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-Data requirement
-Secondary data
-Primary data
-Sample Design
-sampling frame
-Representative sample
-Questionnaire Design
-Field Work Plan
-Analysis Plan
 
 
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-Simple Tabulation
-Cross Tabulation
-Any Special Analysis

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`very research study starts with some information need. Sometimes,

the information required can be collected entirely from published
sources or internal records. This is called secondary research. It is
more usual, however, that we will need to collect data from primary
sources ± customers, buyers, users, dealers or some other respondents.

The major parts of the research methodology that need designing are
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Usually, the first thing one has to decide is the method to be used for
data collection.
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It is possible to collect data from respondents by many different methods.

The major methods commonly used are ±

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Quantitative methods are generally more popular than qualitative

techniques in marketing research studies. Also, the survey technique is
more popular than other techniques.
 


There are different ways a survey can be carried out. It can be done by
telephone, by mail, or in person. In present times, it can even be done by
email using the internet. For example, 
  
 have the
advantage that questions can be explained to respondents, and facial
reactions or body language can be observed.

Telephonic surveys have the advantage of low cost. But facial reactions
cannot be observed.


 
 are quite new, but may have the same disadvantages that
telephonic surveys have. It is difficult to ensure that all target respondents
have an opportunity for selection in the sample.

For example, every potential respondent for the survey may not be using the
e-mail, or even a computer. Therefore, the e-mail survey does not represent
a true sample of the target population for many products or services. To
that extent, the results may be wrong, compared to the errors in a door-to-
door personal interview done with scientific probability sampling.
 
 

Sometimes, Observation, or `xperimentation could be the method of choice.

Observation is a technique where the consumer¶s behaviour is recorded, usually
without his knowledge.

For example, a video camera in a retail store can be used to record a customer¶s
behaviour while he/she buys a garment. Her facial reactions or eagerness or lack of
interest for specific colours, or fabric, or prices etc when a piece is displayed to her
can be recorded along with the garment.

Viewed later, this video tape can be interpreted for the purchase factors, purchase
behaviour, brand preference, price and colour preference, and matched with the
lady¶s age.

The obvious advantage of this technique is that it is actual consumer behaviour that
gets recorded, rather than their statements of purchase intention. Therefore, we get
more accurate information.
 
 

This is the third major technique in quantitative research. This involves

more control over the cause and effect, when compared to a survey.

In experiments, we try to measure the effect of one or more variables by

changing the level of some variables, and measuring the effects. For
example, if an advertisement is released, and we measured the Brand
Awareness of the advertised brand among a sample of target respondents,
we would be doing an experiment.

In the same way, a product test could be designed as an experiment, with

three different variants of the product being tested on three randomly
chosen sets of respondents from a target population. The modern method
of Simulated Test Marketing (STM) is usually a design which can be
termed an experiment.
 )   -

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A depth interview is a long, semi-structured or
unstructured discussion with one respondent at a
time, designed to find out more than a simple
structured interview can. It may be held over
multiple sessions, or at one go, but it needs a lot
more of time to analyse, than a structured
interview.
 $.

A focus group is a moderated group discussion conducted at
a neutral venue, to which 6±10 respondents of the target
population are invited, and to whom an incentive may be
given for their effort. The discussion is moderated by a
researcher and usually recorded on video for later analysis.
Several groups may be conducted as part of the same
research study in different cities or based on other
stratification variables (for example, males, females,
users/non-users, etc.). The method is very popular for
checking out new concepts, or for understanding consumer
motivations, and in general for exploratory research.


! -

1. Picture Display Method

2. Word Association Method

3. Sentence Completion Method



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In this method, a picture is to shown to a respondent and asked to

describe the brand or objects in the picture. The respondent can be
asked to guess the type of consumer who would use the product
shown.

This is essentially a technique which seeks to get indirectly at the

underlying motivations, attitudes or emotions of the respondent,
    
  

 -"/

This method of questioning overcomes some common inhibitions of

respondents such as the wish to give socially desirable responses.
 ,
  

Another variation of projective techniques is to ask respondents to associate brands

with one word - a person, a celebrity, or an animal, which they associate with the
brand. Interpretation of such association is best left to a psychologist, or a researcher
with a psychoanalytical background and experience.


