How to Develop Survey Questions

Surveys are a good way for a business to get feedback on its products or services. They are also used by some companies as a way to gauge the market for demand before launching a new venture. However, to be most effective, survey questions must be targeted and simple so you get the information you need without discouraging the consumer with difficult questions. The fewer questions you use to get the information you need, the more likely your survey will be a success.

Instructions

1. Write questions that match the objective of your project. Your questions should suit whatever you are trying to accomplish in terms of an end goal. For example, if you want to know what kinds of sneakers people in your community prefer because you are opening a retail store, don't ask about spending habits in general or what kinds of shoes they like. Instead, ask specific questions about spending habits on sneakers in particular or purchasing habits for sneakers instead of shoes overall.

2. Keep questions short and simple. The longer and more complicated your survey questions, the more likely you will turn off your participants before the survey even begins. Short, pointed survey questions are more likely to appeal to the participants because they won't feel as if they have to invest a great deal of time in taking your survey.

3. Choose a survey question type depending on how much information you need. Survey questions may be open-ended or closed-ended. Closed-ended questions give participants a set of answers from which to choose, while open-ended questions allow them to fill in an original answer. If you need a great deal of information from your survey, use open-ended question type. If you are trying to gauge something more simple, such as spending habits, closed-ended questions are more effective.

4. Use language that is clear and easy to understand. Don't complicate the questions for the participants by using a lot of large, unfamiliar words. While that could make the survey sound better, you may get fewer results because fewer readers will respond to the survey.

References

• Super Survey: Survey Questions