A survey becomes useful when its answers can influence a decision. Start with what you want to change, keep or investigate. Then choose the questions and response options.
In our fictional example, the Workshop Collective is planning its next repair evening. The organisers need to know whether the information sent before the visit worked and what makes attendance difficult. These aims call for partly different questions and audiences.
Connect each question to a decision
Write a short planning note for each topic: the decision, who can answer and how the answer will be used.
| Decision | Who can provide relevant information? | Possible question |
|---|---|---|
| Improve information before the visit | People who received it | How clear or unclear was the information about what to bring? |
| Keep or change the venue | People who attended | How well or poorly did the venue suit what you wanted to do? |
| Try a different time | Members who may want to attend in future | Which of the proposed times would suit you? Include “None of these times”. |
Someone who did not attend should not have to rate the venue. Separate the audiences or use an opening question and conditions to show relevant follow-up questions.
Rewrite five questions that can produce misleading answers
Ask about one thing at a time and avoid wording that hints at the answer you want. These principles are also discussed in Pew Research Center’s guidance on survey questions. The examples below are our own.
| Wording to avoid | Rewrite or separate it like this |
|---|---|
| How good was our fantastic repair evening? | How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the repair evening? |
| Were the information and venue good? | Ask two questions: one about the clarity of the information and one about how well the venue worked. |
| Do you always come to our events? | How many of our events did you attend in the last three months? Options: 0, 1, 2, 3 or more, cannot remember. |
| Why did you not use the clear instructions? | First ask whether the person read the instructions: yes, no, cannot remember. Let those who read them describe anything unclear. |
| What should we change to make you come more often? | What would make it easier for you to attend? Offer relevant options, “Nothing needs to change” and “Other”. Make any comment optional. |
This is a question bank, not five compulsory questions for every survey. Choose only what relates to your decision.
Make the answers possible to interpret
For the satisfaction question, you could use: very dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied and very satisfied. Add “Unable to assess” separately. It is different from a neutral response and should not count as zero when calculating an average.
Keep the scale running in the same direction throughout. State whether respondents can select one or several options. Include “Other” where the list does not cover every possibility. Use an optional free-text question for explanations, without asking people to repeat personal details you already hold.
Build and test the survey in IdRelay
IdRelay’s survey feature supports single-choice and multiple-choice questions, scales, free text and conditional questions. Questions and response options can be translated, and the survey can be previewed for mobile and desktop. Choose the question type to fit the information you need.
Decide whether responses should be anonymous or identified, and check the setting before sharing the link. A general web link does not itself guarantee anonymity. Free text and small groups can also make someone recognisable. Explain how responses will be used and who can read them.
Use your own test participants and work through these checks:
- Read the introduction: does it explain the purpose, voluntary participation, deadline and contact details? State a completion time only after someone has tested the survey.
- Test every path through conditional questions, including “no” and “don’t know”.
- Open the actual link on mobile and desktop. Check keyboard access, readability and error messages.
- Test every language. Questions, scales, the introduction and the closing text should carry the same meaning.
- Submit test responses and inspect the report and export, including any information shown about the respondent.
IdRelay supports a defined response period, sharing through a web link or a link in a campaign, and reports with tables and charts. Responses can be exported and the report produced as a PDF. Plan how to keep test responses out of the final analysis.
Decide what happens to the answers
Assign someone to review the results and propose an action. Report how many people were invited and how many responded. A voluntary survey provides input from its respondents; it does not automatically show what every member thinks.
Close the process with a specific response, such as: “We will try an earlier start at the next event and check whether it works better.” This is an example of a possible action, not a measured result.
Read about Surveys in IdRelay, choose the right participant group and include follow-up in your event communication plan.