Learn from the mistakes of others, they say. No matter how you collect feedback or what tools you use - making any of the mistakes described below will prevent you from getting optimal results. They might even skew them. As a world-leading company providing the best survey software, we prepared a list of the 7 most common errors you have to avoid when creating a survey.
1. Too Many Questions in One Survey
Your respondents are not machines. They're humans; they don't want to waste half of their day answering irrelevant questions. Make your survey as concise as possible.
Mistake: The survey doesn't contain useful questions or is far too long.
Hint:If you cannot figure out what you'll do with answer you received, then the question is probably useless. Here are three tips:
- Get rid of questions that aren't essential.
- Divide a long survey into a few shorter surveys. You can show them when your visitor returns.
- Utilizeskip logic, making sure that only relevant questions are served to your respondent.
2. Getting Single-Choice and Multiple-Choice Questions Wrong
What's the difference between single-choice and multiple-choice questions? Make sure you know the answer to that question before using them.
In simple words: The answers to a single choice question are radio buttons, whereas multiple choice answers are checkboxes.As the name suggests, single-choice questions have only one answer. Multiple choice questions can be answered by selecting multiple checkboxes.
Mistake: Confusing multiple-choice questions with single-choice questions.
Hint: Here's how to distinguish a multiple-choice question from a single-choice one:
Single-choice questionsoffer many options, yet respondents can only pick a single answer. The choice is narrowed down to one. With Survicate, you can ask your visitors to leave additional commentsto single-choice answers as well.
A multiple-choice question is a simple, closed-ended question type that lets respondents select multiple answers from a defined list of choices.
3. Using Too Many Open-Ended Questions
The choice betweenopen-ended and closed-ended questionsis never binary. Sometimes, we simply can't do without explanatory answers.
Still, keep in mind that asking too many questions that require custom answers can exhaust your respondents' patience and time. Wherever possible, opt for closed-ended questions to make it easier and faster for your respondents to answer.
Another argument? Think about all the potential answers you could collect from mobile and tablet users who have limited typing abilities on their devices. They might answer one or two questions on their small screens, but expecting them to fill out more would be, well, wishful thinking.
Mistake:Asking too many open-ended questions where closed-ended, easy-to-answer questions could be used instead.
Hint:Similarly to the action plan presented above for mistake number 2, use open-ended follow-up questions to hear the "how's & why's" behind specific answers to closed-ended questions. Personalize your follow-up questions and ask your satisfied clients different questions than those who've given you poorcustomer satisfactionscores.
See the perfect balance of closed- and opened-ended questions in the New Customer Form survey template by Survicate:
Use this template
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4. Skipping the Introduction
Regardless of the audience type,an introduction to a surveyis crucial in persuading visitors tocomplete your survey. According to our analysis based on thousands of surveys of our users, an appropriate introduction is one of the most critical factors that help boost engagement and completion rates.
Mistake:Not adding an introduction to yoursurvey questions– without providing the reason for the survey, your respondents may feel uncomfortable or even suspicious.
Hint:Use simple, straightforward language to explain the purpose of the survey briefly. If you don't know what to write, simply answer the following questions:
- What is the goal of the survey?
- What kind of information are you looking for from your respondents?
- How will you be using the responses to improve your product or survey?
- How long will completing the survey take?
5. Too Many Choices
Have you ever heard of the so-called "choice paradox"? It's about all those people you tend to see at the store who stare blankly at a shelf full of white rice, unable to decide which brand to choose.
Providing respondents with various choices for a particular question is generally a good idea, but too many options can confuse your visitors and complicate things. The same goes for your post-survey data analysis.
Mistake:A survey question has too many answers, making it difficult for the respondent to make a choice.
Hint:Do not to add too many answers to your survey. It's always a good idea to make use of "Other; please specify" and adding the option of filling out a text field.
You can easily do this with Survicate, as our templates are designed to be as respondent-friendly as possible. And, with our integrations like Mixpanel, Amplitude, and Productboard, you can collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data within your favorite product analytics tools.
6. Leading Questions
Leading questions in social research methods is a question that suggests the respondent to answer in line with the intended or unintended suggestion of the person designing the survey.This creates so-called survey response bias.
