UX surveys: Learn more about this quantitative research method

Surveys help organizations understand users better by getting direct customer feedback. Many UX teams focus on these UX surveys as a primary way of building customer-centric products. Understanding the benefits of surveys and how they guide the improvement of the UX process will give your team a solid foundation to make better decisions. 

How surveys affect user experience

A user experience (UX) survey helps organizations gain insights into users' thoughts, opinions, and feelings. These surveys typically consist of questions designed to capture how users interact with the system, what they like or dislike about it, their problems, and their overall satisfaction level.

User experience data uncovers hidden issues and highlights areas that need improvement. Organizations use this information to make informed product decisions, such as prioritizing features in the development process. Regularly conducting UX surveys allows for continuous improvement, keeping the user's needs at the forefront of the entire design and development process.

Pros of UX surveys

While surveys help organizations collect user experience data for better product decisions, many other benefits aren't as straightforward. Awareness of these benefits will help you maneuver resources toward the areas that move the needle.

Reduced Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne effect is a phrase coined to summarize participants' effects in the Hawthorne studies from the 1920s. The studies show participants will alter their behavior if they are aware they are being observed. It's an unconscious psychological effect and can skew results for in-person surveys.

To reduce the Hawthorne effect, make your user experience a UX survey tool so that users can provide feedback in their own time and space without the direct feeling of being observed. This can lead to more honest, authentic responses. Users will likely behave more naturally while interacting with the product or service, leading to more accurate and reliable data.

Affordable to implement

Unlike other UX research methods, UX surveys are relatively inexpensive. They don't require a large team, and different types allow you to quickly create, distribute, and analyze survey results with little technical knowledge.

Survey costs typically include the survey platform, domain hosts, and site or app platform hosts. The affordability of UX surveys makes them an accessible and practical tool for organizations of all sizes. They allow companies to gather user feedback and make informed design decisions without draining company finances or taking on too much risk.

Scales with growth

A growing customer base increases the resources needed to understand their experiences, needs, and preferences. While this may affect some research methods, UX surveys can be quickly scaled to accommodate a more extensive user base. This makes them an ideal method for organizations experiencing growth or those with a fluctuating user base.

Consider a small startup initially relying on in-depth interviews to gather user feedback. Switching to or supplementing their approach with UX surveys can reach a larger audience in less time and with less resource expenditure.

Creates data-driven decisions

In today's digital world, identifying critical metrics in your organization and uncovering strategic insights is crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage. UX surveys provide a systematic approach to gathering feedback, which can be quantified and analyzed to derive meaningful insights and trends.

The quantitative nature of survey data lends itself well to analysis as long as the survey is fair and without leading questions. This can reveal patterns in user behavior, preferences, or satisfaction levels that might not be apparent from qualitative methods like interviews or focus groups. UX surveys help ensure that design decisions and company strategies are grounded in the needs and preferences of users.

Cons of UX surveys

Surveys won't work for every part or scenario of the user journey. Specific limitations and restrictions keep the research tool from becoming a catch-all for gathering user experience.

Lack of qualitative data

While a typical survey collects quantitative data, it often needs to catch up when capturing the nuances of user experiences and feelings. This is because surveys typically rely on structured questions with predetermined answer options, which don't allow users to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words.

Surveys are generally concise and straightforward to maximize response rates and facilitate data analysis. However, it's often necessary to explain complex user experiences and feelings. Instead of using closed questions, include open-ended questions within your survey to help balance the data between quantitative and qualitative.

Takes time to perfect

Designing a survey that accurately captures user experiences and provides valuable insights requires careful thought and planning. Every question must be crafted to elicit relevant and helpful data while being clear, concise, and unbiased to avoid confusing respondents.

Perfecting a survey for UX often involves multiple iterations of drafting, testing, and refining questions. This is necessary so that the survey is easy to understand, relevant to users, and capable of generating actionable data. However, this iterative process can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with complex subjects or large audiences. This can slow down the research process and delay improvements based on the survey's findings.

Best practices for writing UX surveys

To circumvent the common mistakes and pitfalls of survey design, here are some best practices to consider when writing your UX surveys.

Use common language

Applicants come from various backgrounds, ideologies, and language levels. To truly understand your users' experiences, use simple language in your survey questions. Avoid acronyms, technical terms, or complex sentence structures that could lead to inaccurate responses or cause users to quit.

Use clear, everyday language that the average person can understand. This increases the likelihood of users completing the survey and fosters data collection that accurately reflects their experiences and opinions.

