THE QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN CHECKLIST

Why Good Questionnaire Design Matters

In India’s diverse and dynamic market, asking the wrong questions can cost brands time, money, and insights.
Surveys are only as good as the questions they ask poorly designed questionnaires lead to:

• Biased or misleading responses

• Confused respondents

• Low completion rates

• Insights that can’t drive action

At AnveMark Market Research, we ensure every survey is a reliable source of actionable intelligence. That starts with great questionnaire design.

The Questionnaire Design Checklist

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating surveys that work:

1. Define the Survey Objective

• Be clear about what you want to measure: awareness, perception, satisfaction, or usage.

• Ensure every question ties back to your business objective.

Example:
Instead of asking, “Do you like our brand?”, ask “On a scale of 1–5, how likely are you to recommend our brand to a friend?” measurable and actionable.

2. Choose the Right Question Type

• Closed-ended: Multiple choice, Likert scales, ranking for quantitative analysis.

• Open-ended: Free-text responses for qualitative insights and context.

• Demographic / Segmentation: Age, gender, income, city essential for segmentation and targeting.

Pro Tip: Balance closed and open questions to maximize insight without overwhelming respondents.

3. Keep Questions Simple and Clear

• Avoid jargon, technical terms, or complex language.

• Each question should ask one thing at a time.

Example:
Bad: “How satisfied are you with our product quality, pricing, and delivery speed?”
Good: “How satisfied are you with the quality of our product?”

4. Avoid Leading or Biased Questions

• Don’t suggest an answer in your wording.

• Be neutral and objective.

Example:
Bad: “Our product is the best in the market, isn’t it?”
Good: “How would you rate our product compared to other options available?”

5. Logical Flow and Structure

• Start with easy, engaging questions to build respondent confidence.

• Group related topics together (e.g., all product satisfaction questions in one section).

• End with sensitive or demographic questions.

6. Use Appropriate Scales

• Consistent scales (e.g., 1–5 or 1–7) reduce confusion.

• Include a neutral or “Don’t know” option where necessary.

Pro Tip: In India, scales of 5 are often better understood than longer scales.

7. Pre-Test and Pilot

• Run the questionnaire with a small sample before full deployment.

• Identify ambiguous questions, timing issues, or response fatigue.

• Refine before launching at scale.

8. Ensure Data Measurability

• Each question should generate analyzable data.

• Avoid vague terms like “sometimes” or “occasionally” without defining frequency.

9. Respect Respondent Experience

• Keep surveys short (ideally under 10 minutes).

• Use simple, mobile-friendly formats (especially important for India’s growing digital respondents).

• Avoid repetitive questions

Why This Checklist Works in the Indian Market

• Cultural Diversity: Ensures questions are neutral and inclusive across languages, regions, and social backgrounds.

• Digital & Offline Integration: Optimized for online surveys, telephonic interviews, and face-to-face data collection.

• Actionable Insights: Generates clean, analyzable data that drives marketing, product, and strategic decisions.

Pro Tip from AnveMark

• Combine this questionnaire checklist with sampling and segmentation insights.

• A well-designed questionnaire + precise targeting = reliable, actionable intelligence.

Download AnveMark’s Questionnaire Design Checklist Template to ensure every survey you run is logical, unbiased, and impactful.