Online
surveys
Online
surveys can be a great way of doing research, but sometimes their
implementation is poor. If you want to
avoid some of the common pitfalls, here are some simple tips: Read more
Sample
Size: a sample of 200-300 is usually enough
What is the
best trade-off between statistical accuracy and cost? Do I need to do 1,000 surveys for the results
to be reliable? Usually not. Read more
Focus
groups – beware rationalisations
This is an
obvious one but worth saying anyway. When you put us human beings in a group setting, our default is to
justify our actions and opinions…. to sound rational, intelligent and
logical. Read
more
Survey length:
keep it short
A client
that really impressed us made sure to keep the questionnaire short. It was of their SME customers and the average
survey length came in under 4 minutes. Smart client – they got the information they wanted and they gave a very
positive message to their customers (i.e. we want your opinions but we respect
your time). Our experience is that 6-8
minutes is about right for consumer surveys. For business surveys make it less.
‘Derived’
importance – use correlation not regression
You can ‘derive’ the
relative importance of different factors using correlation or regression. It is standard practice in research, but
using regression can cause problems. Read more
Surveys:
make use of open-ended questions
There is
nothing more frustrating for a respondent when there is something they want to
say but they never get the opportunity to say it. Read more
Calculating
the margin of error
It’s handy
to be able to calculate a margin of error, and you can do it in 10 seconds on
your calculator. Read more
Rating
scales – use 7–point scale for business surveys, and 5-point for consumer
surveys
We prefer
the 7-point scale as it gives the respondent more options to describe their
level of satisfaction. It gives more ‘granularity’. Read more
Focus
groups – get the participant details in advance
This is
just a small detail but something we’ve had positive comments on. Read more
The 30
second rule
We’ve all
heard this one in some form or another, but it’s still a good rule. Can I summarise the research in 30
seconds? Read
more