With all the “do-it-yourself” options for implementing a survey, there are many opportunities for the untrained person with some good ideas to design their own study, write their own questionnaire, and analyze their own results.

While this may seem like an easy task, it is not simple to produce the appropriate tool that will accurately inform the important decisions an organization needs to make. As researchers, we find that our greatest value comes from assisting, and in some cases leading our clients down a path to success.

• We at ReconMR are experienced in utilizing our understanding of the science of market research, which is driven by statistics, sociology, psychology, and marketing.
• We didn’t learn all of this from school though intellectual curiosity we got there is key to our success. It took years of learning on the job with all types of client surveys to hone this craft.

Here are a few of our best practices for developing a successful questionnaire (no charge!):

1. First, it’s important to identify and understand your audience. Who are you speaking to? Are there specific subgroups of your audience you’d like to better understand? It’s important to craft your survey questions appropriately to speak to your audience. Some audiences will be extremely knowledgeable on the topic you’re exploring and be enthused to share their knowledge, while others will be less familiar and should not be intimidated with such great detail.
2. A questionnaire must balance being appropriately detailed while at the same time remaining very concise. This can be a very delicate proposition not easily accomplished. While it’s easy to ask every question under the sun, it’s painstakingly difficult to pare down a survey to only the necessary components. It’s important to keep in mind the respondent experience and produce a series of questions that are easy and pleasant to answer. Many times you’re speaking directly to your customer (or someone you’d like to be your customer), and it’s important to keep in mind the external communications (e.g., public relations) component that many surveys fulfill.
3. Often times, survey research is embarked upon to prove or disprove a specific theory. While a specific result may be expected, it’s important not to force an expected result. Neutrality must be carefully considered when crafting your questionnaire. Slight wording choices can unintentionally bias a response. Experienced researchers are always on the lookout for biased language when crafting a survey.
4. Questionnaire scaling is often the most important aspect of questionnaire design that is overlooked or not completely understood. It’s imperative that question scales be appropriately designed to produce meaningful information that can be accurately interpreted in order to fully understand the perceptions and attitudes of your audience.
5. While surveys tend to be primarily quantitative in nature, utilizing open-ended, qualitative questioning can provide valuable insight not gained from a series of ratings – “the Whys.” This is often the avenue for discovering unexpected ideas and attitudes among your audience.
6. Finally, the most well-crafted survey will be ineffective if it is not administered correctly. It’s important to choose the most appropriate avenue for distribution – telephone, online, mail, and/or in-person. Equally important is the actual implementation.  Online surveys must be programmed for ease of use and understanding for the respondent. Surveys administered via phone or in-person must utilize experienced interviewers trained on best practices for conducting surveys.

We really enjoy working with both new and experienced research clients at ReconMR. Your questions keep us excited about what we do. What are your questions about survey design?

Tagged as: avoid bias, best practices, know your audience, questionnaire, survey design, tips

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