Designing Effective Web Surveys for eCommerce Websites

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Designing Effective Web Surveys for eCommerce Websites

To generate a great user experience, the site has to be optimized for a target audience. That is where web surveys can provide much assistance. In addition, web surveys serve to generate customer and user feedback. When it comes to online businesses, asking visitors for their input can improve your business to get the best result.

Web surveys often don’t get their due share of recognition, but they play an essential role in an online business’s success. However, a poorly built survey is of little use. Therefore, specific points must be kept in mind when designing a web survey, such as the few mentioned below.

  1. Mobile-Friendly Surveys

With mobile users increasing exponentially in these past few years, creating a mobile-friendly interface is imperative. Nowadays, customers are more likely to visit your site via their smartphones than their PC. This means that your site will be generating more traffic, and more people will be taking your survey. However, if the survey is not designed correctly, your user experience will take a significant hit.

Designing an adaptable mobile survey can be a tricky task for a number of reasons, with the main issue being the amount of time. Taking a survey on a smartphone is generally a slow task. For example, it takes an average person 11%-50% longer to complete a survey on a smartphone than one on a desktop. There are three main reasons behind this:

  • Distractions:

Studies have shown that users are generally more distracted during a survey on their smartphones than when filling out a survey through a desktop.

  • Internet Reception/Connection Quality:

Desktops have a higher-speed internet connection, while smartphones server connections are relatively slow.

  • Screen Size:

Since smartphones have a comparatively smaller screen, it is more difficult for the users to attempt the survey.

If the above issues are not adequately addressed, it can result in a lower user experience, and customers are more likely to leave mid-survey.

The key to a good survey is to define your survey objective first and build a questionnaire according to the type of feedback you want, but don’t make it too long. Instead, keep the length of the survey short and stick to-the-point questions.

Hence, it is crucial to design an interface that can be run either desktop, Android, or iOS.

Design a questionnaire that requires a simple yes or no answer. Do not use matrix questions. Multiple choice questions create an unnecessary hurdle for the user as they will have to scroll left-right and up and down on their small screen to answer a single question. So avoiding matrix questions is the safest bet.

  1. Generating User Experience

Creating a web survey is a bit different than designing any other page of a website, but it requires a design that would generate excellent UX. You want the user to be invested in the survey that he is filling out and not drop the survey midway. Keep the following points in mind when designing your survey:

  • Use short precise questions that do not beat around the bush. Be direct with your clients. Please remove all unnecessary questions from your survey, as they will only waste the valuable time of your users.
  • Mention the average response time at the top of your survey so that users know how much of their time will be consumed while completing the task.
  • Use adequate line spacing so that the visitor can focus on the question better.
  • Don’t be afraid to use color; it might help you simplify and break up the survey content.
  • Use a readable font so that the users don’t have to squint. Making the survey as convenient as possible is the key to a great UX.
  • Break down your questions into smaller portions. It makes it easier for the users to scan through them.
  • Always place your site’s logo at the top left side of the page.
  • The navigation menu should be placed vertically n the left side of the page,
  • Create a help button that answers any inquiries your users might have regarding the web survey.
  1. Use of Multimedia

Web Surveys that lack engaging multimedia elements and only comprise text-based content tend to be boring. You’ll have a more challenging time grabbing the visitor’s attention with such bleak, old-fashioned web surveys, and it’s bound to have a negative impact on your conversion rates.

However, the inclusion of well-spaced surveys – to break up different text segments – can make the content more digestible and have a notable impact on other visitor behaviors.

On the web, multimedia conveys additional meaning, especially when words fail. Most survey designers find it challenging to define the “principles” used to create text-based survey questions, as they lack expression and are often not fully comprehended by the respondents. Multimedia effectively overcomes that language barrier by adding respondents’ comprehension and reducing their response time. The incorporation of multimedia in surveys can be beneficial if used in the following ways:

  • Provide Hyperlinks Where Necessary:

Hyperlinks can bridge the audience to additional questions that rely on background information or require a detailed answer. This technique provides more accurate answers and significantly reduces the survey’s apparent length.

  • Choose Graphics Wisely:

Don’t just include images on random; think carefully before you choose because graphics convey their meaning. In addition, the audience may use this feature to interpret the question in a certain way, so beware of what the images convey and how the respondents may interpret them.

  • Be Able to Justify the Use of Multimedia Feature:

Ask yourself, does the inclusion of the multimedia content assist in solving an information conveying issue and help in overcoming language barrios, or does it serve as a distraction from the main content and survey goals.

Conclusion  

The aim of your survey should be to acquire the user’s valuable input without it feeling like a burden for them. In addition, your survey aims to gather important customer feedback, so it is vital to design a user-friendly survey.

Hence, the basic guidelines for a successful survey are: 

  • First, designing a mobile-friendly survey since mobile users are greater than desktop users.
  • User experience is crucial to conducting a successful web survey.
  • Use multimedia and images to simplify your survey further and assist with language barrier issues.

Author Bio: Simon Walker is a professional eCommerce Consultant with over seven years of experience. He is currently working for FME Dubai. He is also consulting businesses to help increase their online exposure and conversions.

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