If the pilot is from Poland, I’m not getting on the plane
There’s nothing worse than a pilot delivering bad news in a forgein language.
Everybody groans.
While you sit there.
And wait for the announcement in English.
It happened to me last Wednesday.
I was flying from Sarajevo to Warsaw, waiting to pull back from the gate, when the pilot addressed the cabin. He spoke in Polish for a minute or two and I wondered, “What’s this about and how long is the delay?”
He eventually switched to English and I got the news.
Busy airspace over Hungary was going to push takeoff back “up to an hour.”
Initially, I had two hours to make my connection to New York.
Now I was down to one.
Thankfully that turned out to be enough, and somewhere over the Atlantic I thought back to the pilot.
Listening to him in Polish reminded me of a survey faux pas:
Long-winded introductions
They’re well-intentioned but filled with jargon. They make respondents wonder, “What’s this about and how long will it take?”
A long introduction made short
Here’s an intro from a survey I Roasted last year.
I don’t expect you to read it – just like I didn’t expect respondents to read it.
“Welcome to the survey. The health and wellness world is full of trends. But since the beginning, our goal has remained the same: use our background as nutritionists to make products that work. That’s why we’re designing a new line of snacks that we’re calling “Power Snacks.” We’re going to present you with a few “Power Snacks” and ask about your reaction. We appreciate your honest feedback.”
We shortened it.
Added the estimated length and mentioned the question-type.
Here's the new version:
“This survey should take 2-3 minutes to complete. We’ve got a few multiple-choice questions about a new product. Click ‘Begin’ to start.”
Be specific.
Keep things brief.
And be honest about time.
Nobody likes a “2 minute” survey that takes 5 minutes.
Need help making a good impression in a survey?
Click on the link below and book a Survey Roast.
I’d love to help.
Introduction pages are just one of the many nuanced design tips I provide.
https://www.sammcnerney.com/45-dollar-survey-roast
Cheers,
Sam