> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://avala.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Data collection user guide

# Data Collection — User Guide

Data Collection lets coworkers record short videos of everyday tasks (washing
dishes, wiping a table, etc.) on a propped-up phone. Those videos are then
reviewed and approved to train robots.

There are three people in the loop, and a short guide for each below:

| You are…     | You want to…                | Where                 |
| ------------ | --------------------------- | --------------------- |
| **Admin**    | Set up a recording campaign | Django Admin (web)    |
| **Coworker** | Record the videos           | Arcade app (phone)    |
| **Reviewer** | Approve or reject videos    | Mission Control (web) |

***

## 1. Create a campaign (Admin)

A *campaign* is a batch of recording tasks. Creating one also creates the
dataset that will hold the videos — you don't need to make anything in advance.

1. Open **Django Admin** and go to the **Datasets** list.
2. Click the **"Create Data Collection Campaign…"** button at the top of the page.
3. Fill in the form:
   * **Owner** — the account the dataset belongs to (start typing to search; coworkers are hidden here).
   * **Organization** *(optional)* — set this if the campaign belongs to a team rather than a single person.
   * **Dataset name** — a clear name, e.g. *"Kitchen tasks — June"*.
   * **Number of recordings** — how many video tasks to create.
   * **Duration (seconds)** — how long each clip should be.
   * **Audio** — turn on if the recording should capture sound.
   * **Instructions** — what you want the coworker to do on camera (shown to them before recording).
   * **Orientation** — portrait or landscape.
   * **Industry** — used to group the campaign on the coworker's home screen.
   * **Project name** — a label for the work.
   * **Publish** — leave on to make the tasks immediately available to coworkers.
4. Click **Save**. The tasks are created and (if Publish was on) appear in the Arcade app.

> Tip: each recording is its own task, so "Number of recordings = 10" gives 10
> separate videos to collect, and later 10 separate items to review.

***

## 2. Record a video (Coworker)

Recording happens in the **Arcade app on a phone** (it uses the camera, so it's
mobile-only — it won't work in a web browser).

1. Open Arcade. On the home screen, find the **Data Collection** card and tap it.
2. Tap to start the session. You'll see a **brief** screen with the task
   instructions and the recording length.
3. Prop your phone so the task area is in frame, then tap **"I'm ready"**.
   * Allow camera (and microphone, if audio is on) access if asked.
4. A short **countdown** runs, then recording starts. Perform the task.
5. Recording stops automatically at the set length (or you can stop early).
6. **Preview** your clip. If it's good, continue to upload; otherwise re-record.
7. The clip uploads — a **progress bar** shows how far along it is. **Keep the
   app open until it finishes.**
8. When you see **"Uploaded successfully"**, you're done. Tap **Done** to return home.

> Tip: upload speed depends on your internet connection and video length. A
> longer or higher-quality clip takes longer to upload — that's normal.

***

## 3. Review submissions (Reviewer)

Reviewing happens in **Mission Control (web)**.

1. Open the dataset for the campaign and go to the **Capture Submissions** page.
2. You'll see a list of recordings, each with a small **live preview**,
   the submitter, duration, and whether it has audio.
3. Click a recording to open the **player**. Watch it, then decide:
   * **Accept** — the recording is good.
   * **Reject** — the recording has a problem. You must pick a reason (below) and
     can add a note.
4. After you decide, the next recording loads automatically so you can keep going.

### Keyboard shortcuts (faster reviewing)

| Key   | Action                           |
| ----- | -------------------------------- |
| **A** | Accept                           |
| **R** | Reject (opens the reason picker) |
| **J** | Next recording                   |
| **K** | Previous recording               |

### Reject reasons

Pick the closest one when rejecting:

* **Hands not visible** — the action isn't clearly in frame.
* **Too short** — the clip is shorter than needed.
* **Too long** — the clip runs longer than needed.
* **Wrong task** — the recording shows a different activity than requested.
* **Bad framing** — the camera angle/position cuts off the important part.
* **Phone moved** — the phone shifted during recording.
* **Audio missing** — sound was required but the clip has none.

> A rejected recording can be re-recorded later; rejecting does not delete
> anything, it just sends it back.

***

## Quick troubleshooting

| Problem                                     | What to do                                                                          |
| ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Coworker doesn't see the campaign in Arcade | Make sure the campaign was **published** and they're using the **phone** app.       |
| Upload seems stuck                          | It's usually just a slow connection — keep the app open and watch the progress bar. |
| Preview is black in the review list         | The live preview only plays in the web app; click the row to open the full player.  |
| Recording shows the wrong task name         | Reload the page; the title is set from the campaign.                                |