Most of us have encountered forms or survey questionnaires that are too long. Much too long.
Here are some strategies for when you need to reduce the number of questions:
- prune: remove questions you don’t really need at all
- postpone: save questions you could ask later for a different survey
- tune: make questions easier to answer
- explain: tell people who answer why this question is important.
Prune the questions to the essentials
Think of the analogy of a rose bush, where you need to prune out the deadwood to create something healthy.
If you’re working in an organisation and word gets out that there’s a survey ahead, colleagues will pile in with all sorts of suggestions for questions they want answered. In fact, I actually encourage that behaviour as I find that it’s quicker in the long run to get all the suggestions early and then make reasoned decisions about them than to deal with the last-minute requests the day before the questionnaire goes out.
With forms, the accumulation of questions often happens over years. The form started out quite short and clear, but new questions are added for some reason that was sensible at the time. Often, nobody quite remembers why or how. But the questions remain.
Every single question adds to the load for those who will answer so be rigorous with your pruning shears. Ask yourself (and your colleagues):
- why are we asking this question?
- what decision will we make based on the answers we get?
You’ll rapidly end up with a much shorter selection of questions that are more tightly focused on the outcome you want from the survey.
Postpone questions when you do not need the answers right now
My second tactic is to ask “Do you need the answers to all of your questions right now?”
Bearing in mind what decisions you plan to make based on the answers you get, are all of those imminent or urgent? If not, then consider asking the relevant questions when they are needed.
Those postponed questions won’t be wasted – and removing them will improve the accuracy of the answers you get, reduce the number of people who drop out, and help to keep the goodwill of the people you are asking.
Tune the questions that remain
When you have a list of questions that you definitely know will ask for information that you need now, it’s time to drill down to turning each one into the question you really need to ask:
- Does it make sense?
- Is it something people can answer or will want to answer?
- Is there a slightly different question that might get the answer you really need?
There’s more advice about how to tune the wording of questions in this page in the NHS digital service manual: Think of the form as a conversation
Explain how you will use the answers
If you have been through the other three processes I’ve outlined and believe you really do need every answer, can you justify that by clearly explaining what you are going to do with the information – to yourself and to the person who is asking?
Remember: prune, tune, postpone, explain
I’ve put my four strategies in the order that I do them in – but I usually remember them as ‘prune, tune, postpone, explain’ because I find ‘prune and tune’ easier to remember.
Photo by Istvan Hernek on Unsplash