Surveys are an important tool to study markets, opinions and conditions of various target groups. There are many survey tools online and so even a layman can quickly create a survey. Nevertheless, there are several points that need to be taken into account in order for a survey to be meaningful, as this example shows:
We were asked if we could take a look at a survey that had been conducted and then briefly explain how we would evaluate it. After reviewing the survey questionnaire as well as the collected answers, we had to conclude that this survey could not be evaluated.
When planning and creating the survey, important points were not defined:
- What kind of survey should it be: exploratory, descriptive, or causal?
- What is the basic hypothesis or question that this survey is intended to explore?
- Who is the target audience? A target audience was defined that was far too large for the scope of the survey. By mixing the industries, “apples were compared to oranges,” as the saying goes. A comparison of the industries would have been possible if the industries to be compared and the size and type of the target group had been defined beforehand.
Furthermore, the survey was much too long and the questions were created without considering the analyzability of the results.
There was a risk of drawing wrong conclusions from a possible evaluation, which would then have been incorporated into the corporate strategy. The publication of such a survey can also damage the reputation and credibility of a company. Resources such as time and money were used without achieving the desired results.
For this reason, we recommend that you seek the advice of a specialist when conducting a survey or have the team trained in a workshop. This will enable them to independently develop meaningful surveys in the future. At ClearData, we offer both as individual services.