI or CAWI data capture

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The rules of change

• Change, or the prospect of change, must be
  considered to be part of the overall
  questionnaire design process.
• Change must be natural, unobtrusive and
  seamless.
• Change must not be expensive and time consuming.

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Changes to the questionnaire

• Meta-data and case data are included in one
  database
• All questions and responses have unique IDs
• There are no CCPs to generate
• ALL changes and updates are made LIVE
• Insert new responses
• Change routing
• Change quotas
• Create NEW quotas

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The benefits of using hierarchies

• Eases legibility
• Eases development
• Eases maintenance

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Routings or actions

• Go To or Do not Ask
• Set Value to a question
• Confirm entry
• Set the current language
• Set the current version
• Change order of questions
• Start a query, start a program, send an email

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Text substitution (1)

• We can insert any response to a question in a
  caption (See question q1d).
• For example
•  You said you readltbgt??Newspaper??lt/bgt this
  morning 
• would display
•  You said you read The Guardian this
  morning 

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Text substitution (2)

• We can run calculations in the background
  without a dummy question.
• For example
• From 2 separate questions we have been told how
  much a ticket and sandwich cost in Sterling, we
  want to display the total in Euros
• You spent !!(??Ticket?? ??Meal??) 1.4!!
  Euros.

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Reusing response lists

• Reapply an answer list as a response list in
  another question (as in Q6b).
• Reapply an answer list to a further question but
  only made up of SELECTED responses from the
  previous question.
• ie. Which of these is your favourite?
• Reapply an answer list but only use NON-SELECTED
  responses.
• ie. Why do you not like these?

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Loops and rotations

• Randomise or rotate response items in a loop or
  standard question
• Fix a particular item in a rotated or randomised
  list
• Set an item to always follow a previous item
  even if rotated or randomised
• (See q9 and randomisation of media and attitude
  sections)

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Complex conditions

• Askia syntax allows you to use more than 1
  variable in routing
• eg. ??Q1??1 or ??Q2??3
• Our questionnaire stipulates that the day must
  be Tuesday through Saturday to ask a set of
  questions
• Sunday1
• Saturday7
• (Weekday(StartInterview) IsIncludedIn 3 to 7 )
  False

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Add items to a list or grid

• We simply create a new record in the database
• All linked questions will adopt the updated
  response list
• We can also use a list from the library
• Library items are editable and change friendly

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Change management and version control

• History of revisions
• Versioning system to ease the management of
  waves which can be applied on
• Questions
• Responses
• Routings

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Quota management

• Hierarchical (or interlocked) quotas
• Block or ignore any line
• Priority for external quotas
• Automatic management for internal quotas
• Postcode and time of interview in quota? Why
  not?

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Finally

• Change MUST be done in real time
• Offline questionnaires lose money
• Dynamic software manages change and avoids
  disaster

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Non-dynamic software will manage disaster by
resisting change!