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Introduction

KITE is a Knowledge and Insights Tool for Experiments

It is an application available on the Google Playstore that anyone can download, join Busara’s participant database and fill out surveys, participate in campaigns, experiments and polls.

This platform can also A/B test multimedia content such as posters, videos and audio clips.

It also has a web interface that allows researcher manage their surveys, data and communication with participants.

What can KITE do?

KITE allows for remote data collection through self administered surveys and experiments. Some key features are highlighted below.

Registering
  • Identifying participants through phone numbers
  • Referral system for snowball sampling and informal recruitment
  • Open/self sign up and login
Data collection
  • Self administered surveys
  • A/B testing of multimedia content such as posters, videos and audio clips
  • Pre-post assessments for campaigns (articles, video, audio, images)
  • Incentive disbursements through airtime in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria
  • Mobile payments in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria
  • Randomisation, Skip and Branching Logic

Who can it reach?

Busara’s panel of research participants has over 75,000+ low income households across Kenya, with a majority from informal settlements in Nairobi. The average age in our sample is 31, 53% female, just over 50% are married, and the average household has 1.5 children. Almost half has completed a secondary education, but more than half report being unemployed. A comparison to the 2016 IHBS survey suggests that we have captured a lower income population as compared to general Kenya averages.
The app is compatible with Android devices and we find household smartphone ownership within low income households in Kenya is relatively high - we tested sign up rates by sending the playstore link to 100 people from an informal settlement in Nairobi and 33% downloaded and registered with us.

Have we tried it out?

We’ve used this app in two ways:

  1. As a simple survey tool.
  2. As a way to deliver audio visual content.


Pilot #1: We sent out links to download the app and fill in a survey that gathers insights into resilience and the need for information from low income communities in Kenya during COVID19. We had a response rate of 10% who downloaded the application, registered, and filled out the survey till the end.
Pilot #2: We’re evaluating an edutainment show on piracy and illegal fishing in Somaliland and delivering the audio content via KITE which can collect listening data and participants can fill out incentivized quizzes on content.
Pilot #3: We are running a study in Kenya with a target sample of 500 to understand people’s borrowing sources and needs, how these changed during COVID, but also to develop robust ways to identify and mitigate survey inattention to ensure high quality data.