4 Key Things to Consider When Creating a Questionnaire Design
A questionnaire design involves much more than merely choosing what questions to ask. There are several factors that influence a survey’s success or failure. So, make sure you consider these 4 vital tips when creating a survey questionnaire. Considering these factors will help ensure that you have high quality data for critical business decision making.
1. Mode of Data Collection
In telephonic or face-to-face market surveys, your actions and words will have a key impact on the final results. On the other hand, online surveys depend more on question design and wording. You do not have the advantage of conveying the questions’ meaning via body language or inflection. Therefore, questionnaire layout, color choice, and phrasing will have a major impact on how the respondents interpret your questions. This will influence the final data.
2. Overcome the Respondents’ Unwillingness or Inability to Answer
There are several reasons why a respondent may be unwilling or unable to answer the questions. This may impact your survey result considerably. To overcome the challenge, the questionnaire design should be such so as to preface the questions with a relevant statement or place the sensitive topics at the end. You can also use the third person technique such as “John wanted a job badly and he adopted wrong means to get it. Is it right?” Simplify the questions by categorizing the responses than seeking specific answers. For example, you can group income levels such as 0 – 25000, 25000 – 50000, 50000 and above. These tips can help garner better responses.
3. Determine the Structure of the Questions
Whether it is an employee satisfaction survey, product or service feedback or market research, it is crucial to set a structure of the questions depending on your needs. The questions can be structured or unstructured. In the former, you can specify the response format and alternatives in the form of multiple choices, scales or dichotomous questions. The latter involve open-ended questions, where the respondents are free to answer the questions.
4. Decide on the Questionnaire Phrasing or Language
If the questions are phrased poorly, the respondents are likely to feel negligent to answer or may give incorrect responses. The words should be chosen carefully; avoid unambiguous words or implicit assumptions and generalizations.
Make sure you pre-test the questionnaire on a handful of respondents to identify the problems and eliminate them. Use Ambivista survey solutions to uncover valuable insights from your employees and customers.