When writing survey questions, some common mistakes are easy to make even on the simplest of questions. These following tips can help to avoid possible drawbacks.
Include simple questions
Questions must be easy to understand, therefore, you need to use a simple language. The most important thing is to write questions that your readers can understand easily and to do so you have to use everyday language as you do when you talk to your friends or colleagues.
Use words with clear meanings
Don’t leave space to misinterpretation and avoid ambiguous sentences. To avoid misunderstandings, use words and expressions easily comprehensible by everybody.
Don’t use jargon
Jargon can make respondents feel unintelligent. Instead , use clear, straightforward language that is easily undestandable and doesn’t require to consult a dictionary.
Do not offer too many options
It you provide too many alternatives, you could complicate things. Therefore, it is advisable to limit the number option for each question.
Be specific
Some concepts may have different meanings to different people. Try to be as specific as possible when you ask questions and choice the option that gives you a more precise and objective answer.
Ask one thing per question
Each of your survey questions should ask just one thing. If there is not a clear way for users to answer the question you might have to reformulate it, split it into two separate questions.
In multiple choice questions, do not overlap answers
When you ask a multiple choice question that can only have one answer, provide a list that covers all the options without overlapping. For example, if you asked the respondent to tell the time spent on a specific activity, your choices should not be “10-20, 20-30, 30-40, over 40.”
Ensure your survey works on multiple devices
If respondents will be using a variety of devices to take your survey, choose an app that’s responsive and could be used on desktop and mobile versions.
Keep your survey questions neutral
Putting an opinion in your question prompt (or asking a “leading question”) can influence respondents to answer in a way that does not reflect how they really feel.
Keep it short
Most users spend about five minutes filling out a 10-question survey. That means your 50-question form takes about half an hour to complete. Unless you’re offering an incentive in return, that’s a long taks to request to your busy customers.
Test your survey
As a survey creator, there is no worse feeling than finding mistakes in your survey once you have already sent it. To prevent this situation from happening you might share your surveys with colleagues, friends, and others, in advance.
Ask feedback from you audience
This is another way to test your survey so you can see what your audience think about it and you can check which information they are most interested in receiving.
Once you have completed the questions, you should match them against this list and see how you did. Many times, small changes can make a big difference. If a question need to be rewritten, it’s worthy making an effort to get it right. Ready to write your survey questions? Using DataScope, you can build your own digital surveys. Sign up for free.
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