How to Design a Questionnaire

Questionnaires are created to obtain feedback.

Organizations often create questionnaires to gather information from customers, employees or target markets. Questionnaires are created by determining a focus and writing relevant questions regarding it. These survey results are then tallied and the information is analyzed. Findings of the questionnaire are used by the organization to make business decisions. Before creating a questionnaire, you must choose questions, determine who will take it and how it will be distributed.

Instructions

1. Determine what the goals of the questionnaire are. To determine the goals, an organization decides what information it hopes to receive from the survey, along with determining the questionnaire's main idea.

2. Decide who will take the survey. An organization must decide if the questionnaire is aimed at current customers, potential customers, employees or a specific target market. This is done prior to writing the questions so that the team creating the questionnaire has some direction when choosing appropriate questions.

3. Leave a blank space for comments. Many questionnaires include a blank line or two allowing repondents the option of writing in any additional comments or concerns.

4. Include pertinent information on the survey. At the beginning of the questionnaire include its purpose and the approximate amount of time it will take to complete. At the end of the form, thank the respondents, offer instructions for returning the survey and a deadline date, if applicable.

5. Decide how the questionnaire will be distributed and collected. Determine the method that will be used in distributing and collecting the forms. Common types of distribution are by mail, email or through phone interviews.

6. Tally the results. After all forms are collected, the results are tallied and the information is analyzed by the organization.

References

• PSU: Questionnaires

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish