Practical recommendations
Based on our many years of experience with online surveys, we have put together the following practical recommendations:
- Do not require additional software. Asking respondents to install apps, plug-ins, add-ons or other software can put them off.
- Do not ask too much of respondents.
- Keep loading times low: use small graphics and images in JPG format and avoid large PNG files.
- Follow the rules of social and market research.
- Communicate honestly with respondents about the survey period and how long it takes to complete.
- Communicate regularly with participants: explain the purpose of the survey and what happens next.
- Use a considered design (see Nielsen 1997): users do not want to scroll, avoid frames, and minimise switching between mouse and keyboard. Highlight key terms, ideally show only one question per page, and avoid matrix questions.
- Keep users’ attention: several related sources of information within the same environment, for example text, images and music, can lead to the split-attention effect. This can increase extraneous cognitive load and lead to dropouts or lower response quality. You should therefore also avoid survey software that displays advertising within the online survey.
- Use filter questions: show only relevant follow-up questions so that respondents receive questions tailored to them along an individual response path.
- A pre-test can reveal gaps in response options and help check items and implementation.
- Use skip logic: for sensitive question sequences, show different follow-up questions depending on the respondent’s previous response. This means each participant sees only the questions relevant to them and the questionnaire becomes shorter for each individual.
- Do not overdo it: avoid using too many questions. The longer the survey, the greater the risk that respondents will drop out or stop answering carefully.
- Keep questions clear and easy to understand: wording should leave as little room as possible for misunderstanding.
- Avoid response routines: do not place questions with a very similar structure directly one after another. Respondents may stop reading them carefully and start selecting responses mechanically. Use question rotation where appropriate.
- Use a readable font size: avoid very small text so that older respondents can also complete the survey comfortably.
- Last but not least: choose the right survey software.
What is LamaPoll?
LamaPoll is an online survey tool for creating employee surveys and measuring employee satisfaction. With us, you can create, conduct, and analyse all types of employee surveys.
Set up your employee survey in just a few steps, customise it with your company's corporate design, and invite your employees conveniently by email or via your intranet. You'll gather insights to boost employee satisfaction in no time. Sign up for free with our online survey tool. You can then run surveys for up to 50 employees immediately and with no obligation. If you need more responses for your online employee survey, simply use our monthly plans. You can also make use of our templates and examples for employee survey questionnaires.
