Internet
Survey Machine Version 4.0 - Reference Manual
Copyright © Marketing Masters
1991-2002 All Rights Reserved
|
Return to the Home Page
The Internet Survey Creator supports the following nine question and answer
types:
- Block Text - For Instructions - No Answer is required
- Single Choice of Multiple Answers
- Multiple Choice of Multiple Answers
- Rating Choice 1 to Interval (Definable Scale)
- Relative Impression 1 to Interval (Definable Scale)
- Ranking in Order of Importance
- Multi-field (Alpha Only, Numeric Only, or Both)
- Verbatim (Limited or Unlimited Response Length)
- Dual Scale - Comparative Selections
This type of question is designed to elicit responses which require each
answer choice to have an explicit label. The Single Choice and Multiple
Choice types are identical except that the Single Choice answer type allows
only one answer to be selected from all the possible answers defined. The
Multiple Choice answer type allows any or all answers to be selected. The
last answer for these question types can be set to "Other". This allows the
respondent to type in a verbatim answer. The Other field can be analyzed
for both frequency and content (verbatim analysis).
Example Of Single Choice Of Multiple Answers
Example Of Multiple Choice Of Multiple Answers
Rating Choice allows the respondent to select a single numeric answer
ranging from one to the interval defined for the question. Relative impression
allows the respondent to select any position between the extremes by using
a scroll bar. There are only two answer labels for these answer types.
The answer labels are considered extremes. The interval should be kept
to a minimum (ie. 5, 7 or 9). By defining a smaller interval, banner and
cross-table analysis yield better results and produce a smaller grid of
possible combinations.
Example Of Rating Choice
Example Of Relative Impression
The Ranking question type allows up to 24 items to be ranked in order
of importance. This allows the respondent to assign a discrete value to
each possible answer. The value for each answer will range from one to
the number of possible choices. Answers are selected by clicking on the
gray square in front of each of the possible answers. An answer can be
changed by clicking on it again to deselect.
Example Of Ranking In Order Of Importance
The Multi-Field question type is an extremely flexible method of obtaining
respondent input. It can be used for multiple verbatim, constant sum or
variable sum answers. Multi-Field requires setting Types and Limits for
how the question is to be answered. Types offers settings of alpha only
(letters), numeric only (numbers) or both (letters and numbers). There is
also a must = field which is used only for constant sum answers when the
type is set to numeric only. Limits allows setting the field size, minimum
and maximum values for numeric only answers. Field size controls the number
of characters that can be typed into each of the fields.
Field size can range from 1 to 62 characters while the number of fields
can range from 1 to 24. The minimum and maximum values are valid for numeric
only fields. If a Multi-Field style question is set to numeric only, then
a variety of frequency type analysis can be performed on the respondent
survey data.
A demographic type question requires a field type of both since a street
address for example usually contains both letters and numbers.
Example Of Multi-Field Demographic
To create a question asking for percent responses, Type and Limits parameters
would be set to:
- Field Type = numeric only
- Field Size = 3
- Minimum = 1
- Maximum = 100
- Must = 100
Example Of Multi-Field Percent Constant Sum
An example constant sum question might be to determine how many business
hours a week is spent on various business tasks or activities. For a 40
hour week, the Type and Limits parameters would be set to the following:
- Field Type = numeric only
- Field Size = 2
- Minimum = 0 or 1
- Maximum = 40
- Must = 40
Example Of Multi-Field Numeric Constant Sum
An example variable sum question might be to determine how many hours
a month are spent on various activities. For a 168 hour week the Type and
Limits parameters would be set to:
- Field Type = numeric only
- Field Size = 3
- Minimum = 0 or 1
- Maximum = 168 (7 days x 24 hours/day= 168 hours)
- Must = 0
Example Of Multi-Field Numeric Variable Sum
This type of question is designed to allow the respondents to enter text
as the answer in an open ended environment. Open ended verbatim questions
have a maximum length for responses in terms of the number of characters
allowed. Questions can be sized to allow the respondents to enter from 5
to 115 characters, or the interval can be set to 32767 characters providing
virtually unlimited response length.
