What is survey research? 

Surveys are the primary research tools to collect actionable data from a predefined group of target audience. As part of the overall research strategies, it gathers detailed answers which includes valuable primary data on all aspects of product development and marketing campaigns. Survey research drives informed decision making aligned with your customer needs. 

In this guide, you’ll deep dive into the building blocks of a survey research form along with examples to gather relevant, accurate, and actionable data. 

 1. Survey Form Introduction

Purpose Statement: Clearly explain the survey's objective to the respondent.

• "Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback will help us improve our services and better meet your needs."

Confidentiality Assurance: Inform respondents how their data will be used and assures them of its confidentiality.

• "Your responses will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes. We will not share your personal information with any third parties."

Instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to complete the survey.

• "Please answer all questions to the best of your ability. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete."

 2. Screening Questions

Eligibility Criteria: Question designed to determine if the respondent qualifies to take the survey (e.g., age, location, customer status).

• "Are you currently a customer of our e-commerce platform? (Yes/No)"

 3. Demographic Questions

Personal Information: Collect basic demographic data such as age, gender, education, income, and occupation.

Relevance: Ensure questions are relevant to the survey's objectives and insightful data analysis.

• "What is your gender? (Male/Female/Non-binary/Prefer not to say)"

• "What is your highest level of education? (High school diploma/Some college/Associate degree/Bachelor's degree/Master's degree/Doctorate)"

• "What is your annual household income? (Less than $25,000/$25,000-$49,999/$50,000-$74,999/$75,000-$99,999/$100,000 and above)"

 4. Core Survey Questions

Closed-Ended Questions:

Include multiple-choice, Likert scale, and rating scale questions for quantitative data.

• "How often do you shop online? 

(Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Few times a year/Never)"

• "Which devices do you use to shop online? 

(Select all that apply: Smartphone/Tablet/Desktop/Laptop)"

Open-Ended Questions:

Allow respondents to provide detailed, qualitative feedback.

• "What do you like most about our e-commerce platform?"

•  "What improvements would you suggest for our online store?"

Ranking Questions:

Ask respondents to prioritize or rank items based on preference or importance.

•  "Please rank the following features in order of importance when choosing an e-commerce site: 

(Product variety, Price, Delivery speed, Customer service, Website usability)"

 5. NPS (Net Promoter Score) Question

Primary NPS Question:

Ask respondents to rate the likelihood of recommending the product/service to others on a scale of 0-10.

• "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our e-commerce platform to a friend or colleague?"

Follow-Up Questions:

Explore reasons behind their rating, helping to gather deeper insights.

• "What is the primary reason for your score?"

• "What could we do to improve your experience with our platform?"

 6. Question Logic

Branching/Skip Logic:

Direct respondents to different questions based on their previous answers, making the survey more relevant and efficient.

• If the respondent answers "Yes" to being a current customer: "Which of our products have you purchased in the last 6 months? (Select all that apply)"

• If the respondent answers "No" to being a current customer: "What would encourage you to try our e-commerce platform?"

Piping:

Use answers from previous questions to customize subsequent questions for a more personalized experience.

• You mentioned using a [Device]. How satisfied are you with the shopping experience on this device?"

 7. Survey Design Elements

Clarity and Simplicity: Ensure questions are clear, concise, and easy to understand.

• "How satisfied are you with our customer service? 

(Very satisfied/Satisfied/Neutral/Dissatisfied/Very dissatisfied)"

Balanced Response Options: Provide a balanced set of response options, avoiding leading or biased questions.

• "How would you rate the value for money of our products?

(Excellent/Good/Fair/Poor)"

Visual Design: Use clean and simple layouts with consistent fonts and color schemes. Include progress bars to show survey completion status.

 8. Closing Section

Thank You Message: Express gratitude to the respondents for their time and participation.

• "Thank you for completing our survey! Your feedback is invaluable to us."

Incentive Information: If applicable, provide details about any incentives offered for completing the survey.

• "As a token of our appreciation, you will receive a 10% discount code for your next purchase."

Contact Information: Offer a way for respondents to reach out to your business if they have questions or need support.

• "If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact us at support@example.com."

 9. Pilot Testing

Pilot Survey: Conduct a small-scale test of the survey with a group of your target audience to identify any issues or misunderstandings.

Feedback and Revision: Use feedback from the pilot test to refine and improve the survey before full deployment.

• "Based on your feedback, we have simplified the instructions and adjusted some questions for clarity."

 10. Data Privacy and Ethical Code of Conduct 

Informed Consent: Ensures respondents are aware of their rights and the purpose of data collection.

• "By continuing with this survey, you consent to the collection and use of your data as described."

Compliance: Adheres to data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.

• "We comply with GDPR regulations. You have the right to access, modify, or delete your data at any time. For more information, visit our privacy policy."
  
  

Metaforms’ AI form builder is intuitive in designing and developing an insightful survey form.  You provide the context, goals and data points while it takes charge of putting together the survey form with in-depth questions framing based on conditioning, logic and branching. Ultimately, you get an optimized survey report with meaningful data from your respondents. Try Metaforms today for free.