Top 5 Tips for Librarians Creating Surveys

Increase response rate with better survey design!

Posted on October 23, 2024 in Blog Posts

Authors:

Robin Camille Davis
A librarian designing a better survey

Three things are certain in this world: death, taxes, and librarians sending out surveys. We are a patron-focused profession, and we crave user feedback. Moreover, some of us yearn for peer feedback for articles we write or hypotheses we test.

When you create a survey—if you haven’t yet, it’s just a matter of time—there are a few things you should keep in mind. These tips will improve your survey and help make it more likely that people will respond.

Tip #1: Indicate how long the survey is

On the survey itself: If questions are spread out over more than one page, use a progress bar or page numbers (“1 of 5 pages”) to give respondents an idea of the commitment they’re making before embarking on the survey.

Additionally, if the survey questions get detailed, let users know what kinds of information they’ll need at the outset. For example: “We’ll ask about your course syllabi.”

Example:

Tell us about your library experience. Current page: Basic details. Next pages: Location, Your suggestions, Complete
A progress bar for a survey

In your invitation email, other advertisements, and survey description: Don’t call the survey “quick” or “easy”—those subjective terms might not apply to some respondents’ experiences. If it really is a short survey, you can call it “short” or “brief.” It’s also a good idea to provide a time range, like “Usually takes 5–10 minutes.” Base that estimation in truth, of course.

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Tip #2: Use conditional logic for questions that aren’t relevant to all users

For more complex surveys, not every question is relevant to every person filling it out. If you find yourself typing, “If you answered ‘yes’ to the above question…,” then it’s time for conditional logic! In practice, that means that some fields only show up based on users’ responses to previous questions. Your survey builder probably has this capability.

Example:

Does your project have a deadline?” If the respondent answers “Yes,” then the next question is “What’s the deadline?” If they answered “No,” they don’t see that question
A conditional logic field only appears for users who select “yes” to this question.

Tip #3: Spend time on the confirmation page

You’ll want to revise whatever default confirmation message respondents see after they hit “Submit.” It’s usually cold, vague, and robotic.

Bad example: Google Forms has the worst confirmation message. “Your response has been recorded.” (Change it under Settings > Presentation.)

Good example: “Thank you for completing this survey! We appreciate your time and feedback. Questions about this survey? Contact Firstname Lastname (Email@Address).”

Tip #4: Read your survey out loud

Test your tone: Read every question aloud. Does it feel like an interrogation? If it does, reword your questions to use a more conversational tone.

Bad example: Name… Patron age… Use of computer workstations…

Good example: Your name… How old are you?… How often do you use the library’s computers?… 

As a bonus, clear and welcoming language makes your form easy to use for people who are distracted, stressed, neurodivergent, or have cognitive impairments (e.g., trouble concentrating).

Tip #5: Test your survey with someone else before you launch it

Ask a colleague, student worker, friend, or long-suffering family member to try taking your survey. Don’t explain it—just let them work their way through it and point out what’s confusing or vague. Shelve your pride and avoid getting defensive; trust their feedback.

Why? Your survey may seem straightforward, but I guarantee there’s at least one thing that needs clarification. Remember, you are not your user! The way you word things might not make sense to your respondents.

Example of poor phrasing that testing could catch: “Was this a one-time occurrence, or have you had more than one request for this material? Yes / No / Other.”

This probably sounded natural to the form’s creator. But a tester would catch that confusing wording before your survey goes live.

Bonus tip #6: Don’t apologize for cross-posting the survey to multiple listservs!

When I look at listserv emails in my inbox, I see a parade of apologetic snippets:

  • Survey about critical cataloging Please excuse cross-posting…
  • Library statistics tracking survey Apologies for cross-posting…
  • Research participation request Please generously excuse cross-posting…

And so on. The thing is, I’ve never seen most of those on any other listservs, so “cross-posting” is moot to this reader. And should my first impression of the email’s topic be the sense that the sender is reluctant to share it? Compare that to: “Survey about critical cataloging I’m thrilled to share…”

“Apologies for cross-posting” is a professional convention that I wish would wither and die. When you send out your survey, proudly announce it! Convey a sense of invitation and gratitude.

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