Example Of Verbatim
The Dual Scale - Comparative Selections question type allows respondents
to select 2 choices that are usually related in some respect. This question
type is used heavily in 360 - Degree surveys for collecting information
concerning what a respondent thinks something should be vs. what he thinks
it is. Also referred to or known as GAP analysis. This is just one of the
many uses for this question type. The Dual Scale choice question type also
allows for an "Other" field for each column.
Example of Dual Scale
The Survey Analyzer offers the following analysis options:
- Frequency
- Banner
- Cross Table
- Ranking (as frequency)
- Multi-Field (as frequency or verbatim)
- Verbatim
Frequency analysis counts the number of times each answer was chosen on
a per question basis. The analysis shows counts and percents for each question
independent of how other questions within the survey were answered. When
this option is chosen, all relevant questions from the survey will appear
in the question selection list box. The frequency analysis automatically
selects all pertinent question types. The resultant analysis may then be previewed
in tabular text form or graphed.
Banner analysis determines the relationship between how a primary and
secondary question were answered. The analysis displays how the secondary
question was answered based on how the primary question was answered. Four
such relationships can be defined per analysis. That is; one primary question
with up to four secondary relationships. The primary and secondary questions
are chosen from the screen list box of all questions within the survey and
may be changed quickly and easily to view different relationships. The resultant
analysis may then be previewed in tabular text form or graphed. Banner analysis
question selection allows up to four secondary questions to be analyzed
against a primary per analysis request. Banner analysis can be performed
on Single Choice of Multiple Answers, Multiple Choice of Multiple Answers,
Rating (1 to Interval) and Relative Impression question types.
Cross Table analysis determines the relationship between how a primary,
secondary and tertiary question were answered. The tertiary question answers
are grouped based on how the secondary question was answered. The secondary
question's answers are grouped based on how the primary question was answered.
Cross Table responses are thus dependent on the preceding question's responses.
If only one question is selected the analysis behaves similar to a frequency
analysis. If only two questions are selected the analysis behaves similar
to a banner analysis. The resultant analysis may then be previewed in tabular
text form or graphed. Cross-table analysis can be performed on Single Choice
of Multiple Answers, Rating (1 to Interval) and Relative Impression question
types. The Multiple Choice of Multiple Answers question type is NOT supported
for cross-table analysis.
Ranking analysis identifies those questions within a survey that are of
the ranking type and displays them in the question selection list box.
The ranking type questions may then be chosen one at a time and subjected
to frequency analysis. The resultant analysis may then be previewed in tabular
text form or graphed.
Multi-Field analysis identifies all those questions within a survey that
are of the numeric type. If the numeric only option is set during question
definition within the Survey Creator, the questions are displayed in the
question selection list box. Before running a frequency analysis, a number
for grouping may be selected to change the ranges that answers will fall
into. For example, a question is defined to accept numbers from 0 to 100
(i.e. Percent). The analysis, by default will report each 1 percent as a
bar on a graph. If however, it is desired to group the responses into four
ranges from (1 to 25), (26 to 50), (51 to 75), and (76 to 100) then change
the number in the multi-field analysis frame (just right of question number
selected box) to 4.
Multi-field question types can also be analyzed for verbatim content.
The resultant analysis may then be previewed in tabular text form, graphed
or printed in table format.
Verbatim analysis consists of searching open-ended questions or respondent's
comments for selected words (keywords) or phrases. Questions may be subjected
to frequency analysis based on the counts of keywords and key phrases found.
The resultant frequency of keywords matched, may then be previewed in tabular
text form or graphed. Verbatim responses can be categorized by the survey
administrator and coded with a unique keyword tag or phrase. A keyword file
of the unique tags can be built and the coded responses matched (analyzed)
against it.
Survey data may be displayed and printed in either a tabular text form
showing counts and percentages or graphed.
The tabular text form below shows a Cross Table analysis of questions
35, 36 and 6 in that order. Question 35 has two possible answers, male or
female. In this case, 102 of the respondents said they were male or 51%
of those polled, and 99 were female or 49%. Question 36 asked if the respondent
was married or single. Of the 102 males, 55 were married and 47 were single
yielding 53.9% and 46.1% respectively. The third question, number 6, has
five possible answers ranging from Completely Satisfied to Very Dissatisfied.
Notice the breakdown for each answer.
