Creating a survey is not a difficult task, but it may sometimes bring some headaches when one does not reach the expected results. Bear in mind that the success of a survey shouldn't be measured by the amount of information gathered or the number of respondents that answered it, but by the importance and the relevance of the data obtained.
That is why we want to share some tips to create an efficient survey so that you can make better decisions based on data.
#01: Be clear about the purpose of the survey
Before starting to develop your survey it is fundamental to define your objectives. It is key to be clear about exactly what you want to know with this survey and what are the key answers that only respondents can answer. Focus on that to ask specific questions that really contribute to your investigation.
If you are working in teams, you have to make sure everyone understands and can see and work with the same goal in mind.
Learning for the sake of learning is good! But learning with the intention of doing something with the new knowledge is much better!
#02: Don't forget that design is very important
Once you have developed the questions for your survey you will be able to focus on the design. It is highly advisable to take the necessary time to cautiously design your campaign and not lose sight of it’s objective.
This stage is almost as important as the phrasing of the questions: remember that the first impression is what counts. We recommend making the surveys very visual and attractive to the respondent.
With Survey Kiwi you can customize and differentiate yourself as much as possible. Any survey is unique and totally different from the other. So you have to take advantage and add images, your own logo and modify the fonts and the colors.
Add as many as you think necessary. These not only help understand the question better, but also open your mind to innovate, create metaphors and obtain consumer insights.
Our experience has shown that it is useful to create custom surveys and use a good visual design when creating them to maintain the interest of users and therefore increase your response rate.
#03: Customize your surveys
At Survey Kiwi we know how important it is to create user-focused surveys, which is why we always recommend the use of variables that make campaigns more enjoyable for them.
You should always use the name of the users if you have it or data and elements that make them feel as if they were answering a survey created for them. Customization helps increase the completion rate of your surveys.
If you want to know more about variables and how to implement them in your surveys, visit the section in our Help center.
#04: Recheck and track your ongoing survey
When you think your survey is finished, take the time to go through a testing process with your coworkers or friends.
It doesn't matter if the launching of the survey is delayed… it's better to be sure that everything works 100%, that the design is attractive, and the data collection is accurate.
Once you send the survey to all the recipients, it is important you start a follow-up plan.
Initially, to make sure that the users are starting to respond. But as time goes by, it is essential that you perform quality checks so that you can have absolute control of what is happening.
In this instance you will be able to analyze the responses you have so far and verify if they fit your objective or if you should rethink your strategy.
#05: Take your time to analyze the responses and generate concrete reports
When you have enough information, you should start processing it to be able to generate reports.
From the results tab, you will be able to see the general results of your campaign: the number of completed surveys, the number of respondents and the response rate (the percentage of people who opened your survey and completed it), from which devices your users responded or even the exact moment they did it.
We recommend focusing your reports on the action points of the survey and specify the actions to be taken in this regard.
#06: Make the corresponding decisions based on your results
Now is the time to perform the appropriate actions based on the data obtained in the reports.
Sometimes these actions involve people from different areas of the company so you must make sure that everyone receives the corresponding report in order to make decisions.
The “share results” feature will allow you to do this in two simple steps. You will be able to share the results of your campaigns to each person who should help you in the analysis and decision making.
#07: Last but not least, some last tips..
- Make sure not to extend too much (we recommend that a form can be answered in less than ten minutes).
- Don’t ask suggestive questions. A question should be as neutral as possible. It can't present value judgments or statements with ideological nature. We don't want the respondents to answer what we want them to answer, but to respond based on their experiences.
- Go from the macro to the micro question, so that the respondents can get used to the questions. As they progress through the survey they will begin to open up more.
- Never use negative language (since it predisposes the person to respond in the same way).
- Don't use many open questions (although one of the advantages of online forms are open questions due to the wealth of information they provide, it's not good to use too many since they are tedious to respond to).
- The answer set must reflect all the possible answers to a question; if these were very broad, it is recommended to open an “others”, “None of the above”, “i dont know”, or “not applicable” category. It is very important that the respondent can find the option that best reflects their situation; otherwise, they may become frustrated and abandon the form.