In the world of data collection, surveys are one of the most powerful tools for gaining insights, making decisions, and understanding customer preferences. However, the success of any survey depends largely on the quality of its questions, design, and overall flow. This is where pilot surveys come into play.
A pilot survey is essentially a trial run before official distribution to a larger audience. It’s a critical step in survey creation as it helps identify flaws, misunderstandings, or technical issues that may affect results. By testing a survey in advance, it can be ensured that questions are clear, logic flows smoothly, and the final data is valid and reliable.
This blog post explores everything you need to know about pilot surveys—why they matter, how to create an effective one, and an example of a pilot survey and pilot questionnaire.
What is a pilot survey?
Also known as a pre-test or field test, a pilot survey is a small-scale version of the actual survey. It’s typically administered to a small subset of the target population to test the clarity, structure, and overall effectiveness of the survey before it is sent to a larger group. It’s a crucial step in the process because it allows you to uncover problems early on, rather than finding out too late when the survey is already deployed to a wide audience.
A pilot survey is meant to simulate the experience of a real survey. By doing so, how well the questions communicate what they’re meant to cover, how long it takes participants to complete the survey, and whether there are any unexpected issues with the technology (such as broken links or visual glitches) can be assessed. Think of a pilot survey as a rehearsal before the final performance. It ensures that everything goes smoothly and the audience can respond as intended without confusion or errors.
Why are pilot surveys important?
Pilot surveys are crucial for several reasons. They help eliminate errors and ensure data collection methods are accurate and reliable. First and foremost, pilot surveys identify ambiguities in questions. Sometimes, even the most well-thought-out inquiry can be interpreted differently by various people. What seems clear to the survey’s creator may not be as understandable to respondents. By testing with a small group beforehand, questions that are confusing or difficult to answer can be identified, ensuring that respondents fully understand what they are being asked.
Benefit of pilot surveys
Another significant advantage is testing the survey’s logic and flow. Many surveys, particularly those with conditional logic, include questions contingent on prior answers. A pilot survey will highlight if questions follow the correct path and whether the logic works as intended. If a survey includes complex branching, the pilot run is a chance to make sure that answers lead to the appropriate follow-up questions.
Additionally, pilot surveys help gauge the timing of the survey. Completing a survey takes time; you want to ensure the process is efficient. If a pilot group takes too long to finish a survey, questions may need to be streamlined or unnecessary sections removed to make the process quicker and more engaging.
Pilot surveys also help evaluate a survey’s technical aspects, especially when using online survey tools such as SurveyPlanet. The test phase ensures the survey works seamlessly across different devices (mobile, tablet, and desktop) and browsers. This ensures that participants won’t experience any technical difficulties while completing the survey, which could lead to frustration or incomplete responses.
How to conduct a pilot survey
Now that we know why pilot surveys are important, let’s break down the steps of conducting one.
1. Define objectives
Before designing a pilot survey, it’s important to define its goals. What do you want to achieve with the pilot survey? Are you trying to test the clarity of questions or need to focus on ensuring the survey’s internal logic? Do you want to see how long it takes to complete or test for possible technical glitches? Having clear objectives will help guide designing the pilot survey and ensure the correct aspects are focused on.
For example, if a survey has multiple conditional questions, the primary objective might be to test whether the logic is functioning properly. If unsure whether questions are clear, prioritize collecting feedback about question clarity. Without clear objectives, you may waste time testing the wrong things or fail to identify key areas for improvement.
Struggling with writing clear and high-quality survey questions? Read our guide on how to write a good survey question and explore some well-written examples.
2. Select the pilot group
The pilot group should be small but representative of the target population. This doesn’t mean surveying a large group; in fact, 10 to 50 respondents may be enough for a pilot survey. The key is to ensure that it reflects the characteristics of the full survey audience. For example, if conducting a customer satisfaction survey for a retail brand, the pilot group should consist of people representative of the customer base in terms of age, gender, and purchasing habits.
Choosing the right participants for a pilot survey is essential because it ensures relevant feedback. If the target population is broad, the pilot group should mirror that diversity to some extent. A pilot group that’s too small or not diverse may not reveal critical flaws, leading to issues that could arise in a larger sample being overlooked. Similarly, if a survey is highly specialized, the pilot group should consist of individuals sharing that specific expertise or experience.
