Although it might be your first time creating the questionnaire, don’t be complacent. Even though it might take a little bit more time to structure your survey and formulate questions in a very precise way, it pays off.

In this short manual, we are going to present you with tips on how to create, structure and conduct an ideal survey.


First of all, select suitable survey software.

Survey software is a technical tool that helps with survey creation. If your university has its own survey software, great! If not, use one of the free ones on the Internet. For example, check out the new survey creator on www.pollpool.com. It has a vast array of survey-creation features, is completely free of charge, and is fully integrated into our respondent pool for seamless data collection!


So you got survey software ready - what next? Well, think about the type of information you need to obtain.

Are they Behavioural Information or Attitudinal Information? 

For instance, behavioural information is about one’s habits and behaviours and their frequency. Attitudinal information is about one’s opinion, feedback and thoughts. Once you know which information you need, it is easy to phrase the question. 

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Example 1.

‍For behavioural information, the question would look like: How often do you shop at the brand XYZ? or How often do you use Instagram per week? Now, notice how such questions have a limited amount of responses possible, and that only one response would be valid (because one cannot claim to use Instagram two times per week and every day simultaneously).

That is why it is wise to choose a multiple-choice question, matrix question or drop-down question to obtain behavioural information. Such questions provide you with a lot of quantitative data and will be fantastic for statistical analysis.


Example 2.

For attitudinal information, the questions may vary. However, the most common ones are: How do you rate the usability of the XYZ app? and Do you agree with the statements below?

The rating-scale, matrix and open questions are the most fitting to obtain this kind of information. Although they might be harder to categorize, as they bear a certain value of qualitative data, they also provide great insight into the opinions of participants.


Among attitudinal and behavioural information, Classification Information is essential for every survey. They are obtained through demographic questions.


Examples of Demographic Questions.

  • "What gender do you identify as?"
  • "What is your age?"
  • "What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?"
  • "What is your current employment status?"
  • “What is your nationality?”


Then, after you have completed your questionnaire, remember to structure it correctly. Do not cram all of the content into one page. The participant will get an idea that your questionnaire is long and overloaded, on the contrary to splitting your survey into multiple short pages. Make sure that your questions follow a logical order and they feel like a conversation.


That’s it! If you need a more detailed manual, check out one here. If you need help with finding participants, we have you covered -- read about it here.