Consider the Following Tips When Designing Mobile Surveys 

When designing mobile surveys, the main danger companies face is using traditional online survey design methods – that is, with very long interviews. This method won’t work for mobile surveys. No one is going take a long 20- or 30-minute survey on a mobile phone or other mobile device. Respondents taking a mobile survey are likely on-the-go and have a limited amount of time. If respondents find your mobile survey to be too long, they will likely close your survey, causing your response rates to be extremely low.

Companies also face the issue of small screen formats on mobile devices. Mobile surveys have all sorts of implications for survey design. For instance, you can’t display a long list of items in a single question. Survey respondents will need to scroll to see all items. If you simply administer a survey to mobile respondents, which is formatted for online interviewing, you are likely to get different responses because the question items may not be visible or may be displayed in a different way. This can have a negative effect on responses.

Both survey length and format are two main factors to consider when designing mobile surveys. Take a look at our list of other items to consider when designing mobile surveys. Continue reading →