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Questionnaires "basically, just asking questions" |
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Benefits of questionnaires
User surveys only provide benefits if they provide answers to questions that design teams raise. Because it is possible to survey a large number of users, usage profiles from user surveys can be relied upon, if the correct methodology has been used. User surveys are often analysed statistically, and this gives moderately hard, objective data. However, there are many sources of bias and a poorly designed survey can do more harm than good.
Look out for...
It's easy to get lost in the technology of surveying and so the best advice is to learn from experience.
- Try iterating through at least two or three versions of your questionnaire before using it
- Consider using a short "primer" questionnaire to inform a subsequent, more detailed investigation
- Trial the questionnaire informally with colleagues before committing to it
- If conducting a face-to-face interview, write a script so that you have parity in all your user sessions
- Do your data entry as you go: its interesting to see if you can spot trends and emerging findings as you go
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Useful resources |
Patton, Q.M. (1986) Utilization-focused evaluation. Sage: Newbury Park CA, 1986.
Dillman, D.A. (2000) Mail and Internet surveys: the tailored design method (2nd Ed). Wiley.
Oppenheim, A.N. (1992) Questionnaire design, interviewing, and attitude measurement (New Edition). Continuum press: London and New York. |
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