I want to keep throwing hate at the polls. It's just that, on the one hand, it depresses me to answer one and, on the other, I'm too lazy to analyze the data.

I think the same thing can happen to a lot of people; I'm sure I'm not the only one.3,4

But now I want to throw hate the hard way. So I started researching, read several studies and found one that caught my attention:

Effects of questionnaire length on participation and indicators of response quality in a web survey

The first thing I saw is that Google Scholar has 1,682 citations. We are talking about a serious paper. There are many investigations that only those closest to the researcher read, some even without receiving a single quote; in colloquial words: not even grandma reads it. I mean, this is a strong investigation. To further glorify the hate I want to throw away, I began to review the profiles of the authors. And I realized that these two, Mirta Galesic and Michael Bošnjak, are tough in their fields: they have been quoted more than 10,000 times each. And the best part is that their main areas of work are survey methodologies.

That's when I put a small smile on my face, because I realized that I could shoot hard, but very hard, hate on the polls and my heart would be completely full.

Long or short surveys? It's all about balance

According to the study, participants' willingness to complete a survey decreases when they are informed that it will take longer. In fact, if you tell them that it will last 30 minutes, they are less likely to participate compared to a survey that lasts only 10 minutes. This shows us that, in survey design, less is more.

Pikachu meme surprised, with the text 'ME AFTER THE FIRST 10 QUESTIONS OF A 30-MINUTE SURVEY... ', representing the feeling of surprise or exhaustion after answering many questions in an extensive survey.

◆ But it's not just about the number of answers, it's also about the quality of these answers. The study reveals that, as respondents progress through a long questionnaire, they tend to give faster and shorter answers, which negatively impacts the depth of the information obtained. Open-ended questions, for example, receive shorter answers the later they appear in the survey.3,4

That's why at woku we don't ask any questions, we just give an open field. Surveys 0 - woku 1

Fatigue and Loss of Interest: The Silent Enemies of Quality Data¹

As participants progress through a lengthy survey, fatigue and boredom increase. Not only does this reduce the time they spend answering, but it also affects the variability in their answers, especially when it comes to grid questions. As a result, data collected toward the end of a lengthy questionnaire is often less rich and useful for decision-making.

Review of a woku rated with stars, 8 months ago, categorized as an opportunity for improvement. The Review says: I thought the explanation was super clear, the step by step is very simple and it is appreciated that this is the case. I think that the 1 to 1 meeting makes it more personalized, I imagine that in the future they will not be able to do it that way, so I could do video tutorial or oneboarding in the same app, which could be more convenient if the user is not available to join a meeting. Regards! — **View of an open field captured in a woku.**

At woku, we give people the opportunity to express themselves freely from the start. We get a quality reflection on what really matters to the customer. Surveys 0 - woku 2

What does this mean for woku?

For Woku, this means a game won; we go 2 - 0 up. And although it may still seem like an adjusted result, we are working to make it a Brazil (1) - Germany (7) in 2014. But unlike Germany, we will have no mercy on polls. At halftime, we're going to encourage our team to score more goals and end the polls once and for all.

References

Galesic, M., & Bosnjak, M. (2009). Effects of questionnaire length on participation and indicators of response quality in a web survey. Public opinion quarterly, 73 (2), 349-360.