Asking users about their experiences with the "UI" or "API integration" will alienate those unfamiliar with these terms. Simplify your message by asking 'How does the software look and feel?" or "How well does it work with other apps?" to allow every participant to respond accurately.

Vary your question types

Different questions elicit different kinds of information and can be more suitable for certain topics than others. For instance, multiple-choice questions are great for gathering quantitative data, while open-ended questions are excellent for collecting qualitative research. By including a variety of question types in your survey, you can capture both broad patterns and nuanced insights

Varying question types can also make the survey more engaging for respondents by breaking up the monotony and not forcing them into a repetitive pattern of responses. This can lead to higher response rates and more thoughtful, detailed answers.

An online retailer wanting to learn more about abandoned carts could put out a survey with multiple choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions. The multiple choice questions identify common stages of abandoning carts, rating scales gauge the difficulty level of tasks, and open-ended questions allow customers to express their experiences in their own words.

Keep it short and simple

Like the use of a standard language section, keeping your surveys short and straightforward respects the user's time and increases their likelihood of completing it. Surveys that are long or complicated can be daunting to users, leading to survey fatigue, high dropout rates, or rushed responses

Simplicity in a UX survey extends beyond just the length. The questions themselves should also be simple, clear, and direct. Complex questions can lead to confusion or misinterpretation, skewing your data. A well-constructed, simple question will help you gather more reliable and actionable insights about user behavior and preferences.

Ideally, your survey focuses on one area of the UX experience and is only filled out by users going through that area. You want surveys to be as relevant as possible to your research objectives, so your team has enough data to make informed decisions.

Adjust the question order

The order of questions can influence how respondents interpret and answer subsequent questions. Your survey has a flow users feel intuitively; when there is a bottleneck or block in the flow, your users will respond accordingly. By thoughtfully arranging your questions, you can minimize this effect and ensure the responses accurately reflect users' experiences and opinions.

Easy-to-answer questions are always best to place at the front of your survey because they relax respondents and build their confidence. Grouping similar questions together is also helpful, as this makes it easier for respondents to provide consistent answers and helps maintain a natural flow. Keep your sensitive or complex questions in the middle since the respondent will have already committed to completing the survey.

Demographics like asking age groups or location are best kept at the end since these types of questions are less engaging and can feel intrusive if asked early on in the survey. Adjusting your question order is an ongoing process your team will refine as they collect more customer data.

Ask questions about the survey

When you're refining the UX survey process itself, you need hard data from your users just like you do to improve their experience. This meta-feedback can highlight any issues or pain points users had while taking the survey, which can be invaluable for improving future surveys. It's essentially applying the principles of user experience to the survey itself, verifying that it is user-friendly and effective at gathering accurate data.

Questions about the survey can cover various aspects, such as the clarity of instructions, the relevance of questions, the length of the survey, and the ease of navigation. Having this continuous feedback cycle shortens the time it takes to find an effective structure and refine questions.

Tips for conducting surveys

While refining the nuts and bolts of your UX surveys, you'll want to consider these tips to help you get the most useful data possible.

Allow anonymous responses

Forcing users to identify themselves in a survey can create a metaphorical wall between you and the user. They will be less likely to give honest criticism, or they will sugarcoat their responses. With an anonymous survey, respondents may feel more comfortable sharing their true opinions and experiences.

Test your surveys

Testing your surveys before distributing them widely is crucial in UX research because it helps identify potential problems before they affect your results. Have a few team members take the survey and provide feedback on the clarity of questions, the length of the survey, and any technical issues. This will help catch any errors or confusing elements that may have been missed during the design process.

Include a short intro

Set the stage for your survey by providing a brief introduction explaining the purpose and how the responses will be used. A well-crafted introduction provides clear information about the survey's length, the types of questions to be asked, and any incentives for participation. It also reassures respondents about privacy concerns and emphasizes that their answers will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes.

Include a progress indicator

A progress indicator is a visual cue that shows respondents how far they have progressed in the survey and how much is left to complete. This feature is beneficial because it gives respondents a sense of control and expectation, reducing the likelihood of survey fatigue and abandonment. It's especially useful in longer surveys where the absence of a clear endpoint can frustrate respondents and lead them to abandon the survey prematurely.

Maximizing the impact of surveys on user experience

One of the best tools for gathering data on user experience is through the use of surveys. Using this tool, your company can easily collect qualitative and quantitative customer data that helps your team make better decisions. Follow the set of best practices and experience-based tips to shorten the iteration time and avoid common mistakes. Implementing a UX survey successfully has the potential to increase customer satisfaction and prioritize the customer's needs when developing your product.