User-friendly surveys…something that’s often discussed within the market research community, yet not often enough executed. 

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The cold, hard truth is many companies are not adjusting their consumer research questionnaires to align with who consumers are today. They are still relying on ways of research that once worked in the past, but are not best practices anymore.

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And who are consumers today?

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1. We’re on the go and busy - we want convenience. 
2. We’re easily distracted - we want simplicity.
3. And we appreciate well-designed user experiences.

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It’s simple - create a killer questionnaire, that’s a user-friendly experience, and sampling speed and the quality of data will soar. 

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Ever heard of the $300 Million Button story? This is a prime example of how putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer, and making the experience friction-free for them, will get you results.

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The same applies for market research and just like in the case story above, these changes don’t even need to be complex.

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Here are my top recommendations for you to create more user-friendly surveys:

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1. Short and sweet. 60% of people say they do not want to take a survey longer than 10 minutes. Shorter, more focused surveys doesn’t mean you miss out on information. Instead, fragment your interviews. Conduct many short interviews, rather than one, long one. 

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2. Be clear and realistic in the questions being asked. Extremely long winded questions, or instructions, will loose attention span and result in poor responses that don’t make a lot of sense. Likewise with expectations. Consider if what you’re asking the respondent to recall, remember purchasing, etc. is something people will generally be able to answer. Sometimes purchasing a specific product is not as big of a deal to consumers, as it is to us market researchers! 

Recommended: Too Many Questionable Questionnaires - Lower Complexity and Increase Actionability in Your Market Research

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3. Make it mobile-friendly. The average person picks up their phone more than 1,500 times a week - or 3 hours and 16 minutes a day on average. It’s also the #1 device humans are using. Why not use this to your advantage? Many consumers generally don’t mind taking a survey while commuting to work, on airport layovers, or hanging out at home.  

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4. Dynamic question types - Ranking, drag and drop, grid...these all make the user experience better for respondents. It’s ideal for capturing responses in an intuitive manner.

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In your next research, try considering and implementing these points above. Try designing your survey with the experience of the respondent top of mind, not with only your company and their goals in mind. The fact is people are used to taking surveys. But don’t take advantage of this and try to throw a long survey at them and expect quality data. You won’t always get it.