How to Develop an Effective Survey Questionnaire

Surveys have become critical instruments of brand research to gather and analyze valuable information on how consumers perceive their brands. In carrying out a survey, a questionnaire is used to solicit respondents’ feedback, thus enabling the brand to gather information. Incredibly critical is the art of getting customers to complete the survey questionnaire.

Failure to develop an engaging questionnaire can pose various challenges, such as incomplete questionnaires or a lack of interest in answering the questions, amongst other variables. Just as the introduction of a new product requires careful preparation and execution to be successful, an innovative approach that urges customers to answer the questions thoroughly on the questionnaire is required.

Entrepreneurs, and especially those in the Baby Boomer industry, should pay close attention to the essential elements that will attract the attention of customers when composing the instrument, once their research objective is identified.   But how do you craft great survey questions?

This article will share some valuable tips to help you in crafting a great questionnaire for your survey.

Four Tips in Crafting Your Research Questions for Your Survey

As noted by Dr. Tanenbaum, when crafting your questions, there are some essential tips to consider for an effective survey questionnaire. So, let’s look at a few tips:

Focus on a single issue. Stay focused on your goal. Think about what you aspire to achieve. For instance, are you seeking information on how customers view your service or are you looking for information on how your product meets the needs of your customers? Whatever you do, ensure that it addresses a single topic, and the information provided clarifies your research objective.

Construct your question in a manner that is delineated the same way by all participants. A question can be misconstrued easily and perceived differently by various people based on its construction. It must be void of ambiguity and written so that all the participants derive the same meaning, with no point in thought. For example, “do you like the new color of my brand’s logo?” Of course, respondents would not be able to answer this question without understanding the color of your logo. Perhaps, you may want to be more explicit with your question and ask: “do you like my brand’s new red logo?”

Use simple vocabulary. When interacting with your respondents, use basic words, and avoid florid words. Not everyone may understand what you are asking and not be interested in looking up the concept. That may divert their attention from your questionnaire, so ensure they know what you’re asking.

Keep the questions short and simple. Your questions shouldn’t be too wordy, so avoid being redundant as this may distort the sense of what you ask. Make the subject clear and quick to understand.

Let’s take a look at how Coca-Cola developed its survey questionnaire. That gives an insight into how a brand can use a questionnaire to gather information on the choice of consumers.


Four Tips on What Should Not be Done When Crafting a Survey Questionnaire

Questions should not be written based on assumptions. Assuming everybody has the same standards or does the same is a big mistake. Remember, people have different expectations, and they do things differently. So, never pose a question while developing the questionnaire on the assumption that everyone is doing the same. For example,

“How often do you buy office supplies?

[ ] Frequently [ ] Sometimes [ ] Always

VERSUS

[ ] 0        [ ] 1-4 times per month           [ ] Over 4 times per month

Questions should not be formulated beyond the respondent’s capacity to answer. Having the wrong person complete the questionnaire will not yield the results you seek. Make sure that your questionnaire is cascaded to the right respondent. You can do this by screening the respondents using filter questions. For example, if you need XZY’s owner to answer the questionnaire and not his assistant, you could ask, “are you XZY owner? Then proceed to the follow-up question.

A specific question should not generalize a case. If a particular subject infers broadly, it can skew the response. Therefore, a single question should not capture the reaction of broad inferences. Your question should not claim any properties belonging to the whole; assuming that all consumers like red, or all consumers find your products easy to use. Take a look at this example, “How often do you use cartridge to print reports?” versus “do you use generic cartridge to print your reports?” Use the latter for the appropriate question.

The survey questionnaire should not have “double-barreled” questions. Your questionnaire should not ask two questions in one sentence as it could cause uncertainty with the respondent, not understanding which subject is of interest. For example, “are you satisfied with Burg’s products and services?” Instead, your question should be, “are you satisfied with Burg’s products?” Or “are you satisfied with Burg’s services?”

Conclusion

What do you think? Are you now prepared to devise a convincing survey questionnaire that will yield results? These tips will potentially help you to construct an engaging questionnaire that participants will be interested in answering. In addition, you will possibly save time and money.  Notwithstanding,  it is essential to remember that a survey questionnaire should not be confused with a questionnaire or survey. Most prefer to use the terms interchangeably; however, a distinction is made.

You may ask the questions, “What is that distinction?” and “How do I proceed from here?” Gain an understanding of the difference between surveys and questionnaires to prevent ambiguity.

Now, this article will point you to the next step. Learn more about a Questionnaire and  Survey.

As SurveyMonkey indicates, “a questionnaire is any written set of questions, while a survey is both the set of questions and the process of collecting, aggregating, and analyzing the responses from those questions.”

Also, please take a look at my last article: Why is marketing research important for business success. This article provides valuable insights that may be of interest to you as you prepare for your research project.

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