Mistake:Questions are worded in a way that'll sway the reader to one side of the argument.
Hint:Try to use neutral wording to create a survey question.
Example: "As a customer, please rate your level of satisfaction with our software." Don'tsuggest anything to your respondents, don't use non-neutral wording like"Howgoodis our software?"
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to Create a Survey? 13 Steps for Success
7. Question Addressed to Everyone
It's tempting to get as many answers as possible. However, you should also make sure that the responses to your survey are relevant.
A simple example: Asking all visitors leaving an ecommerce website why they didn't buy doesn't make much sense. It will only confuse the people who have made a purchase and who see the survey, and it will make you look unprofessional.
Similarly, not personalizing your questions contextually can come at a high cost and be seen as obtrusive.
With personalized surveys, you can ask questions related to specific steps of your leads' buyer's journey. You can invite web visitors to demo calls if you've noticed them on the pricing page. Or you can ask your blog readers about their content preferences:
Use this template
Mistake:Surveying all website visitors instead of segmenting respondents.
Hint:Create engaging and personalized surveys by building custom visitor segments. Reach your targeted audience by targeting based on the criteria of your choice. With Survicate you can set up triggered surveys by JavaScript events, for example.
Final Thoughts
By avoiding these 7 common survey mistakes, the data you collect will be more accurate. Creating clear questions and having coherent and complete answer options leads to valuable feedback.
All in all, a well-designed survey strategy lets you kill two birds with one stone: Not only are your answers highly relevant, but you can also use surveys to target relevant web visitors with the right CTAs. All in an unobtrusive, natural manner, strictly relating to your leads' motivations. Now, who wouldn't want a piece of that cake?
With Survicate, feedback collection quickly becomes an integral part of your workflow. Sign up for Survicate's 10-day free trial and get access to all Business plan features today.
It seems like you're delving into the intricate world of survey creation and optimization. I've spent quite a bit of time exploring this domain and can certainly guide you through the concepts embedded in this article.
The article is a comprehensive guide on survey creation, highlighting common pitfalls and offering remedies to optimize survey results. Let's break down the key concepts discussed:
1. Survey Length and Relevance
- Mistake: Overloading surveys with irrelevant or excessive questions.
- Solution: Emphasize concise, relevant questions. Use skip logic, divide lengthy surveys, and eliminate unnecessary questions.
2. Understanding Question Types
- Mistake: Confusing single-choice and multiple-choice questions.
- Solution: Distinguish between the two - single-choice allows only one selection, while multiple-choice enables multiple answers. Consider providing opportunities for additional comments with single-choice answers.
3. Open-Ended vs. Closed-Ended Questions
- Mistake: Overusing open-ended questions when closed-ended ones suffice.
- Solution: Opt for closed-ended questions where possible to ease respondent effort. Use open-ended questions strategically for deeper insights.
4. Importance of an Introduction
- Mistake: Skipping an introductory section in surveys.
- Solution: Provide a clear, concise introduction explaining the survey's purpose, intended use of responses, and estimated completion time.
5. Avoiding Choice Overload
- Mistake: Offering too many answer choices, leading to decision paralysis.
- Solution: Limit answer options, include an "Other" field, and ensure respondent-friendly survey design.
6. Neutral Questioning and Bias Prevention
- Mistake: Designing questions that sway respondents' answers.
- Solution: Frame questions neutrally to prevent bias and ensure unbiased responses.
7. Contextual and Personalized Questions
- Mistake: Addressing irrelevant questions to all respondents.
- Solution: Personalize surveys for specific audience segments, avoiding irrelevant or intrusive queries.
Conclusion:
- Emphasizes the importance of avoiding these mistakes to gather accurate data.
- Highlights the significance of well-designed surveys in targeting the right audience and achieving valuable feedback.
Key Tool: Survicate
- It's positioned as a solution for optimized survey creation, offering features like segmentation, triggered surveys, and integration with analytics tools.
- The article subtly promotes Survicate's utility and integration capabilities.
Overall, the article serves as a comprehensive guide for survey creation, focusing on maximizing data accuracy and respondent engagement while subtly promoting Survicate as a tool to achieve these objectives.
