Mobile Device Planning

There is a lot to consider when making your plan to deploy your mobile devices at scale. This section provides some practical guidance to help you prepare for your device deployment.

How many devices should you buy?

When planning to purchase devices for a project, it's advised to buy an extra 10% on top of your total user count to compensate for potential losses, breakages, or for use in training and technical support. Historical data suggests a 2-3% rate of loss or theft over three years.

How should you select your devices?

See here: Mobile Device Selection

How should you test your devices?

Check each device shipment a few days after you get it, and note the Quality Control (QC) criteria based on the minimum specs and pre-installation documents. Decide on the sample size and approval thresholds, and make sure everyone knows their responsibilities for QC outcomes before procurement starts, including making sure vendors fix any hardware or pre-installation issues.

You should also conduct high-load and field sanity tests on the sample device with the application (see here: Test your Application Size (Load Testing) )

How much data should you purchase?

Many projects find that a monthly data allowance of 100 MB is sufficient. To estimate usage, consider that each form submission is roughly 7-10kb. For instance, submitting 20 forms daily over 25 working days requires about 5MB per month. For example, for a project where the FLW submits 20 forms a day, 25 days a month: 20 forms x 25 days a month x 10kb/form = 5MB

For selecting a data plan, ensure the network provider offers robust coverage in your project area. Consulting local residents or conducting field tests can help determine the best provider.

Below are some tools that you can use:

How will you charge your devices?

Device charging is crucial, especially in areas with limited electricity. Solutions include home charging for those with electricity, providing solar chargers, or establishing central charging stations, which are cost-effective but have higher theft risks. In some cases, reimbursing charging costs may be necessary.

How will you set up your devices?

See Preparing Android Devices

How will you distribute your devices?

We recommend distributing devices at training sessions to ensure correct allocation and address issues in person.

How will you manage your devices?

Below are some apps that we have used to support device management.

Make sure that you maintain a master spreadsheet with all relevant device and user information (e.g., phone numbers, usernames). Once devices are out, record and analyze reported issues and field feedback to continuously improve the application and implementation.