Graphics, colours and interaction

Research is a profession that should be carried out by experts. The biggest threat to quick and cost-efficient research is that the quality is almost always suffering. DVJ wants research to remain good. Even when it is quick and against low cost. For this reason, we regularly share examples of mistakes and best practises in the market. We share our thoughts and possible solutions to improve research. By following these tips, we can make research better. This time the honour belonged to Research Expert Matthew Lewis.

High engagement levels

Online questionnaires and surveys are still at the forefront of market research for many companies, as it opens up a vast number of possibilities.  However, endless question after question of long lists can sometimes get excessively dull for the consumer completing the survey.  Engagement is important within market research, as it affects the quality of data produced by the respondent.

At DVJ Insights we continuously fill out online surveys, firstly to improve our own and find new solutions to problems, but it also helps us think about avoiding simple mistakes, which could cause issues when coming to analyse the data.  Whilst filling out a questionnaire, I came across an interesting way of portraying a question:

Figure 1

The simplicity of the question above is the best part about it, as normally a list of regions would appear in single code format. However, adding the use of graphics to a survey can help peak interest, as it provides something slightly different to the norm, as well as immersing the respondent within the survey.  As I mentioned before, engagement is key within surveys and market research, as if the respondent begins to lose interest, the data quality decreases at the same rate as the length of interview time, which leads to less informative results.

Therefore, graphics, colours, and interaction are a key component of survey creation, allowing the respondent to interact with the survey.  This in-turn is a key way to keep engagement levels high from respondents, as it provides something different and more interesting for them, and retains attention throughout.  Obviously, I’m not saying remove all listed questions from your survey, but adding a few graphics throughout can really help provide better end results from respondents.