Whether you’re running market research, public opinion research, or course evaluation, getting high-quality responses from real people is one of the toughest parts of the process.
Below, we’ll walk you through some tips on how to create a more engaging research survey that people want to answer.
Start with great survey design
Keep it short and relevant
Long or overly complex surveys increase respondent fatigue, which can reduce data quality and lead to higher drop-off rates. Try to design a form that can be completed in 5–10 minutes and includes only questions that directly support your research goals. You can also toggle on time to complete within Typeform and this will show respondents an estimate on how long it’ll take to finish the survey.
Write clear and simple questions
Clear, unambiguous wording reduces confusion and ensures respondents interpret questions consistently, which returns higher quality data and lowers research measurement error. Try for a reading level of roughly 8th grade. You can use an editor tool like the Hemingway app to help measure the reading level of your questions.
What question types to use
It’s important to think about what question types to use. Do you need an easy way to analyze, quantify, and compare the data you collect? Close-ended questions (multiple choice, opinion scale, rating, etc.) offer structured, predetermined response options that can promote consistency and generate numerical data that is straightforward to analyze.
Open-ended questions can help you gather in-depth data that allows respondents to explain their thoughts. It’ll provide deeper insights and uncover themes or issues that structured response options might overlook. You might also consider collecting data with video or audio. This allows respondents the freedom to voice their thoughts and not overthink while entering text. Be mindful and provide as much context to the respondents as possible as to why you’re recording video or audio. This can also help them understand the importance and value of your research. It’s also important to let respondents know how the recording will work, will they be able to pause the video? Will they have time to think about their answers, or will it start recording straight away? Will they have the ability to practice their recording? This can help respondents feel prepared and more comfortable to respond.
Flow and grouping
Put simple questions at the start of the survey. Use question groups to group related items so that respondents can follow a topic sequence. It’ll also give them context of the upcoming questions. You can also add logic to your form so that respondents can skip irrelevant questions based on their previous answers, which can increase engagement.
Improve the survey experience
Be transparent about the purpose
Let people know why you’re doing the survey and how the results will be used. Transparency fosters trust and increases willingness to participate.
Make it visually friendly
Clear layouts with easy navigation help reduce confusion. Optimize your form for mobile devices and tablets as many participants respond on the go. Take a look at our guide on how to create a mobile-friendly form.
Build trust with privacy
If respondents feel their answers are confidential or anonymous, they’re more likely to answer honestly and complete the survey. Clearly stating privacy protections in the introduction boosts confidence.
Get people to take your survey
Craft a compelling welcome screen
The welcome screen is your first impression. Use clear, concise sentences and highlight why the person’s feedback matters. Personalized messages (addressing the respondent by name) can increase engagement. Use recall information to pipe a respondent’s name into the form.
Use relevant incentives
Small guaranteed incentives (gift cards, discounts, or points) can increase participation more effectively than prize draws or sweepstakes for a chance to win something. Offering a small reward up-front can improve response rates.
Not all incentives need to be financial. Many people respond when they feel their input makes a difference. Communicating how feedback will lead to changes or improvements can be powerful enough for people to complete a survey.
Use an audience panel
If you need responses from specific demographics or hard-to-reach populations, audience panels can support structured sampling for research purposes. With Eureka Surveys, you can purchase responses from targeted groups and get the data you need, learn more about the Typeform and Eureka Surveys integration here.
Follow up and timing
Send well-timed reminders
Often, people intend to complete a survey but forget. A gentle reminder a few days after the initial invite can significantly boost response rates. One or two spaced out follow-ups is usually effective.
Choose the right time to send your survey
Send your survey when your audience is most receptive. Avoid busy periods like holidays or end-of-semester crunches for students and consider sending feedback requests right after a relevant event (post-purchase or after completing a course) for top of mind responses.
By combining thoughtful design and considerate communication, you can collect better data, improve response rates, and gain deeper insights from every survey you create.
After collecting your data, you’ll need to analyze your research. Below you’ll find some helpful tools to understand the data you’ve collected.