Relevance & Research Question: An update of the HTML standard is approaching. HTML5 offers new possibilities for designing richer online questionnaires. Questionnaires can be enhanced without having to rely on additional client-sided technologies like JavaScript or Flash, which can lead to biases. Some of these new form elements already implemented in current Web browsers could be especially valuable for mobile Web surveys where respondents participate using a smartphone.
Methods & Data: In an experiment design we compared two different types of new HTML5 input types to standard instruments for collecting numbers and times. Using client-side paradata, smartphone users could be identified.
Results: The most general finding is, that break-off with smartphone users is about twice as high in comparison to traditional, non-mobile respondents. Analysis showed more explicit don’t knows and an overall tendency for fewer complete datasets with HTML5. However, these results could either be explained by characteristics of the new input types itself or by restrictions of the questionnaire.
Added Value: First insights on the effects of HTML5 input forms on mobile data collection.