Table 2.

Problems and solutions identified during pilot testing of a hand-held computer data collection system, China 2010

Issue	Solution adopted
Time consuming to read the full consent form on a small screen	Development of a short version to show on the handheld computer screen and a printed full version for interviewees to read and keep
Erroneous skip patterns, logical problems, wording and terminology problems	On-going revision of the questionnaire and programming in the HCDC system prior to final survey administration
Operational instructions appeared only in English	Development of a paper reference guide that provides Chinese translations for commonly used commands
Entering Chinese characters using the handwriting recognizer was time-consuming	Continuous practice to improve data entry (Time required to complete surveys changed from 25–30 minutes to 15–17 minutes after intensive practice).