When we are faced with the challenge of incorporating AI into our designs, what is the effect of pouring untruthful data into the AI? During a series of workshops on data quality in 2025, I discovered that nearly all ofContinue reading… Wrong answers only: why people lie on forms and surveys, and what to do about that
Category: Surveys
Book review: Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data
‘Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data’ is an eclectic collection of chapters exploring the difficulties many of us have making sense of large numbers. In an age when we are bombarded with facts, statisticsContinue reading… Book review: Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data
Some thoughts about surveys for Olin College of Engineering Students 2024
Would you like a lightning introduction to the errors in Total Survey Error? I was delighted when Sarah Bloomer for inviting me back to talk to her Olin College of Engineering students again, and decided that we would zip throughContinue reading… Some thoughts about surveys for Olin College of Engineering Students 2024
How to design effective customer surveys: interview for Insights Unlocked
I was delighted when the team at User Testing asked me join them for their #InsightsUnlocked podcast. When it comes to creating an effective customer survey, there’s no substitute for user research. Until you’ve watched users trying to answer yourContinue reading… How to design effective customer surveys: interview for Insights Unlocked
Coffee and content: Using surveys to uncover audience insights
Content design is crucial for surveys, so it was fun to turn that around and think about surveys for content design for a change, as part of the Coffee and Content webinar series. My theme was ‘Using surveys to uncoverContinue reading… Coffee and content: Using surveys to uncover audience insights
Some thoughts about surveys – talk for students at Olin College of Engineering
It was such a pleasure to spend time with students at Olin College, and their tutor Sarah Bloomer, talking about surveys. They’ve been reading my book and writing their own surveys and asked me some great questions in the session.Continue reading… Some thoughts about surveys – talk for students at Olin College of Engineering
Two ways to improve your survey for Delib
How can we make surveys more useful in the context of local government consultations? I recently had the opportunity to explore that question at a user group meeting organised by Delib, the provider of the Citizen Space platform that helpsContinue reading… Two ways to improve your survey for Delib
Four ways to make a better survey, WebExpo2023
In this half-day survey workshop for WebExpo2023, I led a lively group of Czech attendees through four methods for improving their next survey: Goals: Ruthlessly focus your survey on an immediate decision. I talked about the survey process from goalsContinue reading… Four ways to make a better survey, WebExpo2023
The Most Crucial Question and the Burning Issue for Product Makers
The Product Makers community invited me to share some thoughts about surveys. To get the best value from a survey, it’s important to be really clear on why you are doing it. In this talk, I encouraged product makers toContinue reading… The Most Crucial Question and the Burning Issue for Product Makers
Stop using no-reply email addresses
We are visiting relatives at Christmas this year. They’ve got a houseful already, including several lovely but very young children. “Would you mind booking somewhere nearby rather than staying with us?” Hmm, let me think about that. Two seconds later,Continue reading… Stop using no-reply email addresses