Another type of projective technique is to give an incomplete sentence to the
respondent, and ask him to complete it. For example, ³People who use Brand B
coffee tend to be «««.´

This method is similar to word associations, and may result in surprising or

unexpected associations. It is equally difficult to interpret, and needs a trained hand to
do it.

Indirect methods such as projective techniques have proved themselves useful in many
classic research situations, where direct methods proved unsatisfactory
The next stage in a marketing research study, after the primary research method
has been decided upon, is the plan for

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These are probably the most important in a study involving primary research, as
the credibility and the accuracy of a study is dependent on these stages.
In general, two precautions should be taken to ensure a good sample (good
means representative).

‡.Use a probabilistic sampling technique which is not biased.

‡.Try and divide the population to be sampled into segments or strata

based on relevant parameters such as users/non-users, or classes based on
age, income, etc. Then, ensure that each segment gets represented
adequately in the final sample. This also applies to studies that are done in
multiple cities. If a study is done in twenty cities, and if analysis is
required by city (i.e. for each city separately), then the sample size for
each city must be adequate for such analysis.
 $,

 

This is clearly linked to the sampling plan. Once the sampling

centres (cities, towns, etc.) are decided on, and the sample sizes are
determined for each, the next step is to plan on the following±

‡, 
‡, 

The first question is who will do the field work for collecting data.
Field work assumes that we are collecting data from respondents
by going to the ³field´ ± that is, homes, offices, shops, dealerships,
etc.
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Questionnaire design, to be effective, should be done with the respondent in
mind.

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The first and foremost question we have to ask ourselves as a researcher is ±

What language is the respondent going to understand and respond in?

The questionnaire must be designed such that it can be used in the language
concerned. This does not necessarily mean it has to be printed in each language
in which it has to be administered.

For instance, a questionnaire printed in `nglish could be administered to the

respondent in the local language he speaks, by a trained interviewer who could
translate each question on-line. The answers can be recorded in the given
`nglish language form if the interviewer is fluent in both languages. This
makes it easier to tabulate.
ï%
Avoid marketing jargon or difficult words unless the respondent is a
postgraduate or an experienced executive. In other words, keep the language as
simple and straightforward as possible.

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Avoid unnecessary questions. The golden rule is to keep the questionnaire as
short as possible, and the ideal maximum interview time is probably about 20
minutes per interview.


  
 

`ncourage the respondent to respond.
In personal interviews, introduce the subject of the research and the agency
represented, before starting the interview.
In questionnaires which are filled by respondents themselves, there must be a
two-three line introduction and request for respondent¶s cooperation at the top
of the questionnaire.
In mailed questionnaires, a covering letter detailing the purpose of the study
and explaining what use its results will be put to, along with a return pre-
paid/stamped envelope, is likely to increase manifold the response rate.
 ï
& 
There is a tendency on the part of respondents to give wrong, but ³socially acceptable´
answers to even the most ordinary, innocuous questions. For example, the socially
desirable answer to the question ³Do you read the daily newspaper?´ is ³yes´.

There are many ways to verify the accuracy of responses and to deal with them. Some
of the techniques are ±

‡ "     

-    - 
  
  /

‡ " 
 -
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 /

For example, we could ask the respondent to state one important headline, or describe
one important story he remembers, if he states that he reads the daily newspaper.
This could be from the same day¶s or previous day¶s, newspaper.
Deliberately introducing non-existent periodicals, or advertisements, and asking the
respondent if he/she has seen them.
 
"
The questionnaire design should ensure it is easy to carry, visible in different
kinds of light, and the distance between different answer categories should be
sufficient so that there is no confusion or mistake while placing a tick over the
actual response for a given question.

"
If the questionnaire is coded before doing the field work (as most questionnaires
are these days), it must be ensured that the field staff knows where to mark the
answers ± on the code or on the actual answer choice. This should be done
during the briefing and mock interview.



0 " 

Frequently, a questionnaire contains printed instructions for the interviewer. This
includes µGo To¶ statements, such as ³If respondent is a non-user of Brand X´,
then Go To Q.5. If not, Go To Q.9.
-")
Questions in a questionnaire should appear in a sequence starting from the ice-
breaking or introductory questions, and then proceed to the main body of
questions.

