VISUALIZATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE IN ONLINE SURVEYS: HOW DIFFERENT DESIGN FEATURES IMPACT THE DATA QUALITY

Abstract

Online mode of data collection provides much more opportunities for the visualization of the questionnaire tools than the traditional paper format. Hence, there is a need to explore how various elements of the questionnaire design affect the quality of data collected via online surveys. This article presents an overview of the Russian and foreign studies devoted to this topic. We consider the following aspects: (1) visual design of the screen (colors, use of progress indicators showing the completion of on-line questionnaires), (2) layout of rating questions (radio button, slider, drag-and-drop), (3) visualization of open-ended questions (size of text input box, number of windows, use of explanatory and motivating introductions to questions), (4) presentation of non-substantive response options (use/non-use of non-substantive options, visualization tools). In conclusion, we make a number of recommendations concerning the questionnaire design that can help researchers make their surveys more effective and obtain a complete and high quality data.