Survey Design Best Practices

Designing a survey is more than just asking questions—it's about crafting a tool that will yield useful, reliable data. Here are best practices to follow when designing surveys for your research:

1. Define the Survey Objective

   • Before you start writing questions, clarify what you aim to achieve with the survey. What research question are you trying to answer? In the case of measuring customer satisfaction with an app, the objective might be to determine how users feel about the app’s functionality, usability, and design.

2. Keep Questions Clear and Concise

   • Avoid jargon or complex language. Each question should be straightforward and easy to understand.

   • Use simple wording to reduce the risk of confusion or misinterpretation.

3. Use a Balanced Scale for Responses

   • For questions with Likert scale responses (e.g., strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree), ensure your scale is balanced to avoid bias. An unbalanced scale can lead respondents to favor one side.

4. Ask One Question at a Time

   • Avoid double-barreled questions (e.g., "How satisfied are you with the app's performance and design?"). Instead, break such questions into two separate ones.

5. Include an “Other” Option for Open-Ended Responses

   • For questions that require a specific answer, consider adding an "Other" option to give respondents a chance to share opinions that may not fit within predefined categories.

6. Pre-Test Your Survey

   • Always pilot test your survey with a small group before launching it to a larger audience. This helps identify confusing questions or technical issues and improves the overall clarity of the survey.