Surveys

Summary

The website content provides an overview of best practices for creating effective surveys in user research, emphasizing the importance of brevity, focus, and a mix of question types, as well as offering resources for further learning.

Abstract

The article discusses the utility of surveys as a cost-effective and efficient method for gathering topic-specific information from a target audience. It underscores the effectiveness of concise surveys that concentrate on a single topic and incorporate both closed- and open-ended questions to balance quantitative data with qualitative insights. The author suggests following quantitative questions with qualitative ones to gain context behind respondents' choices. Examples of survey questions post-feature launch are provided, illustrating how to measure user sentiment and gather suggestions for improvement. The article also cautions against survey bias and recommends complementing surveys with other research methods for a comprehensive understanding of user experience issues. It concludes with a curated list of resources, including articles and tools, to aid in the creation and execution of high-quality surveys.

Opinions

The author believes that the most effective surveys are those that are short, focused, and contain a balanced mix of question types.
Surveys should not be solely relied upon; they should be paired with other research methods to avoid bias and gain a more complete picture.
Including an explanatory open-ended question after a closed-ended one can provide valuable context to the quantitative data collected.
The article's author appreciates the detailed overview of surveys provided by Usability.gov and the practical guidelines offered by Susan Farrell's article on qualitative surveys.
A recommendation is made for Jeremy Rosenberg's presentation on creating better surveys, indicating it as a highly informative resource.
The author values the importance of recruiting the right participants for research, as evidenced by the inclusion of a resource on writing effective screeners.
A list of top online survey software and questionnaire tools is endorsed as a useful guide for selecting the right survey platform.

User research resources for beginners and pros

A survey is a set of questions used to collect topic-specific information from a representative sample of your target audience. Since surveys can be relatively inexpensive, executed quickly, and gather a large set of information, they are used to gather information on a wide-range of topics.

In my experience, the most effective surveys are kept short, stay focused on one topic, and contain a mix of closed- and open-ended questions. If a survey has too many closed-ended questions, you may not gather enough context. If it has too many open-ended questions, your participants may tire and abandon it completely.

A nice way to mix questions is to follow select closed-ended questions with an explanatory, open-ended one. This will allow you to quantify something while gathering important context behind the decision.

For example, when a new feature has launched, we often want to quickly understand user sentiment around it. I find users that have accessed the feature, then ask them to complete a short survey that might have questions such as:

Number Scale Question (quantitative) On a scale of 0 (awful) to 10 (awesome), rate your experience using [new feature name].

Open-End Question (qualitative) You rated this feature a [answer from previous question] because _____:

Open-End Question (qualitative) If you could make one change to this product, what would that change be?

Surveys can be fast and useful, but keep in mind that bias can accidentally slip in very easily, so be as meticulous as possible. Also, consider pairing it with another research method to expound on the data. Surveys are rarely, if ever, the only research method I use to investigate a problem.

Online Surveys Usability.gov As always, Usability.gov is a great place to go for great topic introductions. This article has a detailed overview of surveys, including benefits, times to conduct one, and best practices.

Better User Research Through Surveys UX Mastery A great primer and walkthrough, with a descriptions of different question types and a list of tools.

28 Tips for Creating Great Qualitative Surveys Susan Farrell I love this article — tons of useful guidelines to consider when designing a survey.

Recruiting the best possible participants for your research brad dalrymple Tips on writing a great screener, a specific type of survey used to recruit research participants.

Top 21 Best Online Survey Software and Questionnaire Tools: An Overview Erin Gilliam A great list of all types of tools you can use to build and execute a survey.

Make Better Surveys Jeremy Rosenberg I love this presentation. It’s short and incredibly informative, with lots of great tips. This is a must watch.

Surveys

User research resources for beginners and pros

Find more articles on research methods in User Research Resources.