TALKER: A Multimodal Questionnaire System

Developed by David Bertollo

Talker is a comprehensive computerized questionnaire system featuring audio and textual question presentation specifically designed for touch screen response. Both audio and visual answer prompts are supported for button input. Questionnaires are defined using a simple scripting language which is usable by researchers with basic computer skills. Answers can be scored as the data is being collected. Data can also be stored in local and remote databases for later analysis.

Target Users

The Talker system was designed to allow most questionnaires to be developed by non-programmers. Any researcher with basic computer skills along with an understanding of computer data files should be able to generate basic questionnaires without assistance.

Basic Features

Questions are presented one screen at a time with clear, large text and big answer buttons. Full support for voice prompting utilizing pre-recorded and/or computer synthesized voices is provided. When using voice prompting, each answer button is highlighted as that answer is being read. Multiple input modalities are supported including touch screens, a mouse or a keyboard. In addition, Tablet PC's with stylus input are also supported.

Advanced Features

Images can be inserted at the end of a question. When more complex question presentation is desired, HTML Pages can be used, allowing for more complex text formatting, use of more complex audio prompts, and for video displays. There is built in support for answer range checking, automatic counting of answered questions, and the automatic summation of scaled data and numeric answers. For interviewer mediated questioning, the interviewer has the option of disabling voice prompting as well as using express keyboard input using only the top row of keys on the keyboard.

The Scripting Language

Talker provides full support for calculations and question time text replacement. Modern control structures including if,.else, while, repeat and until are also supported.

Paper Forms

Paper forms can be generated for documentation or non-computerized data collection. Two basic form layouts are supported: free form and tabular. They can be used singly or in any combination. (requires DOCBOOK, an open source formatting system)

Data Input

Talker has predefined YES/NO buttons along with the ability to use from 1 to 8 named answer buttons used for both single choice and multichoice responses. Up to three 'special buttons' (for answers such as 'Not Applicable', etc.) can also be specified. A calculator style keypad is used for numeric input. Support is provided for formatted numeric input such as Social Security numbers, Telephone numbers, Times, Dates, Months/Years, and Months or Years. Text data is also supported. (Text input requires a keyboard or a Tablet PC with stylus.)

Output

On-screen and paper reporting is supported. Output can also be directed to Comma Delimited ASCII files, XML Tagged files, or an MsSql, MySQL or Interbase Database. An interface for transmission of the data over the Internet from a local Interbase database to a common Intervase database is also supplied.

Deliverables

The Talker system comes with the Talker program, and Internet Client and Server programs for the Interbase SQL system. A Programming Guide and Reference and a User's Guide are also included.

More Information

A copy of this information in PDF format is available by clicking here: TalkerInfo.pdf

Download Current Version (2.8.2)

The latest version of Talker supports many new features such as support for MySQL and Ms SQL platforms and SQL lookup functions. Multi language support is also vastly improverd. Click here to view the complete Release Notes:ReleaseNotes282.pdf

Click on the following link to download Talker. Download the file to a convenient location, then execute the program do perform the actual Talker installation. Click here to download: Talker282.exe

Download DLL Files for Using SQL Databases

Download this file if you are planning on using Talker 2.8.2 with an SQL database system: SqlDLL.zip Open Readme.txt in the zip file for further instructions.

Download Prior Version (2.7.0.0)

The latest version of Talker supports many new features such as support for MySQL and MS SQL platforms, as well as SQL table lookup functions. Multi language support has also been vastly improved. Click here to see the Release Notes:ReleaseNotes282.pdf

Download Talker282.exe to a convenient location, then execute the program to perform the actual installation. Talker will install to "c:\Talker" by default. Click here to download: Setup.exe

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