Generally, the age, income, occupation, education and similar demographic

questions should appear at the end of a questionnaire, after an interviewer has
established a rapport or familiarity with the respondent. If these are asked in the
beginning, there is a high likelihood of suspicion and non-cooperation resulting in
a wasted effort in many cases. As far as possible, questions should follow a logical
sequence, and must be phrased appropriately.

&  % ")

The questions should be carefully worded to avoid bias. It is not a good practice to
ask questions such as ³Don¶t you think liberalisation is a good idea?´ You could
be better off getting an unbiased reply asking a question like ³Some people think
liberalisation is a good thing, and some think it is bad. What do you think?´
 c
One indicator that a questionnaire is monotonous for the respondent is if
he answers ³Agree´ to every question or ³Disagree´ to every question,
for four to five questions in a row.

 -

A questionnaire design is dependent on the analysis required from it.
But the most important effect of the analysis required is in the ?
 

?
that must be used.
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Marketing research uses the following four major types of scales ±Nominal,
Ordinal, Interval and Ratio.

0  

A nominal scale uses numbers as labels, with no numerical sanctity. For

example, if we want to categorise male and female respondents, we could
use a nominal scale of 1 for male and 2 for female.

We can use the nominal scale to indicate categories of any variable which is
not to be given a numerical significance. For example, demographic
variables such as religion, education level, languages spoken, and other
variables like magazines read, T.V. shows watched, user or non-user of a
brand, brands bought, etc. can be nominally scaled.
Nominally scaled variables cannot be used to perform many of the statistical
computations such as mean, standard deviation etc., because such statistics do
not have any meaning when used with nominal scale variables.

However, counting of number of responses in each category and computation

of percentages after division by the sample size is allowed. Also, nominal
scale variables can be used to do cross tabulations, one of the most popular
methods of routine analysis. The chi-squared test can be performed on a cross
tabulation of nominal scale data.

To repeat, simple tabulations (also called frequency tables) and cross

tabulations can be done with nominal scale variables.

  

Ordinal scale variables are ones which have a meaningful order to them. A typical
marketing variable is ranks given to brands by respondents.

Ranking simply denotes that 1 is higher than 2, and 2 higher than 3, but higher by
m  m is unknown. For one respondent, 1 and 2 may be close together; for
another, they could be far from each other.

The statistics which can be used with the ordinal scale are the median, various
percentiles such as the quartile, and the (Spearman) Rank Correlation. This is in
addition to the frequency tables and cross tabulations, which can also be used.

Arithmetic mean (or average) should not be used on the ordinal scale variables.
For example, the

 
 of a set of rankings does not have any meaning.
 
  

An interval scale variable can be used to compute the commonly used statistical
measures such as the average (arithmetic mean), standard deviation, and the
Pearson Correlation coefficient. Many other advanced statistical tests and
techniques also require interval-scaled or ratio-scaled data.

Most of the behavioural measurement scales used to measure attitudes of

respondents on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 or 1 to 10 can be treated as interval
scales. These types of scales, also known as p

 
?, are very commonly
used in marketing research.

If a consumer is asked for his satisfaction level with a product or service or any
other attribute related to it, on a scale of 1 to 10, it is an interval-scaled rating.
We could use it to compute the average rating given by all respondents in the
sample. Standard deviation can also be computed.

The difference between interval scale and ordinal scale variables is that the
distance between 1 and 2 is the same as the distance between 2 and 3, and 3 and
4 in an interval scale. That is, the difference between two successive numerical
measures is fixed, whereas in rank-ordered data, it is not fixed.
   

All arithmetic operations are possible on a ratio-scaled variable. These

include computation of geometric mean, harmonic mean, and all other
statistics like the average, standard deviation and Person Correlation, and
also the tests such as the µt¶ test and the µF¶ test.

In a ratio type scale, there is a unique zero or beginning point.

For example, distance is a ratio scaled variable. It has a zero which is

unique. 2 metres is to 1 metre as 2 kilometres is to 1 kilometre. Also, 4
metres to 1 metre, and 30 metres to 7.5 metres. The ratios can be measured
at any two points, and they would correctly denote the relationship.

Not many ratio-scaled variables exist in marketing. Some of them are length,
height, weight, age(in years) and income (measured in rupees, not as an
income category).
 

