Questionnaire Design III: Presentation and Layout

Questionnaire Design Variables

• Consider content, format, presentation, and layout for effective questions.
• Develop a coding schedule if necessary.

Presentation and Layout

• Utilize a clear, consistent layout with adequate space for answers and large font sizes.
• Ensure appropriate page breaks and simplicity by avoiding complex designs and unnecessary logos.
• Color usage or colored paper can enhance engagement.
• Filter questions should be included when needed.
• Provide clear instructions for how to answer questions.

Best Practices for Layout

• Maintain an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-read appearance.
• Formulate questions to be short, simple, relevant, and logically structured to promote high response rates.

Organizing Questions

• Organize questions from easy to difficult, general to specific, and factual to abstract.
• Be mindful of the placement of sensitive questions to avoid ordering effects.
• Begin with simple, closed-format questions that are relevant but non-offensive.

Question Content and Focus

• Ensure questions are clear, focused on research goals, and avoid unrelated information.
• Collect demographic and contact information when anonymity is not a concern.

Formatting Questions

• Tailor questions to the audience’s background, ensuring clarity and simplicity.
• Define key terms to avoid confusion, and offer a “don’t know” option.
• Ask one piece of information per question, using mutually exclusive and exhaustive answer options.

Accuracy and Objectivity

• Use precise language to minimize error and avoid vague terms.
• Construct objective questions, steering clear of ambiguity and leading language.

Question Formats

• Closed questions provide forced choices (e.g., yes/no), while open questions allow for free text responses.
• Various formats include multiple-choice, rating scales, and numerical scales.

Coding Schedule

• Pre-coding facilitates faster data entry and analysis.
• Common coding examples include assigning numbers to demographic options (e.g., Male = 1, Female = 2).

Common Problems and Pitfalls

• Avoid double-barreled questions, ambiguity, jargon, and non-mutually exclusive choices.
• Prevent leading questions to preserve data integrity.

Best Practices for Surveys

• A well-designed questionnaire yields reliable data and reduces bias, enhancing validity.
• Short and focused questions improve participant engagement and completion rates.

Ethical Considerations

• Maintain the ethical integrity of research by establishing trust with participants, ensuring informed consent, and committing to confidentiality.
• Ethical responsibilities include reciprocal relationships and respectful engagement with the study population.

Understanding Variables

• Define variables as characteristics measured in research.
• Distinguish between different types of variables (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) and their respective measurements.

Dealing with Data

• Organize data in numerical form for efficient computer analysis and summarization into tables or graphs.
• Implement coding to transform raw data into a machine-readable format, enhancing analysis ease.