EpiSurveyor for Windows and Palm (ie, the original EpiSurveyor) incorporates a Windows-based "Designer" program for creation of surveys, and a Java-based "Engine" that uses surveys created in Designer to collect data in the field on Palm OS devices. Both of these programs assume no technical background, no programming skill, and are made to be "word-processor easy" to use.

The process is:

• Enter your questions into the Designer program on your desktop or laptop
• "Publish" the resulting form to the mobile device(s) (e.g. Palm device)
• Gather information on the mobile device(s)
• Bring the mobile device(s) back to the computer that has the original form, and synchronize them
• The data from all the handhelds will be combined into a single data table which can be exported to a variety of formats for analysis