What is a survey?

A survey is a method of gathering answers or information from a group of people with an aim to understand their opinions and perspectives on the subject for which the survey is being conducted. From a strategic point of view, a survey can reveal important information to businesses, on basis of which one can decide whether or not the customer is satisfied with the product, what is the current market requirement, or are the employees happy with their job role.

What is a survey?

A survey is a method of gathering answers or information from a group of people with an aim to understand their opinions and perspectives on the subject for which the survey is being conducted. From a strategic point of view, a survey can reveal important information to businesses, on basis of which one can decide whether or not the customer is satisfied with the product, what is the current market requirement, or are the employees happy with their job role.

What are the different types of survey methods?

Every survey is unique in its own way and its efficiency will be magnified, only when the correct survey method is used. There are several types of survey methods, and here are just a few for your understanding;

In-person Survey

The in-person or face-to-face survey method isn’t too common these days in the digitally connected world, but survey analysts do believe that it is the most reliable format, as the participant’s expressions and movements are captured, thereby gathering genuine feedback. A representative is sent with a questionnaire to the person’s house and reads out the questions to the participant aloud, thereby seeking answers. This interaction can be captured on video or over voice recording.

Email Surveys:

In an email-survey, the questionnaire link is sent to the participant’s email address and often a deadline is mentioned before which the survey needs to be answered. This is the most convenient of all methods, as one can easily fill the form at their convenient time, from a phone, laptop or iPad device. It’s economical to conduct such surveys, and they can reach a vast target audience, thus proving beneficial. Though it’s immensely effective, there are a few downfalls, as one may unintentionally miss the survey in their ‘inbox’ or find it in the ‘trash’ folder. Also, some participants may be skeptical about the authenticity of the survey and refrain from being a part of it.

Online Surveys

An online survey is like an open-book for anyone to participate. It is mostly advertised via Google Ads or the survey link is published on a website from where you can fill the form. Online surveys are on basic topics like; ‘heath and safety of women’, ‘what do you prefer for breakfast’, ‘is remote working more suitable’ etc. There is no specific demographic target, as such, for this type of survey and even international audiences can herein participate. It can also be undertaken anonymously.

Online Surveys:

An online survey is like an open-book for anyone to participate. It is mostly advertised via Google Ads or the survey link is published on a website from where you can fill the form. Online surveys are on basic topics like; ‘heath and safety of women’, ‘what do you prefer for breakfast’, ‘is remote working more suitable’ etc. There is no specific demographic target, as such, for this type of survey and even international audiences can herein participate. It can also be undertaken anonymously.

Designing A Survey

Curating a survey from scratch isn’t rocket science, as several websites are available, especially online that share a pre-defined template, and all you need to do is fill in the questions. So, whether you are planning to use Google Forms or SurveyMonkey for an in-mail survey or print the same for a face-to-face procedure, following the below steps will make it easier for you to proceed:

#1 Define the Purpose of a Survey

To define the purpose of your survey, simply ask the question what is it that you wish to learn about from the audience. Do you want feedback on a recently launched product? Or do You wish to know how likely your existing customers are to promote your business to their friends & relatives? There should be one clear goal for the survey and the questions must revolve around that topic.

#2 Decide Your Target Audience

Based on the purpose of your survey, who are your targeted audiences? Demographic-wise is there any specific criteria based on; age (20 – 30 years), gender (only females), household income (above 21,500 AED), location (UAE Region), marital status (Single), etc. Do you wish to target new prospective customers or existing ones? How many of the audiences within the targeted demographics do you wish to reach out to? All these are questions that will bring clarity and add a clear purpose to the process of conducting the survey.

#3 Create a List of Questions

The questionnaire should ideally be crisp and precise, as people get irritated if they have to scroll through page after page just to reach the submit button. Say goodbye to lengthy surveys! There are many different types of questions to include in the survey, some open-ended & others close-ended. A good mix of these may break the monotony and also help gain insightful opinions while analyzing the responses. Be very careful while drafting the questions. They shouldn’t be too ambiguous, and the language must be easily comprehensible.

#4 Ask the same Question often

You must have noticed while filling out a survey form, that the same type of question is asked in different ways. One may be an objective type MCQ, while the other may be open-ended. This is only to verify if the participant truly stands by what he is answering, or is he simply filling the questionnaire in a hurry without much consideration.

#5 Check Backend Settings

If a particular question is ‘optional’ the participant should be allowed to skip it without facing problems while submitting the survey. Also, if there are any specific time constraints, a timer should be displayed, so that one knows how fast he needs to pace himself to complete the submission. Don’t forget to freeze the survey, past the deadline.

TechnoQuestionnaire by TechnoKids

Why should our little champions not get a chance to construct their own questionnaire? Computer Period can be made fun by introducing kids to ‘TechnoQuestionnaire’, where they can use their creativity, knowledge & computer skills, to build an online Survey Form. IB schools in Dubai and other GCC regions in the Middle East, have collaborated with TechnoKids and have found it beneficial to introduce age-appropriate digital lessons to their students.

By using this module, students not only research and design their own Google Forms but also analyze the responses on Google Spreadsheet, by sorting & formatting data. Learn more about TechnoKids by visiting our website: https://knowledge-hub.com/technokids/

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