{"id":36690,"date":"2020-04-04T12:54:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T11:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idsurvey.fluidhub.it\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T09:10:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T08:10:15","slug":"10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/","title":{"rendered":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire."},"content":{"rendered":"

Why programming a questionnaire is such a difficult task?<\/strong>
\nAnswers may be various but let\u2019s try to sum them up in what we think it\u2019s the complete definition of its purpose.<\/p>\n

The survey questionnaire is the tool that allows communication between the three main players of a market survey: the researcher, the interviewer and the target audience.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, survey questions alone are not enough to guarantee reliable data. To be fit for purpose a questionnaire has to exhibit some key characteristics like readability, conciseness and coherence.
\nIn this article we disclose the\u00a010 basic rules to create a questionnaire.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Programming a questionnaire with the right structure<\/h2>\n

Not all survey designs are the same: when the research goal changes, also the target and the structure of the questionnaire change. Other than already mentioned readability, structure originates from other elements:<\/p>\n

Interview type
\nSubject investigated
\nInterview methodology<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Discover IdSurvey software to manage your questionnaires, schedule a free demo<\/a><\/del><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Readability<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t focus just on content when you deal with market research. Structure is essential because it\u2019s how respondents engage with your Job. That\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial for the researcher to create a survey with clear and comprehensible questions so all respondents can understand them in the same way. For this purpose, you don\u2019t just need a consistent questions sequence and a friendly language but also a correct use of question types.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conciseness<\/h2>\n

Everybody knows that it takes a lot of time to draw somebody\u2019s attention but only seconds to lose it. That\u2019s why you have to focus on concise but complete\u00a0questions<\/a>\u00a0to avoid answer errors due to misunderstandings and lack of attention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

List of topics<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s get into the questionnaire design. First thing is drawing up a list of topics related to the survey so that you\u2019re sure that you won\u2019t waste time on topics that are not interesting for your purpose.
\nA list of variables to collect based on topics selected before will follow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Language<\/h2>\n

We spoke about readability before as one of the key points of programming a questionnaire. And what makes a questionnaire readable if not language?\u00a0Using a language that is too technical is the wrong choice: you have always to keep in mind that your target is rarely familiar with marketing lingo.\u00a0This is not the only thing to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s equally important NOT to use a biased language to avoid giving the impression you\u2019re suggesting a specific point of view to the respondent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How to ask questions<\/h2>\n

The way you ask questions may influence the way you get answers. A question to be perfect has to be:<\/p>\n

Impartial and neutral
\nSingle (avoid double questions)
\nClear
\nSpecific (avoid generic questions)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you deal with sensitive topics, like illness or addiction, you have to phrase the question discreetly and abstaining from judgements to put the respondent at ease. A great way to do that is reminding the interviewee that he\u2019s not the only one who has been in a similar situation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Open questions and closed questions<\/h2>\n

What can you expect from an open question? And what can you expect from a closed one? We can give you some tips to choose between them.<\/p>\n

Open ended questions are useful to collect unexpected answers and to reach a wider target of respondents. Moreover, open questions encourage a respondent analysis on the topic.\u00a0Closed-ended questions (as single or multiple choice questions) are preferred when you have a high number of respondents and when you need the same answer codification for all of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Programming a questionnaire with the right sequence<\/h2>\n

The result of the research can be considerably influenced by the sequence of questions. In fact, the order of the questions can produce a neutral questionnaire or subtly suggest an answer. You have two types of questions sequences to choose from:<\/p>\n

From generic to specific: to use if you want the respondent to focus on the general topic before and on the specific detail then. It\u2019s useful to collect spontaneous and instinctive opinions\u00a0from specific to generic: to use if you want the respondent to ponder on the topic.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Filter questions<\/h2>\n

Filter questions allows you to skip one or more of the other questions. Depending on the answer given, the question filters information in real-time deciding if to analyze or not that related topic. This survey tools are really useful both to avoid asking irrelevant questions and to address the respondent to a more specific answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Testing the questionnaire<\/h2>\n