3. Develop the pilot questionnaire
The questionnaire should be as close to the final survey as possible. Ensure it includes all the questions, options, and logic that will appear in the main survey. The only difference is that the pilot survey may include a few extra questions designed specifically for testing purposes, such as:
- Was this question easy to understand?
- Did you feel like any important topics were missing?
- How long did it take you to complete the survey?
Creating a detailed and comprehensive pilot questionnaire ensures that feedback is meaningful. You don’t want pilot survey participants to just answer questions—you want them to evaluate the clarity and usability of the survey itself. An example of a pilot survey might include both regular survey questions and a few designed to probe for potential problems. These added questions provide actionable insights about how respondents interact with a survey beyond the content of the questions themselves.
Read our blog on 20 tips to create a more engaging survey.
4. Test the survey on multiple devices
If using an online platform for a survey, testing it on multiple devices is critical to ensure it works as expected across different environments. Make sure to test the survey on various devices such as desktops, smartphones, and tablets and across multiple browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. This will identify any technical glitches or layout issues that might prevent some respondents from completing the survey. It’s essential to check that all links, images, and interactive elements are working properly.
Testing on different devices also helps ensure the survey is mobile-friendly. With a growing number of respondents using mobile devices to access surveys, it’s crucial that surveys are optimized for smaller screens. A survey that looks good on a desktop might not be as user-friendly on a phone, so testing on multiple devices helps guarantee a consistent user experience for all respondents.
5. Analyze results and gather feedback
Once the pilot survey has been completed, analyze the results carefully. Look for patterns, such as:
- Drop-off rates: Are people abandoning the survey at a certain question? This may indicate confusion or lack of interest.
- Question performance: Did respondents interpret questions as intended? If not, make adjustments.
- Survey completion time: Did the survey take longer than expected? If so, it may be too long and some questions might need to be streamlined.
In addition to analyzing quantitative data, gather qualitative feedback from pilot participants. Ask them for their thoughts on question clarity, the length of the survey, and overall usability. Maybe ask participants if any question felt awkward, too complex, or irrelevant to the overall objective. Feedback from a pilot group can provide critical insights into how the survey could be improved, both in terms of design and content.
Here are some helpful blog posts on analyzing survey data:
- Mastering the art of survey analysis: A comprehensive step-by-step tutorial
- Survey data cleaning: Steps for ensuring data accuracy
- How to make a survey report: A guide to analyzing and detailing insights
- What is survey sampling: Understanding methodology and sampling techniques
6. Refine the survey
Based on insights from the pilot survey, refine the main survey. This might include adjusting questions, changing their order, fixing technical issues, or shortening the survey to improve completion rates. After making changes, consider running a second pilot survey to ensure everything is working as expected.
Sometimes, the refinement process can involve more than just tweaking. You might need to make changes to the survey flow or logic, adjust how answer choices are presented, or update instructions to make them clearer. The goal is to create a survey that is as user-friendly and efficient as possible so respondents can easily understand the questions and provide thoughtful answers.
Pilot survey example
Let’s take a look at an example of a pilot survey. Imagine a survey to evaluate customer satisfaction for a new product launch. Here’s an example of what the pilot survey might include:
- Introduction: Thank you for agreeing to participate in our customer satisfaction survey. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve our products.
- Survey Questions:
- Q1: How satisfied are you with the quality of the product? (Very satisfied / Satisfied / Neutral / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied)
- Q2: How easy was it to use the product? (Very easy / Easy / Neutral / Difficult / Very difficult)
- Q3: What feature of the product do you like most? (Open-ended)
- Q4: How likely are you to recommend the product to others? (Very likely / Likely / Neutral / Unlikely / Very unlikely)
- Q5: How long did it take you to complete this survey? (Open-ended)
- Feedback Section: Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve the product or the survey itself?
Compelling Pilot Surveys with SurveyPlanet’s Survey Maker
Pilot surveys are an essential step in the survey process. They allow the testing of a survey with a small group to identify issues early on and make adjustments to improve the accuracy and quality of results. By refining a survey based on pilot testing, the likelihood that the main survey will deliver needed insights for making data-driven decisions is increased.
Ready to create your own effective surveys? With SurveyPlanet’s easy-to-use survey maker, you can design, test, and launch surveys quickly and efficiently. Start building pilot surveys today and fine-tune questions for the most reliable data. Visit SurveyPlanet to learn more about how their platform can help streamline the survey process from start to finish.
Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash