Survey Analysis Tips
Read these 6 Survey Analysis Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Survey tips and hundreds of other topics.
Data Dilemma
What is survey research? It is the method of collecting data through a set of predetermined questions. There are a few ways to accomplish this:
- Phone surveys
- One-on-One Interviews
- Online questionnaires
- Administering surveys to a group of people
All of the above have their advantages. However, the most efficient is probably through the internet.
Conducting surveys online gives you the opportunity to reach more people. It also lets you collect data whenever you want and it's very cost effective.
Start With Statistics
When your kids get frustrated with a math assignment and ask, “When am I ever going to use this in the real world,” now you have an answer: survey analysis. Statistics are used to analyze the quantitative data that is composed from the survey response.
If you're a little rusty with statistical mathematics, this could become a nightmare. If you need to brush up on your analysis skills look on the net for online survey research help. There are plenty of sites that explain the statistical formulas that can help you with your specific survey situation.
Posters Or PowerPoint?
The survey analysis is done. The graphs are all set up. Now you're ready for the next stage: Presenting.
Preparing for your presentation is essential. Your preparation of the visuals will be a little different if the presentation is for a small group of people as opposed to a giant company conference room.
For smaller crowds, you can probably blow up the graphs and mount them on poster boards. Just remember when you are presenting place the boards where everyone can see them. Don't stand in front of them when talking.
If you are speaking in front of a larger crowd boards won't cut it. In this case you should utilize a projector with a program like PowerPoint. This software allows you to create slide show-like presentations with ease. Plus, the benefit of using a projector means you can make the visual as big as you want and display it anywhere. After the presentation, you can email your PowerPoint presentation to others.
See What The Pros Think
Creating the survey is only half the battle. You also need to do the survey analysis. You can take two routes for this:
- Analyzing the data yourself
- Letting an outside vendor handle it
If you do go with the latter make sure the survey company you choose has data analysis capabilities. Also, see how much they charge. In some cases this task is actually included in their package upfront.
Plus, check if you can also be a part of the process. This is so you can be on hand to offer clarification that could prevent extra rounds of analysis at an extra cost to you.
Collect Via Code
When dealing with survey research it's all about numbers.
- The amount of survey takers.
- The number of questions.
And the numbers can be endless. Doing the tabulations for something like this can turn into a counting catastrophe. However, this can all be greatly simplified if you do your survey online. You can receive a lot of information with a click of a mouse. Plus, you can create the survey so that the answers are coded.
This means when someone submits their survey the computer will immediately understand where the answers need to go. This eliminates the organizing grunt work and allows you to spend more time with the survey analysis.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand People
If you've ever sat through a lecture with no visual aides you know how incredibly boring it can be. After a while, all the words sound the same making it too easy to drift off into la-la land. When presenting your survey results, make sure to use visuals to keep your audience interested.
Usually a simple pie chart or graph will do the trick. It communicates numbers in a clear way.
