Computer-assisted web interviewing

There are several reasons why someone would utilize online questionnaires as their preferred testing method. A few of the advantages and disadvantages of this method have been summarized below: Advantages • The administrator has greater flexibility in displaying questions. Questions can be displayed with: • This method is also cheaper to administer, as there are no costs associated with purchasing paper or other materials for printing. Postage costs are also mitigated. • Since data is collected into a central database, the time for analysis is subsequently reduced. • It is easier to correct errors on an online questionnaire, since the administrator does not have to reprint all the questionnaires for distribution. • Studies indicate that the demographic that responds to online questionnaire invitations are generally biased to younger people. ==Questionnaire design==

An online questionnaire needs to be carefully thought through before it is launched. There are several important paradigms that should be considered when creating an online questionnaire. Online questionnaire format • The questionnaire should begin with a short introduction that informs the subject why the questionnaire is being conducted. • Questions for questionnaire should be created in the most appropriate type of format that facilitates understanding. • A brief “thank you” note should be included at the end of the questionnaire. The respondent is required to click inside of the text box to get the cursor inside the box. Once the cursor is blinking inside of the box, the answer of the question can be typed in. • Make the size of the text box according to the desired and required amount of information from the respondent. • Provide concise and clear input instructions. Rating scales The respondent must select one value from a scale of possible options; for example, poor, fair, good, or excellent. Rating scales allow the person conducting the survey to measure and compare sets of variables. • If using rating scales, be consistent throughout the survey. Use the same number of points on the scale and make sure meanings of high and low stay consistent throughout the survey. • Use an odd number in the rating scale to make data analysis easier. Switching the rating scales around will confuse survey takers, which will lead to untrustworthy responses. • Limit the number of items in ranking or rating scale questions to fewer than ten. These questions can become difficult to read after ten options. Longer rating or ranking questions can also cause display issues in some environments. ==Online questionnaires==

Responses Response rates are frequently quite low and there is a danger that they will continue to drop due to over-surveying of web-users. Jon Krosnick argues that the following three factors determine the successfulness of the questionnaire and the likelihood of achieving decent levels of response. • Respondent ability • Respondent motivation • Task difficulty/questionnaire design Bosnjak and Tuten argue that there are at least seven ways in which online surveys are responded to. They establish the following typology • Complete responders are those respondents who view all questions and answer all questions. • Unit nonresponders are those individuals who do not participate in the survey. There are two possible variations to the unit nonresponder. Such an individual could be technically hindered from participation, or he or she may purposefully withdraw after the welcome screen is displayed, but prior to viewing any questions. • Answering Drop-Outs consist of individuals who provide answers to those questions displayed, but quit prior to completing the survey. • Lurkers view all of the questions in the survey, but do not answer any of the questions. • Lurking drop-outs represent a combination of 3 and 4. Such a participant views some of the questions without answering, but also quits the survey prior to reaching the end. • Item non-responders view the entire questionnaire, but only answer some of the questions. • Item non-responding drop-outs represent a mixture of 3 and 6. Individuals displaying this response behavior view some of the questions, answer some but not all of the questions viewed, and also quit prior to the end of the survey. Administration Once the questionnaire is designed, it must be administered to the appropriate sample population for data collection. The questionnaire may need to be administered in a secluded environment to protect sensitive information provided by the participant. Security measures in the software may also need to be added in these cases. In contrast, online questionnaires may also be very informal and relaxed and can be conducted in the comfort of someone’s home. Quality Questionnaire quality can be measured through the value of the data obtained and participant satisfaction. To maintain a high quality questionnaire length, conciseness and question sequence should be considered. First, questionnaires should only be as long as they need to be. Conciseness can be achieved through removing redundant and irrelevant questions, which can add frustration to the participant, but not value to the research. Finally, placing questions in a logical sequence also gives the participants a better mental map as they are filling out the questionnaire. Moving randomly between subjects and having answers in a non-intuitive sequence can confuse the participant. Ethics Ethical issues should be considered when gathering data from a target audience. Below are common things one should keep in mind when considering the rights and interests of the participant. • Participants should not be obliged to answer any of the questions. • Incentives to take a survey should be used sparingly. • Questionnaires should have the option to be anonymous. • Confidentiality must be imposed on certain questionnaires. Identification may be required on questionnaires that need follow up. Although, in this case the administrator may choose to use identifying numbers rather than names. In this case, the participant of the questionnaire should completely understand what the number is used for and why it is there. • Questions should have the option of “I don’t know” or an option that denotes neutrality so the participant feels he/she has the opportunity to plead ignorance or neutrality so that inaccurate data is not provided. • Questions should not trick the participant. They should be worded clearly; the participant should feel comfortable and know exactly what he or she is responding to. • Participant in most cases should know why the questionnaire is taking place and what the information will be used for. • In some cases, the questionnaire should be reviewed by an ethics committee or outside party. This is particularly important if the questionnaire involves giving sensitive information or the topic is one which may make some participants uncomfortable. ==See also==