Karl Pearson, 1857-1936, was a professor of applied mathematics and mechanics. He was one of the major figures in statistics, especially medical statistics. Depressingly, he was also a eugenicist and racist – two things that I regret that I overlookedContinue reading… It is OK to stop reading a book (Book review: The Grammar of Science by Karl Pearson)
Category: Surveys
Some thoughts on surveys: Boye and Company member conference call
It was a pleasure to re-connect with Janus Boye after a gap of more than a decade. I last worked with Boye and Company in 2011 when I attended the JBoye conference in Aarhus Denmark to give talks on surveysContinue reading… Some thoughts on surveys: Boye and Company member conference call
Thinking about surveys of patients with Loyal
How do we ask people about their experiences of healthcare? That was the theme of a survey studio that I did for Loyal earlier this year. Loyal is a healthcare business in the USA, and I worked with Amira PettusContinue reading… Thinking about surveys of patients with Loyal
Get more insight from smaller surveys by patchworking
There’s a dilemma in the world of surveys: we want to find out lots of things by asking people questions, but they do not want to answer Big Honkin’ Surveys any more. Patchwork is the art of putting small piecesContinue reading… Get more insight from smaller surveys by patchworking
Surveys that work: a 10hr workshop for Rosenfeld Media
My publisher Rosenfeld Media invited me to join the Rosenfeld Media online workshops program to teach an intensive 10hr dive into surveys. It was a pleasure to work with participants from the United States, Canada and Germany. In sessions onContinue reading… Surveys that work: a 10hr workshop for Rosenfeld Media
Surveys that work for the Harvard User Research Community
I was delighted to begin this year’s presentations by talking about my book, Surveys That Work, as part of the Brown Bag Book Club series organised by the User Research Center at Harvard University An encouragingly large group of HarvardContinue reading… Surveys that work for the Harvard User Research Community
Why I no longer recommend “How to lie with statistics”
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff is one of the bestselling-ever books about statistics and one I used to recommend. Its bright, readable style seemed to make it an accessible introduction to statistics, including what I believed toContinue reading… Why I no longer recommend “How to lie with statistics”
Measuring satisfaction: a round-up
Measuring satisfaction is the topic that comes up more often than any other when I’m asked about surveys. It’s also one of the more complicated topics when it comes to creating surveys that work. This little post is to directContinue reading… Measuring satisfaction: a round-up
No yes/no questions
If you’ve been in a forms studio with me, you’ll be familiar with the moment where I say: “No yes/no”. It’s my shorthand for “Avoid questions that only have two available answers: ‘yes’ and ‘no’. People often struggle with them”.Continue reading… No yes/no questions
Prune, tune, postpone, explain – to improve your questionnaire
What can you do when your draft questionnaire gets too long? I’m suggesting ‘prune, tune, postpone, explain’ – four strategies to cut it down. In my new book, Surveys That Work: a practical guide for designing and running better surveys,Continue reading… Prune, tune, postpone, explain – to improve your questionnaire