Reading this post takes only eighteen minutes. And while applying the recommended steps, you just need to pay some attention while you do so.<\/p>\n
The first step: Determining the perspective and purpose of the survey<\/h2>\n
One of the important reasons why research and survey designers get confused is the failure to determine the purpose of the effective survey at the beginning of the work. In fact, you cannot ask accurate and appropriate questions until you are clear about your task and your expectations of the results. So in the first step, answer some important questions:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What is my main purpose in designing an effective survey?<\/li>\n
- What is my purpose in asking each question?<\/li>\n
- What will I measure with an online survey?<\/li>\n
- How do the final answers help me make a better decision?<\/li>\n
- Who is the audience of the survey or the statistical population of the research and survey?<\/li>\n
- Can I get the information I need from the target population with an online effective survey?<\/li>\n
- What information do I need about my target population to analyze the results?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Answering the above questions will help you:<\/p>\n
a) specify your needs, b) design only questions that you need answers to for further actions or decisions, c) define your target population, d) make sure whether creating an effective survey in the first place is a good solution for you or not!<\/p>\n
The second step: Determining the target or statistical population<\/h2>\n
Whether you plan to conduct a survey or market research for the company or collect data for a thesis or personal study, you should define your target population before designing an effective survey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The target population or the statistical population is defined as a specific group of the population that is categorized under one class or group due to one or more common characteristics.<\/p>\n
Groups such as women working in private companies, human resource managers active in startups, customers of energy drinks, or incoming students of Oxford University in 2023 are all examples of the target groups and statistical population of your research and survey.<\/p>\n
By determining your target audience, you can not only design more precise questions but also choose better methods for distributing your effective survey.<\/p>\n
For example, when a sportswear brand wants to evaluate its brand penetration or brand awareness, it determines its target audience (men and women who are athletes and sports lovers), who can be spotted on sports news pages. Therefore, by publishing the survey on related media, the desired data can be easily obtained.<\/p>\n
![\"determining](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/determining-the-statistical-population-for-designing-effective-survey.jpg\" "\\"Determining")
<\/p>\nThe third step: designing questionnaires and surveys<\/h2>\n
Now that your task regarding the purpose of the effective survey, the required data and the target community is clear, it is time to design your questionnaire and survey.<\/p>\n
Note: Since designing paper surveys is not our topic in this post, we will only explain how to design an online survey along with its standards. Of course, with the development of the internet and considering the costs of other methods, fewer people will consider using paper surveys.<\/em><\/p>\n
Designing effective survey questions \u2013 open-ended or close-ended questions<\/h3>\n
Generally, when designing surveys, we are faced with two types of questions, open-ended and close-ended.<\/p>\n
Open-ended questions<\/strong> are questions that do not present the respondent with a list of options and he\/she can express his opinion without restrictions.<\/p>\n
These types of questions are used in qualitative research and are suitable for discovering the unknown. For example, if you don\u2019t know what your audience needs or you can\u2019t really understand the reason why they don\u2019t buy from you, an open-ended question can clear up your confusion.<\/p>\n
Questions like \u00abWhat features do you think product X should have?\u00bb and \u00abWhy did you stop buying our product?\u00bb are examples of open-ended questions.<\/p>\n
Unlike open-ended questions, other types of questions, called close-ended questions<\/strong>, are common in many measurements and quantitative research.<\/p>\n
In close-ended questions, the audience is faced with a list of options. Analyzing the results of these questions is easier and in many cases, gives you meaningful results as long as you define your list of responses without bias.<\/p>\n
Multiple-choice, Likert-scale, or rating\/ranking questions are examples of close-ended question types.<\/p>\n
To learn more about the types of survey questions, read the post on choosing the type of question in the survey:<\/p>\n
A guide to choosing the type of question in the online survey<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
The effective survey structure<\/h3>\n
Each survey consists of three sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion.<\/p>\n
The introduction of the survey<\/h4>\n
The introduction of the survey is a place to explain the reasons for the research, show instructions for the answers, and motivate the respondents to participate. In this introduction:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Explain to the audience the topic and importance of your research, evaluation, questionnaire or survey.<\/li>\n
