Designing High-Quality Surveys for HCI Research

Survey research is widely used in human-computer interaction (HCI) to measure users’ attitudes and collect product feedback. At a glance, survey research seems straightforward: it’s easy to write questions, and there are many inexpensive tools to field surveys. However, there is a wide gap between quick-and-dirty surveys and surveys that are properly planned, constructed, and analyzed. This interactive full-day tutorial explains all stages of the survey research life cycle, and examines approaches for surveys to meet specific HCI goals.

 

The tutorial is divided into two parts: During the first half, we discuss the use of surveys in HCI research, and review survey fundamentals (including survey types and examples, a short history of survey research, survey appropriateness in the context of HCI, an overview of the survey life cycle, research goals & constructs, and population & sampling). In the second half, we will examine elements of high quality questionnaire design, including when to use various question types, questionnaire biases and question types to be avoided, considerations for cross-cultural surveys, visual design guidelines, as well as the remainder of the survey life cycle (including testing and optimizing your survey, implementation considerations for online surveys, maximizing response rates, data analysis fundamentals). Interactive exercises and numerous examples are used throughout to engage the audience with the material and to make it immediately applicable to their work.

 

The content of this tutorial is relevant to individuals from academia, industry, and government with a common desire to further their knowledge of survey research and its uses in HCI. The audience may include user experience researchers, designers, and developers, as well as product managers, and analysts, among others. The tutorial targets both those wanting a foundation to start using surveys and other feedback-gathering methods, as well as those looking to refine their existing survey research efforts. Attendees will gain an appreciation for the breadth and depth of surveys in HCI, combined with keys to conducting valid, reliable, and impactful survey research for their own purposes.