No other methodology now rivals the Internet for market research. You can target almost any kind of respondent group, and they can answer thoughtfully and thoroughly at their leisure. Here are 10 valuable tips for online survey development:

1. Make sure you would enjoy taking the survey. Put your screening and data management questions first. Use drop-down lists sparingly. Keep your directions clear. Go light on the number of product attributes, no more than 20. Give them an out, such as a “don’t know” or “I prefer to not answer” option.

2. Don’t forget the respondents are doing you a favor; find ways to make the experience enjoyable for them.

3. Make the attribute ratings easy on the viewer’s eyes.

4. Keep the surveys as short as possible; long spells boredom or fatigue.

5. Be sensitive to special audiences and their needs or preferences, such as teenager studies.

6. Ensure the privacy of the respondent’s answers on sensitive topics.

7. Use incentives, and make sure they’re suitable to the target audience; for lengthy surveys, make sure you provide generous incentives.

8. Keep dropout trigger questions for the end of the survey.

9. Supplement e-mail surveys with telephone or interactive voice-response methodologies to increase and hold participation.

10. Take advantage of the prevalence of high-speed online interactivity through such technologies; these enable market researchers to sample consumer response to commercials or simulated shopping environments.

Questions

1. Draft three “hot” topics for a survey and find appealing ways to present the material in leading or early questions.

2. Consider the merits, or disadvantages, of three incentives that might be offered to potential survey respondents.