Surveys that work: an introduction to using Total Survey Error for the UX Insight Festival 2020

Surveys are easy to do – but harder to do well. Thanks to the UX Insight Festival 2020 who invited me to talk about my 7-step survey process, starting with Goals and thinking about Sampling, Questions, Questionnaires, Fieldwork, Responses and Reports.

Along the way we tackled some of the questions I’m most often asked about creating surveys that work:

  • “Please have a look at this survey”
  • “Tell me whether this is a good question”
  • “How many people do I need in my sample?”
  • “I prefer 5 points in a rating scale, but my boss likes 7. Who’s right?”

and we met the Survey Octopus, a representation of Total Survey Error. You’ll find a great deal more about each of the seven survey steps, and the Survey Octopus, in my new book: Surveys That Work: a practical guide for designing and running better surveys.