EXAMPLE PREVIEW OF CROSS TABLE ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONS 35, 36 AND 6
35-1 (102) 51% Male Sex
36-1 (55) 53.9% Married Marital Status
6-1 (8) 14.5% Completely Satisfied Overall Sales
6-2 (14) 25.5% Very Satisfied
6-3 (9) 16.4% Fairly Well Satisfied
6-4 (15) 27.3% Somewhat Dissatisfied
6-5 (9) 16.4% Very Dissatisfied
36-2 (47) 46.1% Single Marital Status
6-1 (7) 14.9% Completely Satisfied Overall Sales
6-2 (10) 21.3% Very Satisfied
6-3 (10) 21.3% Fairly Well Satisfied
6-4 (8) 17.0% Somewhat Dissatisfied
6-5 (12) 25.5% Very Dissatisfied
35-2 (98) 49% Female Sex
36-1 (57) 58.2% Married Marital Status
6-1 (14) 24.6% Completely Satisfied Overall Sales
6-2 (14) 24.6% Very Satisfied
6-3 (10) 17.5% Fairly Well Satisfied
6-4 (11) 19.3 % Somewhat Dissatisfied
6-5 (8) 14.0% Very Dissatisfied
36-2 (41) 41.8% Single Marital Status
6-1 (7) 17.1% Completely Satisfied Overall Sales
6-2 (8) 19.5% Very Satisfied
6-3 (9) 22.0% Fairly Well Satisfied
6-4 (10) 24.4% Somewhat Dissatisfied
6-5 (7) 17.1% Very Dissatisfied
The following graph types and styles may be viewed on screen and then
printed in color or black and white:
Types of Graphs
. Type . . Style .
Pie 2D, 3D Percent Labels
Count Labels
Area 2D, 3D Percent Labels
Count Labels
Bar 2D Vertical and Horizontal
Vertical Stacked
Horizontal Stacked
Vertical Stacked Percent
Horizontal Stacked Percent
Bar 3D X Axis Clustered Bars
Z Axis Clustered Bars
Vertical Stacked
Horizontal Stacked
Vertical Stacked Percent
Horizontal Stacked Percent
Line 2D Lines Only
Symbols Only
Line Plus Symbol
Mean
Best Fit
Line 3D Area
T a p e
Bubble Hot Bubble
The tabular text form of analysis tables may be copied by selecting all
or a part of the textual report. This is accomplished by putting the text
selected in the clipboard. This text may then be pasted into a word processor
or other application. The analysis graphs may be sent directly to the clipboard
from the Print Graph form. They also may then be pasted into a word processor
or other application.
Question keywords are abbreviations or short summaries of questions which
are used to recognize them at a glance. For the question "How did you select
company XYZ?" the keywords might be "Select-How". Every question is required
to have an associated keyword which facilitates question recognition for
table, graph and printed reports.
Question keywords are also very useful when viewing frequency, banner
and cross table analysis. Question keywords may be up to 32 characters
in length, but because of the limited space on the graphics screen, we recommend
you keep keywords short and concise.
Skip patterns allow "jumping" to a specific question depending on how
the current question is answered. An example might be a medical survey
where a respondent is asked a different set of questions based on their
gender. Another example might be an automotive service survey where a
respondent is asked if they still own the vehicle to determine if they
should finish answering the survey. Specific answers allow skipping to
a different question if they are single choice answers. Multiple choice,
verbatim, ranking, multi-field type and dual scale questions do not allow
question skipping by specific answers. They do allow conditional skipping
based on whether or not they are answered. The Block Text question type
allows unconditional skipping to a question after being read. This is
useful as a "jump point" for a series of questions that has just been finished
and the administrator needs to branch the respondent to an entirely new
section of the survey.
Forcing an Answer to be Required Skip patterns can be
used to force a respondent to answer a question before going to the next
question. In most cases, the answer can not be validated, but it can at
least require some type of answer be given. The way to accomplish this is
to set the skip pattern so that if the question is "not answered" it skips
to itself. For example, suppose question 12 is a Yes/No question that you
would like answered. Then set a skip pattern for question 12 that defines
question 12 as the question to skip to if question 12 is not answered. Survey
Said will interpret the skip as meaning an answer is required. This is true
for all the versions of the Internet Survey Respondent (Java Applet),
as well as HTML surveys generated by Survey Said. While the HTML implementation
makes reference to "Answered Required", it does not enforce it.
Copyright © Marketing Masters 1991-2002