Better Questions: Better Solutions
From a beginners perspective — How to form better survey questions.
The first survey I ever created, was in a group and it was a complete success. The questions were near perfect, and the outcomes helped our project design immensely. Too good to be true? It is. In honesty, my first survey failed to help my group. I mean, the survey did have some good data, but we limited ourselves to the type of people we asked because we made assumptions and stuck with them. We lacked an understanding of what we were doing or even how to accomplish goals.
Realizing The Goals
I can’t really say if we knew, or at least, if I knew what the goals really were. I just wanted to design. I even conducted a second survey with “better” questions, but I still lacked the inspiration or the knowledge to obtain the information that would help me choose a better design to help the people using it.
“It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.”-Ellen DeGeneres
It’s okay though, from my failed attempts I became aware of the tools that I needed to write better questions and discover better solutions to problems. I know that surveys are just a stepping stone in the grand scheme of research, but it is a starting point. Some of this may be trivial for some, maybe helpful for others.
1.Know the product/company that you are working for.
Know the company you are working for. What is their reputation? What are their products and how do people use them? What are their goals? What drives them? Ask yourself these questions and remind yourself of the answers, often. The clearer vision you have about the company or product the more you can help them succeed.
2. Know your audience and don’t forget about the outliers.
Not only should you know and understand the product that you are creating. You need to know who the audience is, who was the product designed? “It’s for everyone.” Is not an answer. But, you shouldn’t just rely on the people that are already using the product. Remember that there are outliers and learn their habits as well. When you’re trying to improve upon a product knowing who the audience is, the whole audience, can help you focus on questions that can get you to the root problems and make the necessary adjustments.
3. Let the people have a voice; but don’t make them write an essay.
Who likes writing essays? I enjoy reading essays, learning different perspectives on topics helps me develop a better understanding of a problem or a thought; but writing an essay is a completely different story. Again, I’m going to be honest and this is a personal perception, but if I’m taking a survey, say there are ten questions, and eight of them are typing questions… I’m not finishing that survey. Annnnd I’ve been really trying to be better about survey’s because I understand the value of them! Personally, I believe surveys should be quick, easy, and to the point. You really need to justify to me why I’m typing up several answers when some of them could be made into multi-choice questions.
That doesn’t mean that you should have any short or long text questions. To me, it just means it should be limited. Feedback is awesome, it’s needed, and customers should feel like you are listening to them, that they have a voice. Who knows, maybe there’s an answer that could pivot your entire project and design. Letting customers
4. Remember that assumptions are just that, assumptions.
I’ve made a mistake here a time… or two… or three. I’ve made an assumption and because I believed I already had all the answers my survey was… sub-par at best. I made very pointed questions, some of which I already had the answers to and I discovered, nothing. You know the old saying…
Be open to answers that can change your beliefs. Make questions that can help you discover more. Make assumptions but don’t turn them into concrete details. They’re assumptions and assumptions can change with discovery.
In UX design, research is a pillar that should not be removed. Although I have come a long way from that first survey, I still have much to learn. The more I learn and uncover the more I enjoy being a part of this community. Learning the habits of people and developing a product that they can enjoy has become one of my favorite processes. I repeat, I know that a survey is just a stepping stone in the discovery process and some people think that it’s unnecessary. I like it because it helps me understand who the customers are, gives a little insight of why they’re already using a product and how I can make it better!
I hope these simple steps help you, as much as they have helped me! Keep on smiling and go get ’em tiger.
Shelly Gardner is a student in the Digital Media program at Utah Valley University, Orem Utah, studying Interaction & Design. The following article relates to the project Teaching Others, What You’ve Learned in the DGM 1240, Communicating Digital Design and representative of the skills learned.
