KoBo Toolbox review | The Content Technologist

This review originally was published on January 22, 2021, with the email subject line CT No. 70: "Everyone's invited to the first-party data party," alongside an essay about ethical first-party data collection.

Whether you’re a journalist, researcher, publisher, finding an alternative to basic web forms for data collection can be a minefield. Free survey tools have limited features for logic and data collection, and custom features like logic and white-labeling can add up quickly.

KoBo Toolbox is an open-source project from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, designed for humanitarian organizations, aid workers and data collection professionals. However, it’s free for all to use for involved research projects — such as audience or public interest surveys.

Would I use it for marketing if I have a marketing technology budget available? Probably not. That’s inviting bad karma all around. But if you’re on a strict budget and looking for more details about your audience or looking to explore a data-driven investigation, KoBo is an amazing resource.

KoBo Toolbox at a glance

Visual review of KoBo Toolbox features: Provides a new level of analytics, boosts efficiency, integrates with common tools; and strategic (helps put ducks in a row). This free tool is finely tuned, team-oriented, and intuitive.

KoBo enables all users to collect detailed data through logic-driven forms with multiple question types. It’s not sexy, but features:

On- and offline data collection
Supported across devices, with collaborative options for both data collection and analysis
Reusable question blocks and advanced logic
Import and export of existing XLSForms
Secure data collection through SSL
Immediate access to audience responses
Attractive and functional data visualization
Data exports (including SPSS) and API access

KoBo doesn’t feature embeddable forms or white-labeled branding, but it offers an extremely functional, professional workflow useful to anyone interested in data collection. I find it less buggy to create surveys with KoBo than Typeform, and that makes sense: it’s designed to perform in extreme situations, like humanitarian crises.

Even if you’re just looking to create a practice survey workflow and discover the types of questions, features and logic patterns you might need with a paid tool, KoBo offers significant flexibility at the low, low cost of free.