Survey the moment

The PIEL Survey App is designed to gather survey data from people in their daily lives. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of a participant's patterns of thoughts and feelings than traditional survey methods. It is available from iOS 13 and Android 5. The app is free.

The complanion app, PIEL Data, provides researchers with the ability to merge multiple data files from participants. It is available from iOS 16.

Flexible questions and scheduling

The researcher can set a number of different styles of questions and schedule prompts for a participant to respond to the survey.

  • scheduled (signal-contingent) surveys to allow "in the moment" responses
  • on demand (event-contingent) surveys
  • run multiple different surveys at once
  • option to create random order questions
  • reminder notifications
  • can set surveys to run at the beginning and end of the project
  • no third-party server or database required
  • notifications are received in the user timezone even when offline

Broad Reach

The PIEL Survey can be distributed to participants using iOS or Android devices.

  • The same survey control file can be used on both types of devices
  • The participant interaction with the actual survey is simple and very similar.
  • The user instructions are very similar.

Pleasant User Experience

The PIEL Survey app has a simple and intuitive interface for research participants.

  • No user interface clutter with unnecessary information not directly related to the survey.
  • It uses large fonts so that participants don't need to search for glasses and can respond quickly "in the moment".
  • Navigation between questions can be made by the intuitive "swipe" movement (or buttons if preferred).
  • The interface makes it clear which responses have been made.
  • Participants must answer each question before proceeding to the next one. They can go back to edit them if necessary.

Powerful Research Capability

The PIEL Survey can be used for a research methodology known as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) or Experience Sampling Method (ESM). These methods are recognised as a powerful tool which minimises recall bias and allows detailed study of influences on behaviour. The importance of being "in the moment" means that web-based surveys are of limited use. The PIEL Survey app receives notifications even when offline and surveys can also be run even when offline.

Secure

The PIEL Survey has been used in research projects in a wide range of universities and research institutions. The app has many privacy and confidentiality features that will facilitate an Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee application.

Academic Tool

The PIEL application has been used at more than 50 universities and research instutions around the world, including North America, Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. Click here for a list of publications and dissertations which present results using the PIEL Survey.