Online Survey Design 101: Where to Begin?

This is the second in a series of blog posts providing tips for designing online surveys.
Click here to read the first entry in the series: Think Simple

All of a sudden you have determined that there is something you want to know.  Maybe you want to find out how many of your coworkers would be interested in starting a carpool, how happy your customers are, or if your clients would be interested in a new service offering.  Where do you begin?

I think the instinct for someone not used to survey design is to open up their word processor and immediately start drafting questions.  I have many times had the experience of working with colleagues and clients that came prepared with a questionnaire.  It might even be formatted and have the look of something they are ready to send out.  So often though, after reading through the survey, it turns out that it really is not setup to do what they want it to do.

Instead of opening up your word processor begin with a simple brain storm.  Try not to start thinking about how you would ask a question.  Instead, think about what type of information you would like to know.  Do not worry about how the ideas are formatted right now, just jot out ideas.

Next, look at your brain stormed ideas.  Why do you want/need to know these things?  Which pieces are critical and which are just in the “would be nice to know” category.  Then prioritize your ideas.  It’s always tempting to want to ask too much but the longer the survey the less likely you will get a response.  You also don’t want a respondent answering questions on page 10 rushing just to get through the survey.  This does not lend to accurate results.

If you are having problems prioritizing, ask for a friend or colleague to read through your ideas.  Can you explain why you want to know or need to know certain elements.  It might give you a better idea of how you can prioritize.

Now you are set to write the questions.  Take your time and ask yourself if the questions will really provide you with the information you want.  Be as direct and clear as possible, confusion does not lead to reliable answers and you should not need to trick the respondent into answering a question.  Also be aware that questionnaire development is seldom as easy as you would hope.

New Models for Online Academic Presentation

The concept of a webinar, or web conference, is not foreign for most academics and practitioners these days.  In the early childhood realm it seems like the frequency and range of these online presentations is constantly increasing.  But considering travel and professional development budgets have been in free-fall it is not too hard to figure out why.  Webinars offer presenters the chance to reach audiences that they might not be able to reach and eliminate the need for travel.

The two biggest names in web conferencing are webex and gotomeeting.  These services can essentially mimic certain elements of traditional presentations and meetings including the ability to share documents and powerpoint slides while allowing the attendees to see the presenter and ask questions.  Their downfall is the price.

In comparison to the total overall cost of travel and meeting spaces for the presenter and attendees a service like webex doesn’t seem so bad.  In reality, this expense starts to add up quickly, especially if you present often.   Luckily, with a little “outside the box” thinking this cost can be brought down considerably.

The Not-so-live Presentation

Have you ever attended a webinar only to hear a speaker, or speakers, talk for an hour then not allow any significant time for questions?  These are the times that webinars make very little sense.  What is the point of using an interactive format when there is no planned interaction?  You are basically paying expensive webinar fees to provide a presentation to a limited audience (only those invited to attend) during a limited time period (scheduled time window).

The first consideration you should make is whether or not live interaction is imperative.  There are a range of sites that will host recorded presentations free of charge.  Most often you are also given the opportunity to allow viewer comments, essentially changing the format of interaction, while opening up to a wider audience.  Here are a couple of examples.

Slidecast

A slidecast is basically a power point presentation with audio.  All you need is a power point presentation and an mp3 voice recording.  Slideshare allows you to synchronize the two and then will host the resulting presentation slidecast for free.  (Slideshare is also a good place to post your traditional powerpoint presentations for sharing with colleagues since ppts often easily clog email inboxes).

Video

Another option is to simply record your presentation using a video camera then post it online.  Then you can send the link to potential viewers or embed the video on your website.  There are a number of free online video hosting options, the most popular of which being youtube.  Keep in mind that free sites do have some limitations, youtube for example caps out at 10 minutes and 2 gigs.  One similar site, vimeo, allows uploaded videos of any length but has a more restrictive size limitation of 500 mb.  An example of this model can be seen at TED.com.

The Cheaper Live Presentation

Ok, there are definitely times when live interaction is important but that doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank.  Here are a couple of options

Free Webcast Services

Believe it or not there are free webinar services out there but as always there is usually some kind of catch.  Most often a service is offered for free but only up to a certain number of users.  DimDim, an open-source web conference service offers free web conferencing for up to 20 users.  This service is fully functional and allows you to record the meeting.  All you need is a webcam and a microphone and you’re ready to go.

Streaming

Video streaming is like live broadcasting and presents the perfect opportunity to provide a live presentation for a much less expensive price tag.  Ustream.tv allows you to broadcast for free and even record your presentation.  Unlike a traditional webcast a streaming broadcast is not as focused on interaction but does allow some back and forth through the use of live chat.

These are only a few of the ways the internet is increasing the capacity for inexpensive presentations.  There are many more services today than there was 5 years ago and as time moves forward I am sure this trend will continue.

Bridging the Technology Generation Gap

Early last month LexisNexis released the results of a study examining the use of technology, and attitudes towards technology, in the workplace by generation (baby boomers, gen x, and gen y).  You can find a pdf copy of the report here.

Ultimately the study does not find too much you would not expect.  Generally younger generations report to use technology more often in the workplace and are more accepting of its use.  The survey does not differentiate based on position responsibilities, which I believe could help explain some of the variation, but no matter the reasons the study does highlight a generation gap in the attitudes toward and use of new technology.

Highlighting the Difference

For those in the younger generation the lines between work and social life seem to be more blurred than ever.  A social life on the web does not need to wait until work is over.  HR policies are often geared towards darkening these lines, including sometimes the prohibition of all online social technologies.  But new web technologies, even those tagged as “social media,” most certainly have applications for the working world.  In the field of social research, social networks can connect previously disconnected researchers and blogs can help individuals and groups effectively communicate new ideas.

