Definición RápidaA user survey is a primarily quantitative research method that uses a set of standardized questions to collect data from a large sample of users. They allow you to measure attitudes, satisfaction, preferences, and gather demographic data at scale.
What Are User Surveys?
Think about the difference between having a deep conversation with one person and conducting a national census. The conversation (User Interviews) gives you a richness of detail and context about a single person. The census (the survey) gives you statistical data about thousands of people at once, allowing you to see patterns at a large scale, but without the individual detail.
Surveys in UX are that census tool. They do not replace qualitative research – they complement it. They help you answer questions of “how many” and “how much,” while interviews answer the “why.”
The key components of a survey are:
- A specific objective: What do you want to measure? (e.g., “Measure customer satisfaction with our new onboarding process”).
- Well-designed questions: Clear, unbiased, and easy to answer.
- A representative sample: The respondents should reflect the characteristics of your actual user base.
- Data analysis: Converting the responses into charts and statistics to identify trends.
Why Are They Important?
- Quantitative validation: They allow you to validate with numbers the qualitative findings from your interviews. If in 3 interviews you heard that the checkout is confusing, a survey can tell you whether 5% or 50% of your users think the same.
- Data collection at scale: They are a quick and affordable way to get feedback from hundreds or thousands of users.
- UX KPI measurement: They are the standard tool for measuring metrics like the Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), or the System Usability Scale (SUS).
- User segmentation: They allow you to cross-reference demographic data with responses to understand how attitudes vary across different user groups.
Types of Questions
- Multiple Choice: The user selects one or several options from a list.
- Likert Scales: The user rates their agreement or disagreement with a statement (e.g., from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”).
- Rating Scales: The user rates something on a numerical scale (e.g., “On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy was…?”).
- Open-Ended Questions: The user writes a response in their own words. They are valuable but difficult to analyze at scale, so use them sparingly.
Mentor Tips
- The quality of your survey determines the quality of your data: A poorly worded or biased question can invalidate all your results. Invest time in writing good questions.
- Keep it short and focused: Nobody wants to answer a 30-minute survey. Respect your users’ time. Every question should have a clear purpose aligned with your objective.
- Test your own survey: Before sending it out, have your teammates take it. This will help you find confusing questions, typos, or logic issues.
- Avoid double-barreled questions: Do not ask two things in one. Instead of “How fast and friendly was our support?”, split it into two separate questions.
Resources and Tools
- Resources:
- Book: “The Mom Test” by Rob Fitzpatrick. Although it focuses on interviews, its principles about how to ask good questions are invaluable for survey design.
- Guides: SurveyMonkey and Typeform have excellent blogs with guides on how to design effective surveys.
- Tools:
- Google Forms: Free and powerful.
- Typeform: Known for its excellent user experience.
- SurveyMonkey: An industry standard with many advanced features.