10 Things to Remember about designing a Killer Survey
So you want to design a survey? Making an effective survey doesn't have to be rocket science.Here are a few things to keep in mind to make that survey shine.
1. Make it Look Good
Be very aware of the layout. Use colors that stick out and a font that you like. Remember, people won't go through all of those questions if they don't like the look of them. Make your survey a pretty place to spend a few minutes.
2. Keep the Survey Short
Don't be Stephen King when it comes to surveys. Keep your questions short, sweet, and to the point. This will help to keep people interested so that you can get the information that you are looking for.
3. Include Images
Images help to keep the survey attractive and on-point. This will increase your chance of getting them fully completed so take a moment to find the right images for some of your questions.
4. Group According to Topic
If your questions jump around too much then people can get frustrated or confused when answering them. Group the questions by topic to help keep the people taking your survey focused. This will improve the quality of your answers and help to keep them interested in finishing the survey.
5. Sensitive or Personal Info Should be At the End
If you have a few personal questions, try to put them towards the end. This is sneaky and effective. If you put them by the end, then often people will think 'I have answered many questions already, I might as well do these and get this over with.'. This will increase your chances of having these questions answered.
6. Make Sure Your Questions are Easy to Understand and Try to Keep Them Brief
Make your questions quick and to the point. If you ramble or waste time making them too verbose then people will be less likely to complete the survey. Keep your questions brief and to the point to maximize the chances that they will be completed.
7. Try to Avoid Don't Know Options
If you will be including 'I'm not sure' or 'I don't know' type options in your survey, be sure to keep them minimal. If this is an option for every question then the people taking the survey can get lazy. This will result in entire surveys where the answer is 'I don't know'. Keep this option at a minimal if you will be using it.
8. Route People Around Questions They Don't Need to Answer
To maximize the efficiency of your metrics and to avoid wasted time, include an option in your survey to skip portions that do not apply to the person taking the exam. If a portion of the quiz is only for someone who is employed, for example, you can avoid useless data by simply giving the person taking the quiz the option to skip this portion.
9. Put Space at the end of the Survey for Freeform Response and/or Feedback
Including a blank space at the end of the survey will help you to get additional feedback that you might have forgotten to include in the survey. It also helps to make the survey have a more interactive feel, as it prompts the person taking your quiz for additional information without the constraints of a single answer or multiple choice type scenario.
10. Get Someone to Proofread Before you Post It
This one is important. Think your survey is perfect? Well, put it to the test(pun 100% intended). Let someone you trust take a look and run through the quiz. If you have been looking at it for a long period of time then this is a must, as it is easy to think you have said all of the things that you were hoping to say. Let someone else have a look and they can quickly find if your survey is missing something.
We hope these tips will help you to write the surveys that we know you are capable of!
Now get writing and get that metric data!
