CONSTRUCTING A QUESTIONNAIRE

Question types
Make sure your questions are consistent and follow a logical order. Try to use a consistent and logical pattern of question types throughout the survey to ensure that the respondent is presented with a consistent and familiar view.

What information you will give
Think carefully about information you will provide to the respondents, in terms of useful documents and web resources. Additional information can provide useful guidance/clarification when completing a complex survey, but be aware of where you situate external links within the survey, as they can take attention away from your survey and could result in the questionnaire not being completed by the respondent. You may wish to use external links only at the end of your survey.

Branched flow structure
Questions flow can be enhanced through the use of branching. This provides a route for the respondent to follow depending on their answers. It is useful to guide respondents past questions which may not be relevant to them. It also gives scope to provide useful references or further information, based upon their particular interests or needs (for example by using multiple termination points).

Information points
Information points are places in your survey where information is presented, rather than collected. They are particularly useful as section identifiers - providing a heading or information about the section of the survey a user is about to complete. They can also provide useful guidance, technical information or definitions as additional supporting information to those completing your survey.

End points
This is the exit point for your survey and combined with branching, can provide a tailored response to respondees. You might for instance determine via your survey that a particular user needs further information, or that other web resources, contacts or documents might be useful to him/her. Whilst including web links within your survey may distract a respondee, adding them at the end can provide useful further guidance or information. The exit point can also be used to thank the participants for completing the questionnaire.