Creating Effective Community Surveys: Tips for Valuable Feedback
Can the results of a public survey really make or break your next project?
The truth is that not all surveys will give you reliable feedback, and that’s mostly due to how well your survey is crafted and distributed. For example, a survey with too many questions may cause respondents to rush through their answers. Community members who work long hours may feel they don’t have the time to complete your survey at all. The results won’t show you the full picture of your user base, and the final design may not win community support.
In contrast, a great survey will yield informative, actionable feedback from a representative group of users. Their responses will become your roadmap to an equitable final design that serves your community well.
If you’re ready to create the best possible survey, here are a few tips to get you started. For more in-depth guidance, reach out!
Choosing the Right Questions
Before creating your survey, it's crucial to understand what you hope to achieve. Start by jotting down your goals. Are you interested in learning about the respondent’s habits, their situation, or what they desire? Consider the decisions you aim to make based on the survey results. Write down the expected outcomes of your questions and what you plan to do with that information. If the data won't impact your design or decisions, consider omitting the question, as shorter surveys typically lead to a better completion rate.
Writing the Questions
When crafting your questions, simple and specific wording will lead to better insights. Make sure your audience understands exactly what they are being asked to avoid confusion and ensure accurate responses. Avoid questions that may not apply to everyone. For example, if Question 1 asks, "Would you support a millage increase?" and Question 2 asks, "Which programs/items would you support a millage increase for?" those who answered "no" to the first question may provide irrelevant answers to the second, skewing your results.
Organizing the Survey
Consider your audience. Who are you surveying? Is it a large, diverse group of people or a more targeted one? What is their prior knowledge about the topic or project? If your audience is largely unfamiliar with the subject matter, provide adequate background information and graphics upfront. Explain why the respondent’s input is important.
Use a mix of question types (e.g., multiple choice, open-ended, rating scales) to capture different insights about the same topic. Use open-ended questions sparingly, especially with a large audience, as the results can be difficult to summarize and draw a conclusion from.
Formatting the Survey
Free tools like Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, or SurveyMonkey make it easy for anyone to create a survey quickly and easily. Make sure your survey is mobile-friendly and accessible on all devices. Consider adding an end date to the survey where it is no longer accessible even if flyers don’t get taken down for a while. Also, if your survey will reach a diverse audience, you may want to consider providing the surveys in multiple languages.
Distributing the Survey
There are multiple ways to distribute your survey:
Social media: Post a link to the survey and encourage your followers to share
Website: Post a link to the survey on your home page
Flyers with QR codes: Place them in public spaces for easy access to the digital survey.
Door-to-door handouts: Distribute them in specific areas.
Printed mailings with QR codes: Send them to target audiences to encourage digital responses.
If your audience is targeted to a specific group, you may want to stay away from broadcasting a link that can be accessed by anyone.
By following these steps, you can create a community survey that gathers meaningful feedback and helps you make informed decisions.
