AI is shaking things up in the world of market research, and it’s promising to revolutionize how surveys are created, executed, and interpreted. There are many cutting-edge ways AI is already being integrated into survey design. But as with anything, using AI has both potential benefits and challenges.
Here are some ways researchers can use AI to level up survey questions and what new developments are leading to more insightful data.
The current state of AI in survey design
Using AI to create surveys reflects a larger trend in AI integration. Around 65% of organizations are using AI tools in some capacity. For researchers, AI tools are currently helping collect and clean up a lot of data faster, and are streamlining everyday tasks. Even though it’s not completely integrated, the use of AI tools in market research will continue to grow as organizations need to keep up with consumer trends.
Frank Kelly, Market Research Practice Lead at Virtual Incentives, says that while it’s not a major player in research today, that’s about to change dramatically.
“It’s going to be used more and more to help design the surveys in the first place,” Frank explains.
Researchers are leaning on AI tools more than ever to research, develop, and design innovative surveys. Also, the ability to synthesize data is allowing researchers to spend less time analyzing huge datasets and more time creating data-driven marketing strategies.
How AI is helping design surveys
AI can close the gaps in survey design through creative solutions. These improve data quality and pave the way for more insightful and interesting surveys. So, researchers have the opportunity to implement a few practical applications of AI in survey questions.
Improving questions and answer choices
Some surveys can have confusing questions, leading to skewed results. Could designing surveys using AI help prevent that? Frank points out that there are already tools in the market that help with survey design, which have emerged in just the last few years.
These AI-powered tools can suggest better wording for questions, offer optimal answer choices, and even predict potential issues with survey flow – all based on vast amounts of data from previous successful surveys.
Optimizing survey flow and length
AI could analyze surveys in real time and adjust based on previous answers. This could lead to a more logical survey flow and reduce respondent fatigue. It could also flag potential issues as they happen, improving data quality.
For instance, it could identify inconsistent responses or detect when a respondent might rush through the survey without reading questions carefully.
Creating a mobile-friendly design
With two-thirds of surveys completed on mobile devices, AI could optimize the layout and design for smaller screens. AI could automatically adjust question formats, image sizes, and the number of questions per page to ensure a smooth mobile experience.
How AI is enhancing survey experiences
The integration of AI into survey experiences is opening up new possibilities. This shift towards intelligent, interactive surveys can reduce respondent fatigue and boost completion rates in many ways.
Asking dynamic probing questions
Frank highlights a game-changing development: “The probing capabilities that have been introduced in the last year or two are really catching on in a big way.”
For example, FlexMR introduced PromptAI, a feature that allows researchers to generate dynamic probing questions in response to answers.
So when taking a survey, instead of just moving on to the next question, the AI asks follow-up questions. This approach encourages respondents to think more deeply about their answers, potentially leading to more insightful data. For example, if a respondent gives a particularly positive or negative rating, the AI might ask what made them feel that way.
This dynamic interaction could lead to richer, more nuanced responses that traditional static surveys might miss.
Making personalized surveys
AI could adapt the survey experience to different types of respondents, potentially leading to more relevant and engaging surveys.
This might involve adjusting language complexity, providing more or fewer examples, or selecting question topics based on the respondent’s known interests or behaviors.
Real-time analysis and adjustment
Beyond just collecting data, AI could provide real-time analysis, identifying trends and insights as the data comes in. This could allow researchers to make quick decisions about adding or modifying questions to explore emerging themes.
How AI is addressing common survey challenges
AI is emerging as a strong partner in addressing common challenges that can impact data quality and respondent engagement.
Maintaining respondent attention
Frank points out a common problem: After about 15 minutes, people lose attention and the response quality declines. To help capture shorter attention spans, AI can keep surveys brief and accurate.
It can keep questions simple, avoid getting too technical, and use different question formats like multiple choice to keep respondents engaged.
Survey modularization
AI could help break up long surveys. As Frank suggests, “Survey modularization or chunking it up into pieces is is an underutilized approach that should be used more often.”
Imagine a scenario where instead of one long 30-minute survey, respondents could complete three 10-minute modules over a week. AI could manage this process, ensuring that each respondent gets the right mix of questions while maintaining the overall sample balance.
This approach could lead to higher-quality data and happier respondents.
Efficient screening and qualification
One of the biggest pain points in surveys is the dreaded late screen-out. It’s a familiar drill – answering many questions only to be told the participant doesn’t qualify.
AI could help by putting those important qualifying questions up front, saving everyone time and frustration. Also, AI could potentially use existing data to pre-qualify respondents, reducing the need for extensive screening questions.
Read More: Here are some fun ways to encourage survey participation
The balance of AI and human expertise
Now, some might think all of this will make human survey designers obsolete. Not so fast. While AI is changing the game, it’s not about replacing humans – it’s about augmenting what they do.
Human insight, creativity, and understanding of nuanced business questions will always be crucial. AI is a powerful tool, but it needs human direction to be effective.
Challenges and ethical considerations
There are some potential downsides, mainly around privacy and data use. The industry needs to be careful about how AI is implemented in surveys, ensuring that it’s used ethically and responsibly.
There’s also the risk of overreliance on AI, which could lead to a loss of the human touch that can be crucial in understanding complex human behaviors and attitudes.
Let’s not forget about the respondents themselves. As AI is applied in survey design, it’s crucial to still create experiences that feel human and relatable.
The goal should be to use AI to enhance the human elements of surveys, not replace them entirely.
The future of AI in survey design
All of this is just scratching the surface of what’s possible. The survey industry is at a pivotal point, with AI driving significant changes.
As natural language processing and machine learning continue to advance, we might see surveys that can engage in full conversations with respondents, adapting not just to their answers but to their tone, sentiment, and even non-verbal cues.
Ultimately, it’s up to the industry to use this technology wisely. There needs to be a balance between leveraging AI’s capabilities and maintaining the human touch that makes for great research.
The future of surveys isn’t just about technology – it’s also about using that technology to ask smarter questions and gain deeper insights into human behavior and opinions.
As the field moves forward into this brave new world of AI-assisted survey design, the focus should remain on the prize: creating engaging, insightful, and valuable surveys for everyone involved.
With AI in the mix, surveys might become so good that people look forward to taking them.