Designing Questionnaires

Designing a questionnaire is easy. What is challenging about the activity is on what information to include in one. On this, you are examined on your creativity and ability to come up with appropriate questionnaires that will provide answers to the questions/situation at hand.

Here are tips on what to consider when designing a questionnaire;

- Make it clear to the respondent what your objectives are and why they must complete the questionnaire. It is about stating why you are collecting the information. Put yourself in their position, would you straight ahead begin completing a questionnaire when you do not even know for what reason the information you provide will be used.
- Give clear instructions on how questions are to be answered. If there are multiple answers to select from, must one tick the correct one or cross the wrong one? Be clear on this,
- Let it be known to the respondent how many questions are in the questionnaire as a whole and even under each sub-section. This is so to allow one know how long they may take in completing the questionnaire. I was once completing an online questionnaire where the number of questions just kept increasing and increasing. It was not possible to know how many were remaining from the point at which one is. I then just closed the tab.
- Break down your set of questions under appropriate headings. Structure your work. This makes it easy to make cross references where appropriate.
- Use both open and closed questions. Use a very set of questions,
- Let the respondent know exactly what to do with a completed questionnaire. There could be, for example, a free postage address to which it could be sent before a specific date. It is important for you to here strategies on how you can increase response rate;
- Be mindful of what personal information you ask for and indeed how you do,
- Use simple English for words and sentences. This use of images is also fine. However, this will depend on the type of information being sought and who the respondents will be.

There are indeed a number of other factors. Please do feel free to add to the list.

In justifying the use of questionnaires, you must also be specific on how you intend to administer them. It can be via post, one-to-one interviews, telephone or through the Internet. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.