Piloting Surveys
Making Sure Surveys Work
Piloting a survey means asking others, who aren't familiar with the topic, to take the survey from the perspective of a potential participant prior to it being sent to a larger audience. It's important to build trust with the person piloting the assessment. Explain that they are not required to answer honestly and that you are more concerned about their feedback than their actual responses. Ask the person to take the assessment from a specific perspective (e.g., specific gender, race, international status, major, etc.). As they are taking the assessment, they should answer the questions below.
- What time did you start taking the survey? What time did you stop?
- Did you take any breaks while completing the survey?
- On what question did you get bored and feel like you wanted to stop participating?
- On what question would you stop participating if you were taking the survey for real?
- Were any of the directions or questions confusing, awkward, or uncomfortable?
- Were any of the directors or questions redundant or unimportant?
- Did any questions not have a response option that met your needs?
- What concerns, if any, did you have about answering the questions truthfully?
- Do you have any other comments?
Adapted with permission from Case Western Reserve University.