Since 1998, the Minnesota Department of Human Services in partnership with the Minnesota Board on Aging, has surveyed state fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair. Prior to this year, the Own Your Future survey was paper-based, resulting in hours of staff time spent compiling, scanning, cleaning the data, and creating the reports. This old manual and paper-based process changed in 2016, when for the first time, state staff were armed with electronic tablets (iPads). In our modern digital age, most Minnesotans are familiar with smart devices such as iPads, and were comfortable completing the survey on one of four iPads. In addition to reducing paper waste, seniors quickly realized the benefits of the devices with easy to use touch screens and large font sizes.

Most importantly, the survey data was automatically uploaded to the state’s server, since the iPads were connected to a secure Wi-Fi connection. Connecting to state systems in real-time allowed staff immediate access to the data, thus saving many hours of staff time compiling and analyzing the data.

Additionally, using iPads allowed for the expansion of the number of questions asked, while still keeping the time commitment to complete the survey under five minutes.

This year, 2,553 Minnesotans completed the Own Your Future survey at the state fair, which is the second largest number ever surveyed! This information is extremely important, as the data helps advise state staff, policymakers, and others as it relates to investments in services for Minnesotans.