 1

) 


Structured questionnaires are those where the questions to be asked are

standardised, and no variation is permitted in terms of the wording of the
questions between different interviewers. Standardisation in a structured
questionnaire usually extends to the answers also. In effect, then, we can
standardise either (1) questions only, or (2) both questions and answers.



)
Structured questions improve the reliability of the study, by ensuring that
every respondent is asked the same question, word for word.

For example, the question " Do you live in Delhi?" may be construed
differently from the question " Are you a resident of Delhi?" by some
respondents, even though it appears that both questions are asking for the
same information.

A person who is normally not resident in Delhi but is living there at present
on a short visit may answer "yes" to the first question but "no" to the second
one. It is best to keep the question exactly the same (either version 1 or
version 2), when asked by different interviewers.
 

 


Structuring or standardising answers which a respondent can choose from

in a questionnaire also achieves consistency of form. Additionally, it
makes the interpretation of answers, analysis and tabulation, easier than in
the case of unstructured answers.

Unstructured answers become difficult to categorise after the study, and

different analysts may interpret them differently - so they may lend
themselves to subjective interpretations.

Subjectivity by itself is not bad, but it becomes difficult to defend it if the

sponsors(clients) of the study are quantitatively oriented. Most large scale
studies in marketing research therefore, choose the less risky, and easier to
manage, structured-answer approach.
  )

Questions which permit any answer from the respondent in his own words are
called open-ended questions. Questions which structure the possible answers
beforehand are known as closed-ended questions. `xample can be:
What do you think of the taste of Sprite brand of Coco-Cola?´

Another example of an open-ended question is " What do you like about Surf
Ultra detergent?"____________________________________

The respondent can say whatever he wants to, in response to this question.

On the other hand, a closed-ended question which elicits similar information

could be "What do you like about Surf detergent?"
‡.Its cleaning power
‡.Its Price
‡.Its fragrance
‡.That it dissolves easily
‡.Its stain-removing ability
‡.Any other, (please specify)____________________________________
Here, options "a" to "e" are pre-determined, but "f" provides for anything else
the respondent wants to add.
 ï"2
1")

Sometimes questions that are disguised (rather than direct) can elicit more accurate
replies. For example, we may ask a person if he/she is a good parent. This is a direct
question.

Or, we may ask for the respondent's opinion on the deficiencies they have observed in
how others bring up their children- say, their neighbours, relatives or friends. This is
an indirect question, and a qualified analyst can interpret the answers to gauge how
good a parent the respondent might be, from the responses given.

The problem with the direct question in this case is that most people will not admit to
being a bad parent. But they may come out freely with other people's deficiencies,
some of which could reflect their own shortcomings.

There are other reasons why disguised questions are sometimes needed. It is often
found that respondents are biased when they know who is the sponsor of the study. To
get true, unbiased opinions regarding attitudes towards brands, researchers sometimes
do not let on the name of the sponsor.
To summarise, market researchers usually ask structured, undisguised questions in
a typical study done on a large sample. Most studies also tend to be of the
"quantitative" type, where numbers (frequencies), percentages, averages or similar
summary statistics are computed. These types of analyses are easier to do with
structured formats for answers.

`ven if a study is primarily based on structured responses, a couple of open-ended

questions may still be included in it if they are the best suited for the task on hand.
One such category of questions is called "Probing" questions in marketing research
terminology. These are used as a follow up after a structured response question. An
example of this use of open-ended question following a structured question is

.Which brand of mosquito mats do you use?

‡Good Knight
‡Mortein
‡Jet

Why do you use this particular brand?_________________________

In this question, the second part is open-ended, while the first part is closed-ended.
 ï -

These are those which ask the respondent to choose between two given
alternatives.

The most common example of this is the yes or no type of questions ³Are
you a user of Brand X toilet soap?´ Yes or No are the alternatives given.

A third choice is sometimes added to dichotomous questions such as ³Do

you like Brand X of potato chips?´ The choices given are ³Yes´, ³no´,
and ³neither like nor dislike´.
 c -

These are extensions of dichotomous questions, except that the alternatives

listed number more than two. A common example is as follows ±

Please tick against the factors which made you buy this brand of car :
‡  


‡.
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+
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‡      

‡   
3   /

In the above question, more than one category can be chosen. In some
multiple choice questions, only one category is to be chosen. For example,
look at the question below-

Please specify your age group-

/& 45
/46785
/8679:
/  9:
Only one of the above is to be chosen. It must be clear to the respondent and
the interviewer whether only one choice is allowed, or more than one are
allowed for a multiple choice question.
 "
 " à This is a question of the type, µPlease rate the following
detergent brands on a scale of 1 to 7 in their ability to clean clothes¶. (1: very effective,
2: Ineffective)

Brand A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Brand B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Brand X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

This is an example of rating. Ranking would have looked as follows :

Please rank (1=Best, 2=next best, etc.) the following detergent brands on their ability
to clean clothes.

