Is SMS APPropriate? Comparative properties of SMS and apps for repeated measures data collection

Abstract

The ubiquity of mobile telephones worldwide offers a unique opportunity for bidirectional communication between researchers and participants. There are two ways mobile phones could be used to collect self-report data: via Short Message Service (SMS) or app (mobile telephone software applications). This study examined the comparative data quality offered by SMS and app, when mobile phone type, self report instrument, and sampling schedule are controlled. One hundred ten undergraduate students used their own iPhones to complete the same repeated measures instrument on 20 occasions, responding either by SMS or by app. There were no differences between SMS and app respondents in terms of response rates or response delay. However, data from those responding via SMS was significantly less complete than from app respondents. App respondents rated their respondent experience as more convenient than SMS respondents. Though findings are only generalizable to an undergraduate sample, this suggests that researchers should consider using apps rather than SMS for repeated measures self-report data collection.