Digital Assessment Tools Task Force (DATTF)

For some time now, paper questionnaires have been effectively replaced by web-based or app-based assessments in (clinical) psychological studies. The use of paper questionnaires cannot be recommended for a number of reasons, including data integrity, data storage, transparency, time and cost, and environmental protection. Computerized self-assessments have been shown to increase the reporting of sensitive information and improve the completeness of questionnaires. For refugee populations specifically, there is evidence that voice-assisted instruments offer good feasibility and usability and speed up the survey.

There are a variety of digital solutions for web-based or app-based assessment of questionnaires and interviews on computers, tablets, or smartphones. The right choice of an assessment tool can be crucial for a research project and should be based on a thorough requirements analysis. Common criteria include privacy, legal requirements, prior experience, offline functionality, audio assistance, multilingual capability, compatibility with data management solutions, ease of use/learnability, or future proofing.

The DATTF project aims to assist consortia in selecting, setting up, and maintaining digital survey instruments. We also aim to advise the consortia on how to comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation when handling personal data. By making the cross-consortium website available, we want to improve the visibility of the projects and promote networking within and outside the consortium.