For many, especially those in older generations, the influx of new technology can appear daunting.  It’s tough enough to keep up with email, much less blogs, social networks, and other media.  Even for the inclined sorting through the variety of applications can become a job in itself.

It is likely that the generation gap is really just a proxy for the gap existing between those who have found uses for new technologies and those who have not.  Having spent their high school and college lives on the web has given the younger generations increased exposure.

How to Bridge the Gap

Explaining New Technologies: The difference between accepting a new technology and discarding it with a roll of the eyes begins by knowing what the technology does.  For simple explanations of common new technologies take a look at Common Craft’s “In Plain English” videos.  You can find them here http://www.commoncraft.com/show or by searching “In Plain English” on youtube.  I suggest starting with the videos on Blogs, Wikis, and RSS feeds.

Start Small: There is no need to learn everything at once.  If you are tech savvy and would like to show all the wonders of new tech start by showing how a certain technology could help solve a common problem.  One day a coworker of mine was having a hard time with the cumbersome links.  It turned out to be an ideal situation to use TinyURL.  Sometimes if you can gain acceptance of a few online tools it can leave an opening for new tech expansion.

How Will it Help?: The question about whether or not a new tool is worthwhile is an important one.  If a “free” online tool requires a heavy investment of time it is no longer free in the true sense of the word.  Before making a heavy investment of either time or money first convince yourself if it is really worth it.  If you can do that then you will be set when it comes time to convince others.

Time: Finally, some things just take time.  Just remember that when one divide ends a new one begins.

Online Survey Design 101: Think Simple

This is the first in a series of blog posts providing tips for designing online surveys.

Some of the biggest technological barriers researchers face when designing online surveys begin with questionnaire design unsuited for the online realm. As you increase the complexity of the questionnaire you will also increase the time needed to program the survey, the opportunity for mistakes, and the software requirements.

Some of the most common (and cheapest) online survey creation tools cannot easily handle complex questionnaires. Sites like Survey Monkey and Zoomerang are great for relatively linear surveys but fall short when complex logic is required. It’s this complicated logic that keeps research consultants in business and complex survey design software profitable. But before contemplating a huge software upgrade, or expensive outsourcing, start with an attempt to simplify the questionnaire. Here are some tips on how you can do this.

Think outside the table

Most all surveys begin in a word processor. Far too often the format is based on what the survey looks like in Word not how it will appear on the web. One of the most common complex design elements is the question table.

Often when developing questionnaires researchers spend much of their time worried about space. Tables allow the designer to ask multiple questions but not take up too many pages. But while it may look like something quick and easy for an online survey programmer tables usually just mean headaches. Here is an example of a table designed to collect information on potential or past job cuts.

Example 1: Question Table

In about 4 inches of space 30 questions are asked. When trying to simplify your first thought should be, are these questions really that important? If the total length of your survey is only 50 questions, do you want more than half to be devoted to staff turnover? While this might not seem that important when looking at your survey in Word, it is incredibly important when thinking about developing this survey online.

Combining Questions

Shorter surveys are easier to program and have the added benefit of saving time for the respondent as well. Consider turning multiple yes/no questions into a single multi-choice select all that apply. Unlike the table example you are consolidating your survey by asking fewer questions not just giving the appearance of condensed space.

Example 2: yes/no questions

Do you surf the web daily? Check yes or no.

-Yes

-No

Does surfing the web interfere with your work? Check yes or no.

-Yes

-No

Is surfing the web a part of your job? Check yes or no.

-Yes

-No

Example 3: multi-choice

Which of the following statements apply to you? Select all that apply.

-I surf the web daily

-Surfing the web interferes with my work

-Surfing the web is part of my job

Stay away from advanced skip logic

Seems like a pretty simple idea, the more complex the logic the more complex the survey is to program. Inexpensive survey programs can usually handle at least simple skip logic or branching (ex. if no skip to question 3). They are usually not designed to handle advanced logic (if user selects no to question 1 and >45 at question 2 skip to question 4).

Keep in mind that while skipping and branching are positives that separate web based surveys from paper based surveys, complicated skip logic takes much more time to program, demands more sophisticated software, and requires a more knowledgeable survey programmer. All these things often require a greater financial investment.

Reducing Your Link Size with TinyURL.com

For those times when a link is just too big, TinyURL.com to the rescue.

In the research world no work is without its sources. While the need to report this underlying information is not in question the way in which we can do so is. Through the use of a hyperlink, authors can now directly connect the reader with underlying source information. This has huge practical implications for academic communication as single works become interactive resources connecting the reader to a potential wealth of information. I would suggest searching PubMed if you wanted some examples.

It’s important to keep in mind that a hyperlink can’t do everything. So much of our communication still exists in paper form. From presentation handouts to print newsletters and journals there are still many things that cannot be linked directly. Adding links to paper handouts is useful but sometimes the links can be too long for the reader to accurately type into their web browser.

TinyURL is not new, the copyright goes back to 2002. But the site has been increasingly relevant since popular sites like twitter create an online environment where space is at a premium. Using the site is incredibly simple and free. You enter the link you would like to shorten, click a button, and you are given a new link to use.

Here is an example using this blog article’s link.

Current Link (86 Characters): http://newgenresearch.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/reducing-your-link-size-with-tinyurlcom

New Link (25 Characters): http://tinyurl.com/c84n6e

If you would like the link to be a little more personal or memorable you can suggest a custom alias, if it is available TinyURL will give it to you. Here is an example using the same article (28 Characters): http://tinyurl.com/ReduceLink

So the next time you go to paste a 3 line long link into your presentation handouts head to TinyURL.com first. The audience will thank you for it later.

Welcome!

I am just getting setup, stay tuned…