Approaching Survey Design with People in Mind

Surveys continue to be among the most useful tools for organizations to better understand experiences, identify gaps, and inform planning. The nature of our work means that we often find ourselves at the helm of survey design and dissemination; clients want concrete data to guide their work and answer their burning questions.

Over time, we’ve learned that good survey design is equal parts technical skill and strategic planning, and success is often contingent on establishing trust early, forecasting challenges, ensuring accessibility, and understanding your audience. Without these elements, even the most thoughtfully designed surveys may not resonate or produce practical insights. Today, we’re delving into some of the key lessons and approaches that continue to shape our efforts.

People are bombarded with emails, texts, and advertisements every day. Your “ask” needs to be clear.

One of the biggest challenges our clients face is audience overwhelm. This means that your survey’s purpose needs to be immediately clear and compelling out of the gate. Respondents want to know:

• Why they are being asked to participate

• How this information is going to be used

• If anything meaningful will come from this

• Whether there’s something tangible on offer in return for their time

Where possible, we suggest clearly emphasizing the direct benefits of participation upfront, whether that be the opportunity to shape policy or improve services, or tangible rewards such as honoraria or participation incentives.

Meet people where they are. Trust, accessibility, and transparency are crucial, especially when working with vulnerable populations.

Historically marginalized groups have every right to be skeptical of how their sensitive information will be shared. When engaging with vulnerable or equity-deserving populations, it’s key to build a solid foundation of trust. Surveys are far more likely to be completed when they come from trusted organizations, community leaders, or well-known service providers. We often recommend:

• Offering in-person dissemination options

• Providing tech support or device assistance

• Using trauma-informed, accessible language

• Offering remuneration where possible

• Providing emotional supports or resource information if the topic is sensitive

Combined, these approaches communicate respect for participants’ time, autonomy, and lived experiences, while also reducing barriers to completion. Moreover, transparency builds trust. Clear communication surrounding privacy and data use is an essential part of ethical survey practice. Respondents have the right to know:

• How and where their data will be stored

• Who will have access to it

• How the findings will be used

• Whether their responses will be confidential or anonymous

Yes, these are legal obligations, but they’re also central to building trust and enabling informed decisions about participation.

Concise, clear surveys usually produce the most useful data.

Organizations often get, understandably, excited about gathering information and finally getting answers to their long-standing questions, but that can lead to lengthy, repetitive, or excessively detailed surveys. In our experience, this makes participants tune out. We find that:

• Shorter surveys generally improve completion rates

• Repetitive language can cause fatigue and disengagement

• Using plain language improves accessibility and data quality

• Overly technical, academic wording may alienate respondents

We like to gently remind clients that asking fewer, better questions typically produces more meaningful findings than trying to ask everything at once.

It’s also equally important to balance curiosity against invasiveness. Surveys may seem intrusive if questions are overly personal or emotionally charged. By limiting questions to only what is essential, organizations can gather insights while keeping surveys respectful and focused.

Online surveys present their own unique challenges.

Digital tools help reduce burden and boost efficiency, but they also require additional checks and balances. A common challenge we encounter is verifying that responses come from the intended audience, particularly when incentives or stipends are offered. We typically recommend:

• Pre-screening questions

• Requiring individual validation codes

• Manual reviews of data quality

• Monitoring for duplicate or suspicious responses

These elements help ensure that findings are trustworthy and genuinely reflective of the target population. Choosing the right platform is also critical. Some survey platforms store data outside of Canada, potentially raising privacy issues. Others may appear user-friendly at a glance but have limitations in accessibility, analytics, or design functionality.

The best surveys are designed with real people in mind.

At the heart of all of this is a pretty simple idea: good surveys are built around people. Strong survey methodology goes beyond gathering data; it involves designing thoughtful, accessible, and respectful opportunities for individuals to share their experiences in ways that feel safe.

This is a space we care deeply about and love supporting organizations in designing surveys and engagement strategies that generate meaningful, actionable, and ethical insights. Whether you’re aiming to understand employee experiences, assess programs, inform policy, or reach communities, thoughtful survey design is the difference between simply gathering data and actually understanding people.