Lazy survey design = wasted feedback

I love seeing organizations take the initiative to gather feedback as they plan for the new year. It’s a great way to understand customers and clients better, improve services, and create something meaningful for their community. But here’s the thing: a good survey is not just about collecting answers—it’s about asking good questions to the right people.

This past week, I was sent two different surveys, each aiming to learn more about customer experiences to inform plans for 2025. It sounded promising…until I read the questions. What I saw was an all-too-common mistake: questions that don’t respect my (the person taking the survey) journey or circumstances.

Imagine this: I tell you I’m a freelancer, yet I’m bombarded with questions about managing my “team” and the “organization” I work for. I am my organization! Or, I indicate that I haven’t used a particular feature, only to find myself answering three follow-up questions on that very feature.

Not only does this lead to bad data—it’s frustrating for me as a survey-taker, too.

Here’s what’s often overlooked in survey design: relevance. Pushing everyone down the same survey path isn’t just lazy—it’s a missed opportunity to uncover genuine insights that could guide your organization forward.

If you know that someone works independently, use this as an opportunity to explore their unique needs, challenges, and collaborations. If a respondent hasn’t used a feature, ask them: why? Maybe they didn't even know it was a feature! Ask them what would encourage them to give it a try.

Don’t let poor survey logic turn an engaged audience into a frustrated one. Ask relevant questions, use branching, and let your respondents’ answers guide you to better data and better decisions.

Good surveys are well-planned. People only see questions that apply to them.

Here’s a quick example of how to transform a missed opportunity into valuable insights. Instead of asking everyone how often they use the Circle community, and then following that up with questions for everyone about whether they would recommend the community, what motivated people to use the community, and so on...try splitting the survey into two paths based on how often people used the community.

For instance, if people taking the survey say they haven’t used the community, you could ask them why and perhaps invite suggestions for what types of features, activities, or advertising would make them more likely to use it. For those who have used the community, they could instead see questions asking whether they’d recommend it—and, importantly, why they opted to use it in the first place.