Most of us have filled in a questionnaire form of one kind or other, at various points in time. More often than not, most of us do it, without giving it much of a thought. Therein lies the secret of its success which is its convenience and non-intrusive nature as compared to other types of surveys.
The aim of a questionnaire is to gather information for purposes of research for market surveys, analysis or even to corroborate other research findings. They are one of the cheapest and most feasible ways of gathering data. It is important to remember that for any questionnaire to be really effective it has to be designed well. A sample questionnaire can help you formulate a good questionnaire.
The standard questionnaire design is a set of questions with fixed alternatives. These alternatives could be dichotomous (having only two options e.g. yes/no), multiple options or rank scaling, etc. All the readers need to do is tick the most appropriate answer according to them.
Any questionnaire, be it a health questionnaire or a product questionnaire, must have a specific objective.
Generally questionnaires have subjective/objective and qualitative/quantitative options depending on their type. A customer satisfaction questionnaire may have more qualitative/subjective parameters for gauging.
Questions should be framed in a simple language and care should be taken to avoid grammatical and spelling mistakes. For instance, if an employee questionnaire has such errors it can reflect poorly on the company.
Questions should have clarity and must convey the same meaning to all kinds of readers, so it is best to use direct questions rather than ambiguous ones.
As the aim of the questionnaires is generally to gauge and then work towards improvement, stick to positive ways of eliciting responses. A service feedback questionnaire should well more on this point.
Any questionnaire format has to take into account the demographics of the people as it is vital to the survey.
health screening questionnaire
With internet market research gaining popularity, online questionnaires are one of the most viable options. These have a much greater reach, offer confidentiality and the readers can do it at their own convenience.
As preparing questionnaires is both an art and a science, it is helpful to use questionnaire templates or examples to make your job easier.
You can find some Sample Surveys here.
