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Step 1
Choose a length for your survey. Consider keeping the survey as concise and focused as possible. The longer the survey, the greater the likelihood that the individual will either not start the survey or not fill it out to completion.
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Step 2
Draft your questions. Center the questions on personal information that can help you provide the consumer with better service or higher-quality products. Think about what information you need to know about the consumer in order to serve him or her better. For example, if you work at a vitamin store, you may wish to identify their greatest health fear or try to figure out how often they buy vitamins.
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Step 3
Review your questions. Make sure they are all multiple choice or "Yes/No" questions. While questions that allow consumers to write anything they want may occasionally be useful, such surveys do not let you easily catalog the answers or compare consumer answers. Limiting answers to multiple choice allows you to track shifts in user needs or perceptions over time.
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Step 4
Publish the survey. If you plan to hand out the survey physically, print it out on plain white paper and space each question on the page so that they are easy to read. Group each question with its respective answers to limit confusion for the survey taker knows. If you plan to distribute the survey online, use a free online survey service. ConstantContact is one of the most well-known, but Survey Monkey and PollDaddy are popular alternatives (see Resources).
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Step 5
Review the answers that consumers provide. Consider entering them into a spreadsheet so you can keep track of which answers are the most popular, and tailor your business' services or products accordingly.
