What is the most important rule when designing a questionnaire?

What is the most important rule when designing a questionnaire?

• A. Ensure questions are visually appealing
• B. Make sure questions collect the right data
• C. Limit the number of questions to ten
• D. Include only closed-ended questions

Answer: (B)

The most important rule when designing a questionnaire is to make sure questions collect the right data. This principle is crucial because the primary purpose of a questionnaire is to gather information that is relevant and useful for the research objectives. Questions must align with the goals of the study, whether it's to understand consumer behavior, assess satisfaction, or evaluate specific features of a service or product. Collecting the right data ensures that the findings of the questionnaire can lead to valid conclusions and actionable insights. If the questions do not gather the information needed, the entire research effort can become ineffective, leading to misleading or irrelevant results. While aspects like visual appeal, the number of questions, and the form of the questions (closed-ended or open-ended) are important for fostering engagement and response rates, they should not overshadow the primary goal of effective data collection. Ensuring the questions target the right information lays the foundation for the research's success.

The most important rule when designing a questionnaire is to make sure questions collect the right data. This principle is crucial because the primary purpose of a questionnaire is to gather information that is relevant and useful for the research objectives. Questions must align with the goals of the study, whether it's to understand consumer behavior, assess satisfaction, or evaluate specific features of a service or product.

Collecting the right data ensures that the findings of the questionnaire can lead to valid conclusions and actionable insights. If the questions do not gather the information needed, the entire research effort can become ineffective, leading to misleading or irrelevant results.

While aspects like visual appeal, the number of questions, and the form of the questions (closed-ended or open-ended) are important for fostering engagement and response rates, they should not overshadow the primary goal of effective data collection. Ensuring the questions target the right information lays the foundation for the research's success.