FieldKit 0.1 is a test version. This guide will be updated with each release.
Quick start
- Open FieldKit from its page on this website. The first screen explains where your data is kept.
- Create a project and write down your research questions.
- Build an interview or focus group guide, link each question to a research question, and print it.
- Add participants using codes (FieldKit suggests P01, P02…) and record each consent conversation.
- After each activity, write a field note and log the visit. Add photos, recordings and documents to the evidence register with where each file is kept.
- Add codes to notes and evidence to mark themes, and keep track of follow-ups. Back up after each field day.
Words used in FieldKit
- Research question
- The main question your fieldwork is trying to answer. Interview questions should help answer it, but are usually different from it.
- Participant code
- A short label such as P01 used instead of a person’s name. If you need to know who is who, keep that list separately and securely, not in FieldKit.
- Consent
- A person’s informed agreement to take part, and to specific uses such as recording or quotation. It can be partial, and it can be withdrawn at any time.
- FGD
- Focus group discussion: a guided conversation with a small group about a shared topic.
- Probe
- A follow-up prompt used to explore an answer further, such as “Can you give an example?”.
- Field note
- A written record of what happened during fieldwork, made as soon as possible afterwards.
- Evidence register
- A list of the material you have gathered (photos, recordings, documents) with where each file is kept and what may be done with it.
- Code
- A short label you attach to notes or evidence to mark a theme, such as “trust” or “rainfall”, so you can find everything on that theme later.
Participant codes and consent
Never enter participants’ names, phone numbers or exact addresses in FieldKit. If you need to know who each code refers to, keep that list separately and securely, ideally on paper or in an encrypted file.
Each consent record notes the date, how consent was given, what was agreed (for example audio recording or anonymised quotation) and the status. If someone changes their mind, add a new record: the most recent record decides their current status, and the history is kept.
FieldKit warns you on the project overview when a participant is linked to notes or evidence without consent, or after declining or withdrawing it. Those items, and anything you mark as sensitive, are left out of exports unless you deliberately include them.
Installing
FieldKit is installed only from relationalfuturesinstitute.org, using your browser’s own install option. Once installed, it opens in its own window and works offline. Updates arrive from this website the next time you are online.
- Windows or Mac (Chrome or Edge): use the install option on the FieldKit welcome screen, or the install icon in the address bar.
- Android (Chrome): choose “Install app” or “Add to Home screen” from the browser menu.
- iPhone and iPad (Safari): tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
Uninstalling the app can also delete the projects on that device. Make a backup first.
Backup and restore
A backup is a single file containing a whole project. Save it somewhere safe—not only on the same device—and treat it as carefully as your field notes. To restore, open the backup in FieldKit on any device. The file is checked before anything happens, and a restored project is always added as a new copy.
Exporting
You can export a fieldwork summary to print or save as a PDF, the evidence register or field notes as spreadsheets (CSV), or the whole project as structured data (JSON). Each guide can also be printed with space for answers. Participants appear only by their codes. Exports cannot be restored; use a backup to move a project.
Responsible fieldwork
- Consent throughout
- Consent is a conversation, not a form. Revisit it as the work develops, and record changes as new entries in the consent log.
- Record only what you need
- Use codes instead of names, avoid precise locations of sensitive places, and leave out details the research does not need.
- Separate facts from interpretation
- The observation template keeps what you saw apart from what you think it means, which makes your notes more trustworthy.
- Keep files safe
- FieldKit records where files are kept. Keep recordings and photos in protected folders, and delete what participants ask you to delete.
- Return what you learn
- Use follow-ups to keep track of promises, and plan how results will go back to the people who took part.
- Reflect on your role
- The reflection template asks whose voices are missing and how your presence shapes what people say.
Known limitations
- Projects exist only on the device where they were made, until you make a backup.
- Lost or broken devices, cleared browser data, clean-up apps, uninstalling and private windows can all delete projects.
- Anyone using the same computer and browser can see the projects. The first version has no password and does not encrypt projects or backups.
- FieldKit records details about files but does not store photos, recordings or documents.
- There is no syncing between devices or team members, and it is not a survey platform.
Versions
- 0.1
- Test version for review by RFI: projects with research questions, coded participants, consent log, guides, field notes, visit log, evidence register, follow-ups and coding; consent checks; printable, CSV and JSON exports; backup and restore; offline use and installation.
- 1.0 (planned)
- First public release, after testing and approval.
Questions and problems
To ask a question, report a problem or raise a security concern, write to hello@relationalfuturesinstitute.org. See also the terms of use for RFI’s digital tools.