“Have you shopped here before?” “If so, how often do you shop here?” (This question would have a few explicit answers from which respondents could choose–“once a week” to “once a month,” for instance) “How satisfied were you with your experience today?” (Likewise, this question would have limited responses–“very satisfied” to “very dissatisfied”) “Would you recommend this store to a friend?”
“How will you use your purchase?” “Where else do you normally shop?” “Who referred you to this store?” Open-ended questions are good for clarifying a previous answer–“Why do you feel this way?”
Questions should be worded so as to maximize clarity. Confused respondents will skew your data, so questions should be as understandable as possible. Avoid double negatives, unnecessary clauses, or unclear subject-object relationships.
Surveys delivered on the computer, by phone, and by mail can reach a broad range of people, whereas surveys administered in-person are time-intensive and limits who can participate (which may be useful). Surveys delivered on the computer, in person, and by mail can utilize pictures, whereas phone interviews cannot. Respondents may be too shy to answer certain questions in person or by phone. Decide if you want to give clarifications to your questions if the respondent doesn’t understand something; only interviews given by a live person can deliver clarifications. A computer survey will require the respondent to have access to a computer. If your questionnaire concerns private issues, a computer survey may work best. [4] X Research source
“Qualifiers” are questions that screen certain respondents out, preventing them from completing other questions. Position these at the beginning of your questionnaire. If demographics are of major concern, ask demographic questions up front. Save personal or complicated questions for the end of the questionnaire. Respondents will not feel as overwhelmed by these questions and may be more likely to be open and honest.
Ask your testers for feedback. They may alert you to sections that confused them or felt out of place. User impressions about the questionnaire are just as important as the actual questionnaire. After you test, do some number crunching to ensure you are collecting the data you need. If you are not getting the information you want, adjust the questionnaire. You may need to reword some things, add introductions, or rearrange, add, or delete questions so your questionnaire leads you toward your goals.
For instance, you may find that a question such as “How often do you shop here?” limits your demographic to those who shop at a brick-and-mortar store. If you want to see how people purchase a specific product, you may want to broaden your question to include online shopping. Your implementation method may also be limiting your data. For instance, surveys administered online may be answered largely by respondents with higher-than-average computer knowledge.
For instance, a question such as, “Why do you shop here?” may be too broad a question, which could mislead your respondents. If you want to know if the store’s decor has an impact on shopping habits, you could instead ask respondents to describe how they feel about the store’s decor, branding, etc.
As above, broad questions such as, “How do you feel while shopping here?” may not give your respondents enough direction. You could instead ask, “Would you recommend this store to your friends? Why or why not?”
For instance, if you are asking respondents to rate an experience, you should provide them with the option to respond with “very dissatisfied” as well as “very satisfied,” and many options in between.
