How to tell a stranger they’ve got food in their teeth

There’s something you should never do when you design a survey question:

Make assumptions about what shoppers know.

That might sound obvious.

But the nature of assumptions is that you don’t notice them.

I once saw in a Roast the survey question, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?”

The problem was that it assumed people had a New Year’s resolution, which turned out to not be the case.

The solution wasn’t to change the question.

It was to first ask, “Yes or no: Do you have a New Year's resolution?”

Switching from a single, presumptive question to a two-step “yes/no” format is one of the most common survey design tips I recommend to brands and agencies.

It acts as a filter, targeting only those who engage the topic you care about – in this case, those who actually set resolutions.

It also uncovers and corrects bad assumptions.

A good metaphor is a friend telling you that you’ve got lettuce stuck in your teeth.

When you have access to the right information, correcting bad assumptions is easy; without it, you risk looking like an oblivious idiot.

Want to make sure you're not making assumptions in your surveys?

Do you feel like your company is walking around with lettuce in their teeth?

Then click on the link below and book a Roast.

I’d love to help clear out those greens.

Two-steps questions are just one of the many nuanced design tips I provide.

https://www.sammcnerney.com/45-dollar-survey-roast

Cheers, 
Sam