Questionnaires

Questionnaires are used to do research involving customers, and also internally for such purposes as climate surveys. They can be conducted using pen and paper instruments, but are increasingly conducted online as it makes the process of collecting and processing data simpler. Tools, such as SurveyMonkey, can make large-scale surveys quite easy to do, though getting the right people to respond in adequate numbers can be a challenge. It is important to ensure that the survey results are reliable, and there are statistical ways of calculating this. Depending on the total population, a certain percentage of responses will be needed for the results to be reliable. The percentage required decreases proportionally as the size of the population increases.

It is critical that you know how you’re planning to collate and analyse the data. This will have an impact on things like how questions are worded, the order in which questions are answered, and the types of measurement scales you use.