Remarkable Research Isn’t Just About Asking the Right Questions; It’s About Making It Easy for Respondents to Give You the Right Answers
Remarkable Research isn’t just about asking the right questions; it’s about making it easy for respondents to give you the right answers.
Anyone who designs online surveys quickly learns that to get good data, you need to take a hard look at how you choose your answer options and scales. Avoid over relying on 5-point scaled questions and consider all of the options: semantic differential, constant sum, rank order, even open-end. There are many options, but don’t go too crazy. A patchwork of many different answer options and scales in a single survey becomes burdensome for participants.
- Tip: Another great resource is The Handbook of Marketing Scales.
[Want to learn more about choosing answer options? Check out the “Ask It Right” class from Research Rockstar. Also available in our virtual classroom on January 23rd and February 16]
[This is the third article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]