- Write down the number of questions and the answering time.<\/li>\n
- In case of asking personal questions, be sure to inform the respondent of the confidentiality of their answers. Or, by conducting an anonymous survey, prevent receiving invalid information.<\/li>\n
- Include instructions for filling out the survey in plain language.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In the Porsline software<\/a>, you can create a customized welcome page for each survey and provide the necessary information to the audience upon opening the survey.<\/p>\n
![\"the](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/welcome-page-of-an-effective-survey.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\nThe main body of the survey<\/h4>\n
In the main body of the survey, ask the screening questions first, then ask the main questions and bring the demographic questions at the end.<\/p>\n
Screening questions<\/strong> are questions that help you prevent the completion of the survey by people other than the statistical population of the study at the very beginning. For example, if your survey is to be completed by people over the age of 20, by adding an age screening question, you can easily separate the responses from people under that specific age.<\/p>\n
Demographic questions<\/strong> are questions that are chosen to know the characteristics of the target population such as gender, employment, study habits, income, etc. These questions make it possible to analyze and classify the results.<\/p>\n
The main questions of the effective survey<\/strong> are the questions you write to achieve the goal of your research. To design such questions, use the ready-made survey templates<\/a> prepared by Porsline or prepare the questions you want by selecting among various question types.<\/p>\n
The survey conclusion<\/h4>\n
After completing the questions, you need an appropriate conclusion to your survey. In this section:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Thank the participant in the effective survey and research.<\/li>\n
- If your survey contains the correct responses, put them at the disposal of the respondents. You can share each respondent\u2019s answer link with them using the \u00abShow Answer Page\u00bb or \u00abShow Quiz Key\u00bb<\/li>\n
- Redirect the participant to the site\u2019s home page or other preferred pages.<\/li>\n
- Ask the participant to send the survey to his\/her friends and other acquaintances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Types of questions and their applications<\/h3>\n
The types of questions you will deal with depending on your goal are the following:<\/p>\n
Short Text questions<\/h4>\n
This question type is useful when the answer you want is one or two words.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Receive audience identity information and quiz questions with single-word answers.<\/p>\n
Common examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Please write your first and last name.<\/p>\n
What is the name of your organization?<\/p>\n
What is your job position?<\/p>\n
What is the most vital organ of the human body?<\/p>\n
Note:<\/strong> For questions such as receiving phone number, mobile number, zip code, national code, account number, and card number, use short text questions with short answers.<\/p>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-text-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nLong Text questions<\/h4>\n
When the answer to your question is more than just two words and you need to know the reason for something, use the long answer text question.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Receiving demographic information, audience persona research, descriptive tests of schools and universities, or even recruitment tests of organizations<\/p>\n
Common examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n
What sites do you usually visit to get daily news?<\/p>\n
How would you describe a typical day at work?<\/p>\n
In your opinion, what features can make our product more useful for you?<\/p>\n
What are the causes of earthquakes?<\/p>\n
Multiple Choice Questions (and Picture Choice)<\/h4>\n
Multiple Choice questions are one of the best question types for surveys that get you detailed data.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Product survey questions, close-ended demographic questions such as age, gender, income, etc. along with marketing research questions used in competitor evaluation surveys or brand influence evaluation.<\/p>\n
Common examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Which of the following options is the main reason for your purchase?<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product quality<\/li>\n
- Design and appearance<\/li>\n
- Price<\/li>\n
- Others<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
How much is your monthly income?<\/p>\n
- \n
- Less than five thousand dollars<\/li>\n
- Between five and ten thousand dollars<\/li>\n
- Between ten and fifteen thousand dollars<\/li>\n
- Above fifteen thousand dollars<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-multiple-choice-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nRating scale questions or Likert scale questions (Psychometric scale)<\/h4>\n
When you want to know the audience\u2019s opinion or feeling about a certain topic or measure their agreement or disagreement with a statement, the Likert question type is suitable for your survey.<\/p>\n
