# QualNote — by QualNotes

> Digital research tool for social sciences and humanities fieldwork data collection. (iPhone/iPad app by QualNotes AB.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qualnote/id1640227388 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [QualNotes AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639807625)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 70 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2022-09-28
- Data updated: 2026-06-04
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qualnote/id1640227388/reviews.md

## What is QualNote?

QualNotes is a digital research tool tailored for the social sciences and humanities researchers and students, particularly useful for human geographers and design thinkers. It is designed to assist in fieldwork, providing a range of functionalities to facilitate data collection.

The app lets users organize their data collection efforts in project folders that offer real-time collaboration capability. This makes it particularly adequate to teach for example mobile walking methods during a class enabling the student not only to listen to the explanations of the teacher but to follow how they build a digital walking map in real time. 

Within a project folder, there are three ways to collect data: Mobile Mapping ("Maps"), Interviews and Focus Groups ("Interviews"), and Participant Observation & Autoethnography ("Participant Observation"). These tools cater to a variety of data collection needs that are the foundation of publishing qualitative research papers as well as conducting design thinking fieldwork.

The Mobile Mapping feature provides a practical solution for capturing geographical data such as geotagged photos, notes, and audio notes. The Interviews tool simplifies the organization, recording, and playback of an interview because the questions can be timestamped during the recording. The app also includes a feature called (‘Interview Guide’) that enables the collaborative preparation of a list of interview questions (the interview guide) that can be reused by many interviewers. The Participant Observation tool offers the capability to record geotagged and timestamped notes, photos, and audio notes.

Additional features of QualNotes include Photo Elicitation during an interview. This allows researchers to use photographs to stimulate discussion or reflection during the recording of an interview or focus group exercise.

QualNotes has application uses in social sciences and humanities, but also across practitioners and design thinkers who map physical Journey Maps with the purpose of improving the UX in a physical space and those conducting interviews for research purposes.

The Integrated Consent Management for Ethics is another key feature of QualNotes. This tool (available inside each project folder) simplifies the process of obtaining and managing consent from research participants. It allows researchers to collect consent from participants digitally with a finger sign on the screen. This reduces paperwork and it is comparatively safer than carrying documents during the field trip because of encryption and password protections. Only the admin user of a project can download the collected consent forms.

Data privacy is a cornerstone of QualNotes. The secure storage of these consents is a priority. QualNotes ensures that all consents are stored securely with multiple safeguards, protecting the privacy of participants and maintaining the integrity of the research data. This commitment to data privacy and the facilitation of ethical research practices.

## Key features

- Project folders with real-time collaboration
- Mobile mapping with geotagged photos and audio
- Interview recording with timestamped questions
- Participant observation with geotagged notes and audio
- Integrated consent management with digital signatures
- Photo elicitation for interviews


## Frequently asked questions about QualNote

### What is QualNote used for?

QualNote is a digital research tool designed for fieldwork in social sciences and humanities. It helps users collect data through mobile mapping, interviews, and participant observation, and manage research ethics with integrated consent.

### Can QualNote be used for teaching?

Yes, QualNote is suitable for teaching mobile walking methods. It allows for real-time collaboration on digital walking maps, enabling students to follow and learn how maps are built during a class.

### What data collection methods does QualNote support?

QualNote supports three primary data collection methods: Mobile Mapping for geographical data, Interviews for recording and organizing interviews, and Participant Observation for recording observations and autoethnography.

### How does QualNote handle research ethics and consent?

QualNote includes Integrated Consent Management, allowing researchers to obtain digital consent from participants via screen signatures. This feature simplifies paperwork, enhances security through encryption and password protection, and ensures data privacy.

### Is QualNote available on multiple devices?

QualNote is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, making it accessible for users on various Apple mobile platforms.

### How often is QualNote updated?

QualNote was last updated on November 19, 2025, indicating a recent update. The latest version available is 7.

### What is the user rating for QualNote?

QualNote has a perfect rating of 5.0 stars based on 1 review, suggesting a highly positive user experience from its initial users.

### Does QualNote have ads?

No, QualNote does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use without any ad interruptions.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 7 — 2025-11-19

only change name for QualNotes

### 6 — 2025-11-13

This update includes the latest package updates, performance and stability improvements, as well as the ability to add photos from your gallery directly to the map.

### 4.0.1 — 2024-12-05

Fixes schedule display. Now a schedule displays question text correctly when loaded unto an interview.

### 4.0.0 — 2024-11-17

fix photo elicitation.

### 3.9.9 — 2024-09-17

In this version:
- improvements to map export to excel 
- device will not sleep during voice interview

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## Related topics

[observation note](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/observation-note)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-04.*