This document discusses the design of effective questionnaires. It outlines that initial considerations for questionnaire design include determining the type of information needed, nature of respondents, and method of administration. Key aspects of design covered include writing clear, unbiased questions; using appropriate response formats; ordering questions logically; and pretesting the questionnaire. The goal is to create a design that makes the questionnaire easy for respondents to understand and complete while obtaining the necessary information for analysis.

1. Questionnaires and their Design
Presented By:
Manoj Subedi
Business Research

2. Outline
• Abstract of Article
• Introduction
• Initial Consideration
• Question Content
• Question Phrasing
• Sequence of Question
• Layout of Questionnaire
• Pretesting, Finalizing of Questionnaire
Questionnaire Design

3. About Article
• The critical role of questionnaires in marketing research is discussed.
• The article then proceeds to detail the process by which questionnaires are
constructed.
• Topics covered include
 initial consideration,
 question content,
 question phrasing,
 types of response format,
 question sequence,
 questionnaire layout
 pre-testing, revision and the completion of the final version of the
questionnaire
• Practical advice is given at the appropriate junctures.
Questionnaire Design

4. Introduction
A set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers, devised for the purposes of a
survey or statistical study.
Example: Question sheet, survey form, form etc.
Key Points
• Questionnaires and surveys are often used to find out about people
and businesses.
• The question and question type should provide responses that are
easy to analyze and provide the amount of detail needed.
• The most appropriate question type will depend on the objectives of
the research and the people (respondents) that will be interviewed.
Questionnaire Design

5. Questionnaire Design

6. Initial Consideration
 Type of information required
o Varies according to research requirement.
For example: For impact of advertisement on sales. We need find information about after and
before sales unit in different locality where advertisement has been aired and not aired.
 Type/nature of respondents
o Respondents come in many different shapes and sizes—meaning there are good ones, bad ones, and some
in between.
o Researchers have to be aware of the different types and their impact on results.
 Type and method by which survey is to be administered
o According to instrumentation (Questionnaire , Interview )
o According to the span of time involved.
Questionnaire Design

7. Question Content
 Relevance of a question
 Clarity of a question
 Avoid ambiguous, leading, double-barreled
questions
 Ability and willingness of respondent to
answer
Questionnaire Design

8. Question Phrasing
Style appropriate to target population
 Short
 Clear and unambiguous
Avoid biased words and leading questions
Do not assume anything for granted from the part of the respondents
Avoid double-barreled questions
Avoid negative questions
Discourage guessing
Questionnaire Design

9. Response Format
 Closed questions
Dichotomous
 Multiple choice (4 to 5 options; neutral point)
Likert scale (Agree or disagree)
Semantic differential (scale connecting bipolar words)
Importance scale (importance of some attribute)
Rating scale (Excellent to poor)
 Open questions
Completely unstructured
Word association (first word that comes to mind …)
Sentence completion
Story completion
Picture completion (filling balloons)
Thematic apperception test (relate story to picture)
Dichotomous
Questionnaire Design

10. Response Format (Cond…)
 Prioritizing questions
 Quantitative data
 Rank the order of their answers
 Presented in the form of percentages
 Scaled questions
 falls between an open and closed question
 Respondents are again asked to pick an answer, but
they are given a scale
Questionnaire Design

11. Sequence Question
 Quota control questions (identification with target
population)
 Interest, reassurance and foretaste
 Logical order
 Avoid questions which suggest answers to later questions
(bias)
Questionnaire Design

12. Layout of Questionnaire
 Good quality paper
 As short as possible (20-30 questions)
 Use lines, boxes, pictures, etc., …
 Instructions kept to a minimum but user-friendly
 Purpose of survey explained at the beginning and guarantee of
confidentiality
 What is to be done with the completed questionnaire
Questionnaire Design

13. Pretesting, Finalizing of Questionnaire
Pretesting / Piloting
 Helps to identify questions that don’t make sense to participants
 Helps to identify problems with the questionnaire that might lead to
biased answers
Process Of Pretesting
• Find 5-10 people from your target group
• Ask them to complete the survey while thinking out loud
• Observe how they complete the survey
• Observe how they complete the survey
Uncover faults
• Misprints
• Grammatical mistakes
• Relevance of questions
• Expected range of answers
Questionnaire Design

14. Conclusion
• Questionnaires are a good way to gather primary
research but they have to be used carefully.
• Questions should be clear and easy for the respondent
to understand. This means that the person writing the
questions should take the target respondents' ability,
background and understanding into account.
• They should also double check each question to
ensure that the answers will provide the information
needed.
Questionnaire Design

15. Do you have any questions?
Yes
No
Questionnaire Design

16. Thank You !
Questionnaire Design
Business Research