Quality surveys can provide powerful insights for companies, investors, and consultants to help with making better business decisions. But how do you design an accurate, high-quality survey?
First, it’s important to plan and scope so you are defining the questions you need your survey to answer. Next is to author and create, or build your survey and program the path respondents should take. Then comes the execution and fielding phrase where you get your survey out into the wild. Lastly, you should analyze and report on survey information in a digestible way. These steps will allow you to share meaningful survey results.
Components of Good Survey Design
When it comes to creating a good survey design, you can think about survey planning (the first phase) with the five Ws: why are you doing the research, what questions do you need to ask, who do you want to take the survey, when should the survey launch and close, and where could people take your survey. The creation of the actual survey involves writing understandable and objective questions, or ones that aren’t leading, loaded, or double-barreled.
With a well-built survey plan, you can then move on to the execution phase of the process. This involves testing the survey to make sure it works and looks the way it’s supposed to as well as launching or fielding the survey so you start collecting responses. Some survey tools provide you with the ability to download datasets with built-in filters and crosscuts so you can start analyzing early on in the process.
Reporting and analysis is one of the most important aspects of the survey process as it converts raw data into actionable information. This involves collecting results so you are getting the data you need as well as exporting data to Excel or a different file type for other analysis tools. Charts and graphs make it easy to understand the valuable information your data is providing. Some examples include line charts that help with tracking a value over time, bar charts that compare specific values, and pie charts that break down a whole into separate components.
Conclusion
Although survey design is crucial in creating an effective survey, managing the process is also important. With the right balance of control and support when it comes to the execution of your survey, you can successfully drive better business decisions for your organization.
