A well-designed survey does more than collect responses—it uncovers insights that drive better decisions. Whether you’re measuring customer satisfaction or employee engagement, the quality of your survey directly impacts the quality of your data. By following a few simple design principles, you can create surveys that are easy to complete while producing meaningful, actionable results
Here are 7 tips for survey design that will assist in creating a positive end user experience for survey respondents, without compromising data potential for companies looking to learn about their subject matter.
- Keep Surveys Short and Focused
A long drawn out survey is nobody’s friend.
For the survey respondent it can feel like a chore if they have to answer page after page of questions. They may be wondering, “Will this thing ever end?”.
For the survey host, a long survey can result in respondents not completing the survey, offering false responses to just get to the end and too much data can make analysis more difficult leaving more questions than answers.
We want to avoid these scenarios at all costs.You want your surveys to be as clear and concise as possible to improve upon the experience of both the survey host and respondent, while still getting your questions answered.
For surveys focused on one particular topic, like a pulse survey or check in, consider having 3-5 questions total. This amount keeps the survey short, preferably to one page, and can provide targeted insights.
For a survey more focused at measuring a larger scale experience, like an annual employee insights survey, it is recommended to have 30-40 questions that take no longer than 5-10 minutes total to complete.
To make a longer survey more simplistic, consider dividing the questions by different subject areas, such as: manager, tools and resources, growth and development and team culture so that questions are asked in bite size pieces.
Be strategic with your questions. Determine overall what you are curious to learn most about and what questions can get you that information in the most concise way possible.
- Avoid Double-Barreled Questions
Poorly worded questions create unreliable data—even when respondents are trying to answer honestly.
For example, if prompted on a survey “Did you stop using our app because it was too expensive or too glitchy?”, it may leave the respondent feeling lost on how to respond. What if they experienced both which is why they stopped using the app…maybe it was neither of these experiences.
Avoiding questions that stack information on each other, or often referred to as “double – barreled questions”,is important to not only clarify for the respondent, but also to gain clarity for the survey host.
To continue with our app example, if a respondent responded negatively to the question prompt, we don’t know whether to talk to our pricing team to discuss costs, or our app design team to discuss usability and glitches.
Separating questions by their subjects, rather than double-barrelling, will make for stronger, more direct survey results.
- Avoid Leading or Biased Questions
The way a question is worded can have a significant impact on the responses you receive. Leading or biased questions unintentionally encourage respondents toward a particular answer, making it difficult to collect honest, reliable feedback.
For example, imagine asking a customer:
“How satisfied were you with our excellent customer service?”
By describing the service as “excellent,” the question suggests the response the survey creator is hoping to receive. A more neutral approach would be:
“How would you rate your experience with our customer service?”
Similarly, avoid making assumptions about the respondent’s experience. Instead of asking, “What did you enjoy most about our new website?” consider asking, “How would you describe your experience with our new website?” This allows respondents to provide positive, negative, or neutral feedback without feeling influenced.
Using clear, neutral language helps ensure responses reflect the respondent’s true opinions rather than the survey designer’s expectations. The more objective your questions are, the more trustworthy and actionable your results will be.
- Keep Rating Scales Consistent
Numerical. Stars. Likert. There are pros and cons to each; however, the important thing is that when selecting a scale for answer responses: Keep it Consistent!
When working as an employee experience project lead, I would often help in hosting surveys and providing survey feedback when asked by my peers.
One day, I was reviewing a survey draft that a colleague created. While providing my feedback notes I noticed question 1 was using a Likert scale from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree”. Question 2 used a 1-10 scale and Question 3 also used Likert, but in the reverse order (“Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”). Can you spot the issues here?
Imagine the risks! Inconsistent scales can lead survey responders to:
- Take more time to complete due to having to adjust to what each question scale is asking.
- Answer incorrectly if they assume the scales are the same
- Not complete the survey if too inconsistent or confusing
Selecting a consistent scale can make your survey clearer to the end user and sets the survey up for success. It can also assist in survey design through having the opportunity to use columns or tables for a sleeker feel.
- Make Rating Scales Easy to Understand
When designing your survey questions, if you’re choosing to use scaled responses it is extremely important to make sure that the options for selection are clear and consistent to all respondents.
For example, asking the question “How often do you experience burnout?” and using the scale: “Never”, “Often”, “Sometimes”, “Always”, it may be hard for a respondent to differentiate between “Often” and “Sometimes”. The responses can be improved by removing an alike choice, or selecting a different scale that is clearer.
Make sure scales are defined to make the responses to each question as comprehensive as possible for the respondent and for analysis.
- Choose Required Questions Carefully
Nine times out of ten a survey is being answered as a service by the respondent. If they are willing to give up time from their day to provide feedback about their experience, that time should be respected.
When deciding whether questions should be required or optional, consider the impact on both the respondent’s experience and the quality of your data.
- Survey length: Requiring every question in a lengthy survey can frustrate respondents, increase completion time, and even cause them to abandon the survey.
- Anonymity: Optional questions can help respondents feel more comfortable sharing honest feedback, especially when demographic information could make them identifiable. Only require information that’s essential for your analysis.
- Open-ended comments: Make comment boxes optional. Those with additional feedback will provide it, while others won’t be forced to type “N/A” just to move on.
When deciding on question types, ask yourself the hard questions of what is it that you really need to know, and what is best for the end user experience.
- Avoid Yes/No Questions
A simple “yes” or “no” rarely tells the whole story. While these questions can provide a quick snapshot, they don’t explain why someone feels the way they do. To gather meaningful insights, choose question formats that encourage respondents to share more context.
Imagine you own a restaurant and ask a customer, “Did you enjoy your dining experience?” If they answer “No,” you’re left with more questions than answers. Was it the food? The service? The atmosphere? The wait time? Without additional context, it’s difficult to know what needs improvement.
Instead, consider the following more efficient options than the Yes/No question:
- Use Scaled Responses: to understand the extent of favorability
- Adjust the Question: For example, create a list view that states: “Select what you liked about your dining experience” The atmosphere, The food, The cleanliness, The wait staff etc
- Utilize Branching: If persistent to use a yes/no question, consider designing a branching question so that when either option is selected the question can follow up with an additional question or comment box asking them why or why not they reacted the way they did to the experience. Keep in mind, this can give more clarity, but does add an additional question for the respondent to complete. Remember conciseness is key.
Avoid the dead ends of a yes/no question and you will be giving yourself much more clarity on how to directly take action.
Great surveys don’t happen by accident. Thoughtful question design, consistent scales, and a focus on the respondent experience lead to higher completion rates and more reliable data. By applying these 6 best practices, you’ll collect feedback that’s easier to analyze—and more valuable for making informed decisions.
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