How to write a really sexy survey question
Have you ever stared at your survey and thought… these questions suck…something’s missing?
But you couldn’t fix it because you had no idea what was missing. Just knew it was something.
You’re in luck, because I’m here to tell you exactly what that something is: sex appeal.
Survey questions can be sexy?
Yes. Yes, they can.
And if we’re talking sexiness, we’ve got to talk about anatomy. That’s kind of how doctors do it so that’s how we’re going to do it.
OK, this is one of those times I wish I were cool enough to draw some witty parallel between sexy survey questions and some popular TV doctor show.
But I’m not.
Just do me a favor and pretend that we’re in one of your favorite doctor-type shows, all right? Like House… is that still a thing? Or Grey’s Anatomy. That one I remember. Whichever show you choose, keep it in mind as we dissect some survey questions and uncover what makes them turn heads.
We’ll take a look at the 3 main parts that make a survey question sexy and how they work together. I promise, once you know the key pieces you need to make a question whole, you’ll be able to craft survey questions like a pro. Just like a doctor’s intimate knowledge of human body parts allows her to piece a body together.
Wait. No. Whatever, this analogy was doomed from the start.
Snap on your creepy white gloves and let’s get to it.
3 Features That’ll Make Your Survey Question a 10
Like I mentioned earlier, there are 3 parts to any sexy survey question: the subject, the objective, and the qualifier.
The subject — this clarifies who you’re talking to or who you’re talking about. It should be made clear to the reader
The objective — this points at your main point of asking the question. This highlights/pinpoints what you need to know from or about your subject.
The qualifier — this helps to describe your objective a little better. Makes your question more specific, which would make it clearer, which would make it easier to answer. Which should be your goal in life as the survey creator.
The rest is just filling. Like your appendix.
Yea, I’m still on this doctor thing.
Some Quick Examples
Take one of the simplest survey questions — asking for a reader’s name. How would you phrase this question?
(We’ve come to the interactive portion of the post… this is where you start to think out loud like the cool person you are).
Let’s look at the pieces. Who would be your main subject? The person reading.
What is the main objective? To get a name.
What type of name? First name, last name, full name?
Put it all together, Doc.
“What is your first name?”
Why put so much thought into it? Why not leave it at “What is your name”?
Imagine for a moment you asked this question, “What is your name?”, and you received 500 responses.
Imagine scrolling down your Excel file, reveling in all the glorious data, then noticing something odd. Under the “Name” column some people have given you a first name. Others gave you a full name. Some even gave you their last name. Your “What is your name?” question was as clear as Donald Trump’s message to Black voters. Meaning, it was unclear enough to get multiple types of answers.
And what you’re left with is a column of data that’s pretty much useless. Sad face.
Not convinced? Here’s a handy-dandy infographic that breaks down a couple survey questions that are a little more interesting…
When you’re creating surveys, you want each question to pack a punch. Make sure you’ve got all the necessary parts: a subject, an objective, and a qualifier. And remember: the reader will only give you so much of their attention, use it wisely.
Have some survey questions you’re not sure about? How about some that you really love using? Share them in the comments below.
Psst! Writing survey questions is step 4 of 7 in creating powerful surveys.
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Originally published at www.cdatubo.com.