Writing the questionnaire according to the 9 rules above doesn\u2019t guarantee its certain effectiveness. It\u2019s fundamental to make one or more TESTS before starting the survey. The researcher will be able to verify that:<\/p>\n

Questions are formulated clearly and impartially
\nFilters are working
\nQuestionnaire templates are displayed correctly on all devices
\nThe questionnaire is available for everybody<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why programming a questionnaire is such a difficult task? Answers may be various but let\u2019s try to sum them up in what we think it\u2019s the complete definition of its purpose. The survey questionnaire is the tool that allows communication between the three main players of a market survey: the researcher, the interviewer and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[86],"class_list":["post-36690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-world","wl_entity_type-article"],"yoast_head":"\n10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaireb - IdSurvey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Follow these 10 simple rules for writing and programming a questionnaire. When the goal changes, the structure of the questionnaire has to change too.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maddalena Mariani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maddalena Mariani\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f3e1307b574e3c8d70ea3ac14d6693f4\"},\"headline\":\"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire.\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-04T11:54:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-01T08:10:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\"},\"wordCount\":831,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Research world\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\",\"name\":\"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaireb - IdSurvey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-04T11:54:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-01T08:10:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Follow these 10 simple rules for writing and programming a questionnaire. When the goal changes, the structure of the questionnaire has to change too.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":469,\"caption\":\"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research world\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/research-world\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"IdSurvey\",\"description\":\"Professional Survey Software and Survey Tools \u00bb IdSurvey\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"IdSurvey\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"IdSurvey\",\"alternateName\":\"IdSurvey\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/idsurvey-favicon-website.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/idsurvey-favicon-website.png\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"IdSurvey\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/idsurveysw\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/idsurveysw\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/idsurveysw\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/idwebsoftware\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f3e1307b574e3c8d70ea3ac14d6693f4\",\"name\":\"Maddalena Mariani\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad8d9642acc2b12b6f670714591aa02bfc5ebf9b312b68247859eee31cc8c72e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad8d9642acc2b12b6f670714591aa02bfc5ebf9b312b68247859eee31cc8c72e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maddalena Mariani\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaireb - IdSurvey","description":"Follow these 10 simple rules for writing and programming a questionnaire. When the goal changes, the structure of the questionnaire has to change too.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maddalena Mariani","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/"},"author":{"name":"Maddalena Mariani","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f3e1307b574e3c8d70ea3ac14d6693f4"},"headline":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire.","datePublished":"2020-04-04T11:54:14+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-01T08:10:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/"},"wordCount":831,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg","articleSection":["Research world"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/","url":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/","name":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaireb - IdSurvey","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-04T11:54:14+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-01T08:10:15+00:00","description":"Follow these 10 simple rules for writing and programming a questionnaire. When the goal changes, the structure of the questionnaire has to change too.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/10-regole-per-impostare-e-scrivere-un-questionario.jpg","width":1080,"height":469,"caption":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research world","item":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/research-world\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"10 rules for writing and programming a questionnaire."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/","name":"IdSurvey","description":"Professional Survey Software and Survey Tools \u00bb IdSurvey","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"IdSurvey","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#organization","name":"IdSurvey","alternateName":"IdSurvey","url":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/idsurvey-favicon-website.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/is-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/idsurvey-favicon-website.png","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"IdSurvey"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/idsurveysw\/","https:\/\/x.com\/idsurveysw","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/idsurveysw\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/idwebsoftware"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f3e1307b574e3c8d70ea3ac14d6693f4","name":"Maddalena Mariani","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad8d9642acc2b12b6f670714591aa02bfc5ebf9b312b68247859eee31cc8c72e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad8d9642acc2b12b6f670714591aa02bfc5ebf9b312b68247859eee31cc8c72e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Maddalena Mariani"}}]}},"_wl_alt_label":[],"acf":[],"wl:entity_url":"https:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl76787\/post\/10-rules-for-writing-and-programming-a-questionnaire","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36690"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idsurvey.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=36690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}