Formal Research: Advantages and Disadvantages (II)
Now, let’s look at survey organization, some sample topics and question structures.
A survey is usually divided into three parts. Part One is the demographic profile to understand basic information about the respondent. This can include gender, age, professional work status, income, family or living situation. Part Two is information about past or current experience. This can include habits – things that people do regularly such as brushing their teeth – and preferences related to a new product.
Let’s imagine that we’re writing a survey for a new toothbrush, a new type of toothbrush while we look at question types for habits and preferences. Questions about habits could include some of the following:
- Do you ever brush your teeth?
- What do you use to brush your teeth?
- How long does it take you to brush your teeth?
- Where do you brush your teeth?
Under habits, there could also be questions about frequency, such as:
- How often do you brush your teeth?
- How many times a day do you brush your teeth?
Questions about preferences could include:
- What do you like best about your toothbrush?
- What do you like least about your toothbrush?
- Do you like your toothbrush?
- If no, why not?
Part Three is information about future needs. Here, the researcher is interested in the respondents’ reactions to the new product’s specific features and benefits. In this section, the researcher will also be trying to understand the perceived value of the new product, in other words, how much the respondent would be willing to pay for the product. These are probably the hardest questions to write in the survey and could include some of the following question forms:
- Would you like to try new toothbrush?
- If yes, which new toothbrush would you prefer?
- Are you interested in buying new toothbrush?
- If yes or maybe, how much would you be willing to pay for one new toothbrush?
In this video, we talked about how formal research surveys are more quantitative, objective, and persuasive than informal research. However, they also require finding respondents, cost more to do, and require more planning. We also reviewed three parts of a new product survey: demographic profile, past/current experience, and future needs, and some common question types.
In Video 5, we will create a sample survey for a product called Cricket Flour. To prepare for this, first watch Video 4 to build your listening strategies. Then complete the next assignment: Reading and Audio: Bugs are the New Food. Finally, do the comprehension check. While you work on the reading and audio assignment, think about what kinds of survey questions you would want to ask potential customers of Cricket Flour.