Brand A -----
Brand B -----
Brand X -----





A special type of question is the paired comparison.

This requires the respondent to choose between pairs of choices at a time. For
example, there could be six brands of colour TVs, Brands A, B, C, D, `, F. A
respondent may be asked to do a paired comparison to say which Brand is better,
but for only two Brands at a time.

He is given a table or a card with two brands written on it, and has to choose the
better brand, each time. This process has to repeat for as many pairs as exist in
the given set of objects or brands.

Some special techniques such as Multidimensional Scaling need data from paired
comparisons.
  ï
 

Another scale commonly used by marketing researchers is called the

semantic differential. This type of question is similar to the rating scale.
The only additional
feature is that a set of two adjectives forms the two extreme points of the
scale. For example, a product is

   1 ;7777777777777777777777; ï  1

 ;7777777777777777777777; 
     ;7777777777777777777777; 0     
 ;77777;77777;77777;77777; 

There may be several intermediate points between the two extreme values
of the scale. These could be coded 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 or whatever the number
of points is. A commonly used 5 point scale is from Completely Agree to
Completely Disagree.

There may be questions based on other scales which are standard or

specially constructed. Some scales like the Likert Scale or Thurston Scale
are named after people who invented them.
 ±    )

The researcher must decide on the scale and type of question

based on the following factors.

‡/
 0
‡/ 
 

‡/   
‡/ 

 
‡/     
‡/




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We will now illustrate by developing a complete questionnaire for a given set of
information needs.

`
   

  à A soft drink concentrate manufacturer (such as
Rasna¶s manufacturer, for example) wants to know the following :

Demographic profile of users versus non-users of soft drink concentrates.

" 

‡the preference for liquid concentrate versus powder.
‡preference for powder with sugar added, versus powder with no added sugar.
‡occasions of use by self
‡whether served to guests
‡rating on convenience, taste, price and availability
‡brand preferred among soft drink concentrates.

" 7

‡Reasons for not using soft drink concentrate
‡Substitute product usage, if any, and reasons for using or consuming them
Let us attempt to develop a questionnaire for the above information needs. A
possible questionnaire is shown in the next slide ±
 ) 

ï



Q. No. _______
Date ----------
Centre _______

Dear Sir / Madam,

We are doing a brief survey to find out more about consumer preferences
regarding soft drink concentrate. We would be grateful if you could spare a
few minutes to participate in it. Thank you for your cooperation.

‡.Do you use soft drink concentrate to make your own soft drinks at home ?
Yes ë No ë

If yes, continue with Q.2. If No, Go To Q.9.

‡.Do you use liquid or powdered concentrate ? (Tick only one)

Liquid ë
Powder ë
*) 
3/+

‡.Which type of concentrate do you prefer out of the following ?

Concentrate with sugar added
Concentrate without sugar added

‡.What are the occasions when you use soft drink concentrate to make soft drinks
?
(Tick only one)
Regularly, all year round
Regularly, only in summer
Occasionally, all year round
Occasionally, only in summer

‡.Do you serve it to guests ?

Yes No Depends on the guest

‡.Which brand do you use ?

Rasna Brand X Brand Y
*) 
3/+

.Please rate the brand you use on the following attributes, on a scale
of 1 to 7 (7=Very Good, 1=Very poor).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Availability |-------|------|------|------|-------|-------|
Taste |-------|------|------|------|-------|-------|

Convenience |-------|------|------|------|-------|-------|
Price |-------|------|------|------|-------|-------|

.Any other comments on the brand you use ?

