
Prepare your setup by securing a computer for practicing forms, a supported browser (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox), an active internet connection, and an Android device to test your forms.
Learn how to get started with Kobo Toolbox: sign up, activate your account, choose between hosting options, and log in using a supported browser.
Discover the Kobo Toolbox interface with projects and library modules, switch between modes, create and deploy projects, draft vs deployed forms, search assets, and access settings, help, and community resources.
Add your first question to a KoboToolbox form by using the plus sign, choosing a text response type, and saving to preview and organize your form with the toolbar.
Learn how to configure KoboToolbox question options, including hints, settings, delete and duplicate actions, adding to library, skip logic, constraints, data column naming, guidance hints, and appearances.
Explore the select one response type in KoboToolbox, learn to create single-choice questions with options, manage option values (automatic vs custom), and preview and collapse decks for cleaner forms.
Explore decimal question types in KoboToolbox, recording measurements with units such as square meters and kilometers, and learn how decimals allow fractions like 150.5, unlike integers.
Learn how the time response type captures actual times using a time picker and am/pm, and how it differs from duration questions that yield numbers.
Explore the date and time response type in KoboToolbox, enabling questions with a date and time answer using two controls and a preview to verify form appearance.
Explore the point response type to capture latitude and longitude for a discrete location using GPS, with browser and mobile accuracy up to five meters, address search, and manual entry.
Explore how the area response type in KoboToolbox draws a closed polygon by starting at a point, connecting boundary points with latitude and longitude, and calculating the land area.
Explains the photo response type in KoboToolbox, enabling photo capture on mobile or attaching existing photos in browser, with examples of housing unit and infected tobacco leaf submissions.
Learn how to use the audio response type to capture long-form answers by recording with a mobile device microphone or by attaching pre-recorded audio, then add and preview audio questions.
Explore the video response type in KoboToolbox: capture or attach videos on mobile or browser, use for detailed demonstrations and qualitative analysis, with form preview and deployment.
Use the file response type to attach PDFs, Excel documents, or other file types to submissions, alongside media like photos or videos.
Explain the note response type, which does not take input, and is used to display a note or label on form for instructions to enumerators or respondents during section transitions.
Use an acknowledge question with a single checkbox to obtain consent and continue, storing an okay value in the database once checked, then proceed to the next question.
Apply the rating response type to rate several statements with a shared response set, saving space and time, e.g., climate change is real, manmade.
Learn how to design ranking questions in KoboToolbox, assign four ranked options, enforce unique selections, and capture first through fourth choices for analysis.
Learn to build a question matrix in KoboToolbox, defining columns for land size, amount harvested, and fertilizer, with crop rows (rice, maize, beans); note web-only support and mobile limitations.
Master grouping questions in KoboToolbox to structure forms, create repeated groups for household member data, and apply skip logic to groups for conditional questioning.
Learn how to manage groups in KoboToolbox: create groups, add and move questions, set a group's data column name, control multi-question screens, and nest groups for flexible survey design.
Show how to reuse a previous answer to complete subsequent questions for each household member in a KoboToolbox form by referencing the name variable with dollar signs and curly brackets.
learn how to create repeating groups in KoboToolbox by grouping questions for each household member, enabling dynamic addition with a plus sign and removal with a minus sign.
Configure default responses for text, date, and select questions in KoboToolbox to avoid biased answers. Learn to enter correct values (text, yyyy-mm-dd dates, and select values) and preview results.
Learn skip logic and relevant criteria to reveal questions conditionally. Set a condition so 'name of the club' shows only when 'are you a member of any club' equals yes.
Apply skip logic with multiple criteria to target cooperative members with two years of membership. Exclude those with executive committee roles and display 'you have been selected for the study'.
Demonstrates KoboToolbox skip logic: a control question about planting maize decides whether a group of follow-up questions on land size, fertilizer, harvest, and sales displays.
Configure an other specify option for select one or select many questions, add a text field, and apply skip logic in KoboToolbox to show it only when others are selected.
Apply validation logic in KoboToolbox by setting upper and lower constraints to ensure valid responses, enforce consistency between questions, and display clear error messages.
Learn to build validation logic in xlsform by manually entering conditions, including range checks (0–5) and cross-field comparisons using dollar signs and curly braces, with clear error messages.
Learn to manage translations in KoboToolbox by defining languages, translating strings, and saving a fully translated questionnaire across multiple languages.
Use the library module in KoboToolbox to create questions, blocks, and templates, then drag them into your form. Manage assets in collections and apply skip logic and validation criteria.
Deploy your completed KoboToolbox form to start data collection; switch among draft, deployed, or archive, and enter data via web form or mobile devices, with Encanto waveforms next.
Configure android devices with the KoboToolbox Collect app by installing Kobo Collect, connecting to the server with your username and password, and downloading blank forms for data collection.
Explore data entry in KoboToolbox on mobile devices, including form navigation, offline saving, GPS point capture, and uploading completed forms for GIS export.
Explore how to customize the Kobo Collect interface through general settings, including theme, device language, text size, navigation options, and splash screen selection.
Configure user access controls in Kobo Collect by setting an admin password and restricting actions, such as sending finalized forms, viewing sent forms, and getting blank forms.
