Beyond the Checkbox: Redesigning Surveys for Reliable Behavioral Insights
Surveys are often considered a goldmine for consumer research. They promise insights and predictions about customer behaviors, preferences, and mindsets. But not all surveys are created equal. In fact, some surveys may be steering you in the wrong direction entirely. Why? Because consumers are unique, wacky, creative, illogical, and forgetful. That is, they’re human. Basic surveys often struggle to account for this human-ness, resulting in simplified insights that don’t represent the end user.
So how can you ensure that your research is providing you with valuable insights and not fool’s gold? And what “bias-reduced” methods can you leverage to reliably understand and predict consumer behaviors? Today we’ll unravel some of the biases present in traditional surveys and introduce three methods that can offer deeper insights into the baffling nature of human behavior.
The “human-ness” of answering simple questions
Think back to your last doctor’s appointment and the ever-troubling questions of: “How much do you exercise? Do you drink enough water? How many hours of sleep do you get a night?” If you’re a fitness buff, water enthusiast, and night-time guru, then you may breeze past these questions without a second thought. But if you’re anything like me (and countless other regular folks), you may be inclined to lie, just a little. Maybe you’d say you sleep eight hours instead of your actual six. Or, you’d say you exercise every day for 30 minutes instead of your actual 10-minute walk to and from the subway.
The comforting (yet perhaps troubling) reality is that you’re not alone in wanting to stretch the truth. The response bias is a commonly known phenomenon not just in the doctor’s office, but also when conducting surveys. Our tendency to respond to questions in a way deemed “socially acceptable” leads us to exaggerate positive behaviors and minimize negative ones.
Wanting to “look good” in surveys is not the only human thing we do that impacts potential responses. There are countless other cognitive biases that sway consumers to report behaviors different from those they actually practice. They may experience choice overload when deciding between multiple options, encounter the optimism bias when predicting their future behavior, or face decision fatigue when answering an onslaught of survey questions.
What this means for survey-based research
So what does this mean for our beloved surveys? Should we unsubscribe from our favorite survey platforms or toss our research out the window? Of course not! We just need to be conscious about how we design our research so that we can minimize biases and maximize our understanding of consumers’ true behavior. Specifically, we need to consider ways that we can assess behavior beyond classic multiple-choice or select-all driven surveys.
About the Author
Alexi Michael
Alexi is a Consultant at The Decision Lab. Her expertise is multidisciplinary, spanning the fields of social innovation, artificial intelligence, and human-centered design.
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