_______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
After Q. 8,
Go To Demographics Q.11.
 *) 
3/+

`

‡.Do you consume any of the following regularly ? (You may tick more than one)

Yes No
Fruit Juice ë ë
Squash ë ë
Bottled Soft Drinks ë ë
Tea ë ë
Coffee ë ë
Nimbu Pani ë ë
Buttermilk ë ë

.What are the reasons for not using soft drink concentrate ? (You may tick more
than one)
Does Not Taste Good ë
`xpensive ë
Chemical Additives ë
Does not Contain Natural Fruit Juice ë
Not Available `asily ë
 *) 
3/+
ï`

Please let us know a little more about yourself.

‡Your age group

Less than 25 ë
26 ± 40 ë
41 ± 50 ë
Over 50 ë

‡Your monthly household income

Less than 5000 Rupees/Month ë
5001 to 10,000 Rupees/Month ë
10,001 to 15,000 Rupees/Month ë
Over 15,000 Rupees/Month ë

‡Address :
_________________________________________________
__________________
Critically examine the questionnaire above to suggest improvements in any of
the questions or the scales or the choices given in the multiple choice
questions.

Some hints for discussing the merits and demerits of the above questionnaire ±

‡.Are the income and age categories adequate for analysis of the data?
(Questions 11 and 12)
‡.Is the 7 point scale used in Question 7 easy to understand? Is it appropriate?
Adequate?
‡.Should there be an open-ended question number 8? Why?
‡.Have we left out anything? Such as who decides on the brand to buy (for
users)? Who decides to buy/use substitutes (for non-users)?
‡.Should we also ask which family members drink the soft drink (for users)
made from concentrate?
‡.Should we ask the convenience and price questions separately (Question 7)
and differently? What exactly do we want to know from respondents
regarding price? Are we getting the answer?
 ï7&

)

Inexperienced questionnaire designers have a tendency to combine

two questions into a single question, such as ±

Are you happy with the price and quality of Brand Y ?

Yes ë No ë

This is not a good question to ask, because the answer will be

ambiguous, whether it is yes or no. It would not be clear whether
the respondent has said yes for price alone, quality alone, or for
both. The same problem exists for a µno¶ answer.

It is better to rephrase the question and provide for different answer

categories for each attribute, or ask two separate questions, one for
price and one about quality.
. ) 
  &  ) 


In general, a questionnaire is good if it measures what it set out to

measure (ie., it is VALID) and does it in an efficient manner.

Usually, a questionnaire goes through various stages before it is used in

the field.
— Listing of information needs
— Conversion into questions with suitable scales of measurement
— Sequencing of questions into a logical order
— Trying it out in a pre-test on a handful of respondents in a
convenience sample or a field sample
— Modifications in the wording, scale or sequence as a result of the
pre-test, and then
— Preparation of the final draft for the actual study

are the usual steps involved. Most faults in a questionnaire would be

ironed out in this process if followed meticulously.
 &  $
 ' 

Problems in a typical study stem from a lack of sufficient thought

given to the analysis required in advance.

The solution for this is to prepare blank output formats for each
question on the questionnaire, before doing the field work.

In many cases, the value of the research increases manifold by

slightly modifying the scale or wording of the questions asked.
Remember, it is cheaper to modify the questionnaire in advance than
think about what could have been done after the study is over.
   2  ) 


  is the property by which consistent results are achieved when we repeat
the measurement of something.

A questionnaire used on a similar population which produces similar results can be

termed as reliable.

Consistency of form and manner of asking questions (their exact wording, the amount
of structuring, etc.) generally ensures reliability. Proper training given to interviewers
in a study also improves reliability, by reducing variation in the way they ask
questions and record answers.

2  is the property by which a questionnaire measures what it is supposed to

measure.

If we want to measure attitudes towards brands of washing machines in terms of

service and product features, then that is what the critical questions in the
questionnaire should measure.

The validity of questions on a questionnaire can be checked by comparing it with

previously used items (questions) measuring the same thing, and also trying out
different questions to find out which one seems to measure what we intended to
measure.
 


Questionnaire design is an art, but there are certain common sense rules that
can help, as we have discussed throughout this chapter.

Scales to be used should be decided on by the researcher in consultation with

the study sponsor, keeping in mind the kind of output formats or tables required
for decision-making.

Validity and reliability issues are of particular importance if the subject of the
study is new or the researcher is inexperienced.

Practice with designing questionnaires is the best way to perfect the art.

Please do test the questionnaire on a small sample, and modify it if necessary,

before going full steam ahead.