The Likert scale gives the audience a numerical range to measure satisfaction, agreement, disagreement, probability, or frequency.<\/p>\n
Likert scale and its applications in organizational questionnaires and surveys<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Customer satisfaction, studying customer habits, self-evaluations, performance evaluations of employees or managers, personality and psychological tests, and customer loyalty surveys.<\/p>\n
Common examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Are you satisfied with our company\u2019s after-sale service?<\/p>\n
- \n
- I am not satisfied at all<\/li>\n
- I am somewhat dissatisfied<\/li>\n
- I have no opinion<\/li>\n
- I am somewhat satisfied<\/li>\n
- I am completely satisfied<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
My manager adheres well to company processes and procedures:<\/p>\n
- \n
- I completely disagree<\/li>\n
- I somewhat disagree<\/li>\n
- I have no opinion<\/li>\n
- I somewhat agree<\/li>\n
- I completely agree<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-Likert-scale-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nRating questions<\/h4>\n
Measure the level of audience satisfaction with rating\/ranking questions. This question type allows the audience to choose answers freely.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Employee satisfaction survey, service quality survey, customer experience survey, organizational loyalty survey.<\/p>\n
Common examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n
How would you rate the quality of our services?<\/p>\n
\u2665\u2665\u2665\u2665\u2665<\/p>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-rating-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nRanking questions<\/h4>\n
They are used to know the priority of topics in the customer\u2019s mind or the order of importance of product features.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Demographic questions and audience recognition, market and marketing research, product testing, and product features.<\/p>\n
A common example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Which features are more important to you when buying a refrigerator?<\/p>\n
- \n
- The size and weight<\/li>\n
- Cooling efficiency<\/li>\n
- The spaciousness of the shelves<\/li>\n
- Beauty and appearance of the design<\/li>\n
- Warranty and after-sale service<\/li>\n
- Additional facilities such as ice maker and drain, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-ranking-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nEmail\/Link\/Website\/Numerical Questions<\/h4>\n
Questions that have a clear and unchangeable response pattern are very useful in designing smooth and practical forms. For example, let\u2019s say you need to follow up and get the respondent\u2019s email address or website after having registered a comment. By using the numerical or email question type, the audience can register their comments only by entering a valid email address.<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Contact us form, order registration form, customer survey, job application forms, and conference registration form.<\/p>\n
A common example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
please enter your email address:<\/p>\n
Email template<\/p>\n
![\"using](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/using-email-address-question-in-survey.jpg\" "\\"Using")
<\/p>\nFile upload questions<\/h4>\n
File upload question allows you to receive any file; From photo and document scanning to video and PDF!<\/p>\n
Common uses:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Registration forms, order registration forms, and job application forms.<\/p>\n
A common example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Please upload your resume here:<\/p>\n
File upload option.<\/p>\n
Order\/Sequence of an effective survey questions<\/h2>\n
The order of the effective survey questions should be determined based on the purpose of the research and its audience. Since one of the goals of the survey designer is to simplify answering questions for the audience, the best order of questions is as follows:<\/p>\n
- \n
- From easy to difficult.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- From short to long and time-consuming questions.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- From general to more specific questions.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- From general to detailed questions.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- From close-ended to open-ended questions.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In this case, the audience answers the questions with less reluctance and more motivation.<\/p>\n
Another important issue is the placement of personal questions in the survey. For example, in demographic questions, the audience may be sensitive to providing personal information such as age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to ask such questions at the end of the survey and only if necessary. Also, it is important to inform the audience about the confidentiality of their information or the anonymity of the answers.<\/p>\n
- From short to long and time-consuming questions.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- From easy to difficult.<\/strong><\/li>\n
![\"setting](\"https:\/\/blog2.porsline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/setting-up-an-effective-survey.jpg\" "\\"Setting")
<\/p>\n