Explore the summary tab in KoboToolbox to monitor data submissions, view per-date uploads, and access form details, languages, questions, and quick links for sharing, editing, and reporting.
View, accept, edit, and delete data in the KoboToolbox table view, switch languages and validation status, and confirm deletions.
Navigate to the gallery to view all collected images, videos, and audios from your project. Export these assets along with the data to preserve your media and records.
Learn how to download KoboToolbox data in formats like Excel, CSV, and media attachments, with language options, timestamps, dashboards, Excel analyzer, and handling repeating groups with group headers.
Explore how to view collected GPS points on a map, switch layers and overlays, toggle between points and heatmaps, and disaggregate spatial data by variables like gender to reveal patterns.
Explore managing projects in the KoboToolbox form designer: edit and redeploy forms without losing data, tag and share forms, clone or replace templates, and manage translations, downloads, and archiving.
Get the form used for this project in the resources section of this lecture.
Export a KoboToolbox form to Excel and use three worksheets—form, choices, settings. Define variables with type, name, and label; apply constraints, skip logic, and calculations across the sheets.
Learn to add note and text questions in KoboToolbox by defining delta column names, labeling prompts, and using text with appearance options like multi-line and numbers to capture string data.
Preview your phone form by uploading an Excel file, creating a project, and using the preview icon to verify questions.
Learn to group questions in KoboToolbox by inserting a begin group and end group, naming the group and labeling notes and texts, then preview and save the grouped form.
Learn to implement integer and decimal question types in KoboToolbox, including age as an integer, weight as a decimal with thousand separators, and income formatting, then group and preview form.
Learn to configure the range response type in KoboToolbox, setting start, end, and step within a group to create numeric scales and a star-rating question, including decimal steps.
Explore configuring KoboToolbox form fields for date, time, and date-time responses, using appearance options such as month-year and year-only, and choosing spinners or no calendar methods for mobile preview.
Master select type questions in KoboToolbox by defining lists and variables for gender, income sources, marital status, and colors, with dropdown, minimal, and combo box appearances.
Learn to capture location in KoboToolbox using point GPS with latitude, longitude and accuracy; draw traces, areas, and bearing, and configure maps appearance and accuracy thresholds.
Learn to capture and decode barcodes and QR codes in KoboToolbox, saving values as text or numbers, and configure a barcode question in EXO with live camera scanning on mobile.
Learn to build calculator-based calculations in KoboToolbox by using calculate response type and the calculation column, performing arithmetic operations to compute total earnings from bags sold and price per bag.
Learn to define metadata in KoboToolbox forms, adding auto-collected fields such as start, end, today, device ID, IMSI, SIM serial, and contact details like phone, username, and email.
Learn how to add hints to questions and use the guidance hint in KoboToolbox, display hints under labels, and provide notes to explain why a question is included for collaborators.
Learn how to reduce bias in KoboToolbox surveys by randomizing the order of select-one options, using the randomize parameter, and configuring lists and questions.
Learn to control repeat counts in KoboToolbox by adding a repeat_count column and dynamically setting repeats using a household size question, ensuring correct form behavior.
Explain how to implement relevance skip logic in KoboToolbox forms, showing conditional questions based on prior answers, including select one, select multiple, and text inputs.
Learn to define cascading select questions in KoboToolbox by organizing an excel choices sheet with continent, country, and city lists, and applying a choice filter to show dependent options.
Learn to add translations in forms by setting a default language, translating labels, guidance hints, required and constant messages, and translating choices while previewing in multiple languages.
Find the form used for this project in the resources section.
The questions used in this lesson have been attached as a pdf in the resources section.
Find the questions used for this lesson attached in the resources section.
Learn to end an interview on KoboToolbox by introducing a consent question and applying skip logic to show follow-up groups only if consent is yes; otherwise exit gracefully.
This is the ultimate Kobo Toolbox course where you will learn how to develop survey data collection forms, deploying them on mobile devices, collecting data and managing the data.
I have included almost everything you need to know to get started and to reach mastery of Kobo Tolbox (or Open Data Kit - ODK).
Plus, I will be updating the course every week with new lessons developed to answer any specific questions that you will ask (including those asked in different forums on the internet).
You will learn:
How to develop forms using Kobo Toolbox's form builder integrating skip logic, validation logic, calculated fields, translations and cascading selects
How to deploy the forms on Android devices including tweaking settings and options on your fleet of mobile devices used to collect survey data
How to manage data uploaded to Kobo Toolbox by viewing, editing, accepting, downloading it and creating custom data visualization reports
How to develop advanced forms using XLSFORM
Other advanced form builder/xlsform features updated weekly (e.g. advanced calculations, controlling repeat groups, using regex etc)
Why you should take the course
I have covered almost everything you need to know about building forms and managing data using Kobo Toolbox
If you have specific questions, you will be able to ask and I will respond by releasing a lesson video
You will learn through watching videos and practicing along using the tools I have developed - better than sifting through forums
Each section has a project you can use to practice along
I have included tons of resources for practice and reference
Course Requirements
Basic knowledge of survey questionnaire formulation
Tools: a computer; web browser (Google Chrome/Firefox); an active internet connection and an Android device for testing