Question ContentQuestion content is

Question Content
Question content is first and foremost dictated by the investigative questions guiding the study. From these questions, questionnaire designers craft or borrow the target and classification questions that will be asked of participants. Four questions, covering numerous issues, guide the instrument designer in selecting appropriate question content:
• Should this question be asked (does it match the study objective)?
• Is the question of proper scope and coverage?
• Can the participant adequately answer this question as asked?
• Will the participant willingly answer this question as asked?
The Challenges and Solutions to Mobile Questionnaire Design
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“As researchers, we need to be sensitive to the unique challenges respondents face when completing surveys on mobile devices,” shared Kristin Luck, CEO of Decipher. “Small screens, inflexible device-specific user input methods, and potentially slow data transfer speeds all combine to make the survey completion process more difficult than on a typical computer. Couple those hindrances with reduced attention spans and a lower frustration threshold and it’s clear that, as researchers, we must be proactive in the design of both the questionnaire and user-interface in order to accommodate mobile respondents and provide them with an excellent survey experience.”
Decipher researchers follow key guidelines when designing surveys for mobile devices like smart phones and tablets.
• Ask 10 or fewer questions
• Minimize page refreshes—longer wait times reduce participation.
• Ask few questions per page—many mobile devices have limited memory.
• Use simple question modes—to minimize scrolling
• Keep question and answer text short—due to smaller screens.
• If unavoidable, limit scrolling to one dimension (vertical is better than horizontal).
• Use single-response or multiple-response radio button or checkbox questions rather than multidimension grid questions.
• Limit open-end questions—to minimize typing.
• Keep answer options to a short list.
• For necessary longer answer-list options, use dropdown box (but limit these as they require more clicks to answer).
• Minimize all non-essential content
• If used, limit logos to the first or last survey page.
• Limit privacy policy to first or last survey page.
• Debate use of progress bar—it may encourage completion but also may require scrolling.
• Minimize distraction
• Use simple, high-contrast color schemes—phones have limited color palettes.
• Minimize JavaScript due to bandwidth concerns.
• Eliminate Flash on surveys—due to incompatibility with iPhone.
Luck is passionate about making sure that researchers recognize the special requirements of designing for mobile as mobile surveys grow in use and projected use, S shares her expertise at conferences worldwide. www.decipherinc.com

Exhibit 13-6 summarizes these issues related to constructing and refining measurement questions that are described here. More detail is provided in Appendix 13a: Crafting Effective Measurement Questions, available from the text’s Online Learning Center.