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Adaptive timings of notifications & surveys

Build · Notifications
Updated December 27, 2023

What to Know About Adaptive Timings

When running an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and experience sampling method (ESM) project, it is crucial that the notifications and surveys are sent to participants in their time zones. At ExpiWell, we have made this super easy.

Screenshot — Notifications — detail 1

Whenever you schedule your surveys:

  1. All notifications and surveys are automatically sent in participant time zones

  2. All notifications and surveys automatically adapt when participants change time zones - even halfway through your project

Automatically Scheduled for Participant Time Zones

You do not have to worry about participants having different time zones, as the system will automatically detect their time when they download and sign up on the ExpiWell mobile app. If your survey starts at 9 AM, it will be 9 AM in your participant's time, regardless of where they are located.

Therefore, you can collect data from all across the United States - or across the world - and know that every participant will receive the surveys at the scheduled time.

Automatic Adaptation to Participant Time Zone Changes

Often, researchers recruit participants who may be commuting or traveling. What if you have a participant who travels from time to time to a different country or state with a different time zone?

  1. If a participant adds a project and then travels to another place with a different time zone, reopening their mobile app will update their time. In this example, a participant traveled 2 hours ahead (i.e., from Los Angeles to Chicago), so the participant will receive a single pop-up notification: "Your time zone has been changed and it's +2 hours ahead."
Screenshot — Time Zone update notification
  1. When their time zone changes, they will receive notifications based on their new time zone and will be able to submit surveys based on their new time zone.
Video demo — Adaptive Timings of Notifications and Surveys (coming soon)
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