Sending a survey is a convenient way to gather data quickly. But, it’s very easy to inadvertently gather misleading and inaccurate data.
When was the last time you filled in a survey that let you actually express what your really thought about an organisation, experience or topic? Just because you have a reasonably large sample size and you can make graphs out if it doesn’t mean it is good data with which you could be making important decisions. Data quality matters.
A good way to make sure you’re getting reliable data (and making good use of your survey respondents’ time) is to do a triple test before you hit send.
Here’s what you do.
- Create your survey (this is actually not as simple as it may seem)
- Find someone who could be a potential respondent for your survey (matches the target audience, not people in your team or the people who sit closest too you)
- Ask them to complete the survey, watch them while they do it, ask them questions to see whether they understand what the question means and whether the way your are collecting the answers allows them to give the answer they want to give
- Adjust the form based on what you have observed (there are always adjustments you will want to make)
- Repeat steps 2,3,4 until you’ve seen at least three people complete the survey OR you’re certain there is no more you can do to adjust the survey so that people understand the questions and can provide meaningful (to them) responses.
I have never known someone who has tested their survey this way and who didn’t make changes that would result in a better experience for respondents and better quality data.