How to Craft Survey Questions to Receive Quality Feedback?

Before we start any discussion on how to craft survey questions, we should first cover the meaning of the word “objective” because being objective is number one rule when forming survey questions. ob·jec·tive - expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations (Merriam Webster Dictionary) It is important to not lead or direct voters’ answers. By providing them with questions that do not express personal perception, you will be able to gain true insights. I have listed examples below to help point this out: Bad Example: Tellwut online survey software and now offers monthly subscription for their amazing business packages. Would you be interested in purchasing a monthly subscription? I may think that Tellwut’s business packages are the amazing but it is important to remain neutral and leave out all words that may influence survey participants’ opinions. Good Example: Tellwut online survey software now offers monthly subscription for their business packages. Would you be interested in purchasing a monthly subscription?   Another important factor when crafting survey questions is to make sure that they are precise and clear so you will receive truthful and correct answers in order to collect valuable information. Bad example: Do you find the “contact us” button on the Tellwut website convenient? This question is specific but does not state the exact information you would like to collect about the “Contact Us” button. Therefore, a better choice would be the one below. Good Example: Do you find the “Contact Us” button location on the Tellwut website convenient?   It is important that your survey participants understand all the words in the survey. Therefore, try not to use complex wording, technical terms/jargon or unusual terminology. Bad Example: Would you use Tellwut’s survey software for crowdsourcing? Crowdsourcing may not be a well-know word for all, but if you need to include it in your questions, having additional information or description of a term or explanation of a situation can assist survey takers when forming an opinion and answering your questions. Good Example: Crowdsourcing is to obtain feedback by asking an online community for their opinion. Would you use Tellwut’s survey software for crowdsourcing?   Overly general questions are too vague to stand alone. So, try to be more specific when forming your questions or accompany your broad questions with a description. Bad Example: What is your opinion about surveys? A question like the one above will help you have a general idea about people’s perceptions regarding surveys but it will not help you gain deeper insights to your company or brand. So try to be more specific like the question below: Good Example: Do you find Tellwut’s surveys engaging?; Do you find Tellwut’s surveys fun?   Double-barrel questions are questions that ask about more than one thing. Trying to squeeze in two questions in one is not a good idea when creating survey questions. This can cause confusion for voters and not provide accurate information and results. Bad Example: Would you use Tellwut survey software for crowdsourcing or market research? Instead you can separate it into two questions. Good Example: Would you use Tellwut survey software for crowdsourcing?; Would you use Tellwut survey software for market research?   Always proof your survey questions for words like “and” and “or” that may indicate a double-barrel question. If you find questions like that, make sure you separate those questions into two separate questions to help assist with collecting valuable and measurable information.   You should now be one step closer to gaining more precise and valuable insights for your business. To learn more about the types of survey answers and how to properly use them, follow the Tellwut Survey Blog and sign up with your email for blog updates. To join our business e-newsletter list and get new business ideas, special discounts, consumer insights, and much more, click here. Happy surveying!