Questionnaire Design - 5th Edition by Kate Bolton & Ian Brace

About the Book

"Good data is central to information-based decision making. Increasing access to online survey software is allowing more organizations to benefit from contact with their customers, employees and the public. However, the challenges facing the questionnaire writer remain and the greater volume of surveys and demands on potential respondents' time is making the task even harder. Your questionnaire needs to work better than ever to keep their attention. Questionnaire Design provides comprehensive and practical guidelines to plan, structure and compose questionnaires across all industries and purposes, ensuring valuable data insights are captured with accuracy and efficiency. You can't write a good questionnaire unless you know exactly what you are trying to achieve. This updated fifth edition recognizes this fundamental challenge, with advice for gaining the clarity needed to plan and focus your questionnaire. It continues to provide guidance for those using interviewer administered surveys, but now reflects the primacy of online and the challenges that brings. With pressure on everyone's time, this revised edition makes it even easier to navigate to the key points with new bullet-pointed takeaways at the end of each chapter" --Amazon.

Book Synopsis

Will your questionnaire work as well as it needs to by today's standards? Use this new edition of the bestselling guide to make sure it does.

Good data is central to information-based decision making. Increasing access to online survey software is allowing more organizations to benefit from contact with their customers, employees and the public. However, the challenges facing the questionnaire writer remain and the greater volume of surveys and demands on potential respondents' time is making the task even harder. Your questionnaire needs to work better than ever to keep their attention. Questionnaire Design provides comprehensive and practical guidelines to plan, structure and compose questionnaires across all industries and purposes, ensuring valuable data insights are captured with accuracy and efficiency.

You can't write a good questionnaire unless you know exactly what you are trying to achieve. This updated fifth edition recognizes this fundamental challenge, with advice for gaining the clarity needed to plan and focus your questionnaire. It continues to provide guidance for those using interviewer administered surveys, but now reflects the primacy of online and the challenges that brings. With pressure on everyone's time, this revised edition makes it even easier to navigate to the key points with new bullet-pointed takeaways at the end of each chapter.

Review Quotes

"A fab book, easily accessible and a treasure trove to dip into. There's an art to writing good questionnaires, and this book shows you how."-- "Darren Bhattachary, CEO, Basis Social"

"Comprehensive, easy to read and exceptionally practical, I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about how to design great questionnaires."-- "Helen Chesney, Head of Solution, Learning at Kantar"

"Designing effective questionnaires is an essential skill for all researchers. Kate and Ian's guide is practical and easy to read; but most importantly, it will ensure you get trustworthy data and powerful insights."-- "Vishal Badiani, Regional Creative Strategy Manager, Snapchat"

"Ian and Kate have produced the 'must-read' book for anyone working the research and insight industry. Read this and learn from the best."-- "Simon Wood, Head of Research, BMG Research"

"Questionnaire writing is one of the most essential parts of the craft, a definite artform that takes time and skill to perfect. This is an absolutely essential read for any budding or established researcher looking to hone their questionnaire design skills and avoid the many pitfalls that exist."-- "Tom Coombes, Research Director, Boxclever"

"The difference between useful and useless data can often be traced back to the questionnaire. This book is a great resource, guiding you through the myriad of decisions that face the question writer."-- "Debrah Harding, Managing Director, The Market Research Society"

"Whether you are new to questionnaire writing, or looking to fine-tune or update your skills, Ian and Kate's book is an invaluable, practical, easy to dip-into resource."-- "Nicole Duckworth, Head of Europe and Global Commercial Excellence, PRS IN VIVO"

"While technology has moved on, the questionnaire remains the core data source that the insight industry is built on. With more and more people writing questionnaires, it is imperative that books like Questionnaire Design exist to make sure that standards persist."-- "Sam Curtis, CEO, Big Sofa Technologies"

About the Author

Ian Brace, based in Oxford, UK, is a fellow of the MRS and runs training courses on questionnaire design. He was previously director of research methods at TNS UK and a visiting professor in market research at Bristol Business School.

Kate Bolton, based in Surrey, UK, is a certified member of the MRS and has been its key industry trainer for questionnaire design for over 20 years as well as being an examiner for the MRS Advanced Certificate. She previously led the Foundations Research Skills Programmes at Kantar.