Back to basics – lesson three: how to create a customised online survey

Index

1. Preparing to create a customised online survey

According to Deloitte, 67% of consumers spend more when personalisation is done correctly. This makes creating a personalised online survey not just a preference, but a strategic necessity. When you learn how to create an online survey that speaks directly to your respondents, you achieve better results and higher completion rates. What’s more, surveys with six questions or fewer have higher completion rates – so personalisation needs to be efficient too.

The good news? Creating a personalised online survey isn’t as complicated as it might seem. With the right tools and some conditional logic techniques, you can easily build an experience tailored to each participant. In this third lesson of our series, we’ll show you how to create an online survey that adapts in real time to participants’ answers, creating an engaging and relevant experience.

Ready to turn your generic surveys into something truly personalised? Let’s get started!

Preparing to create a customised online survey

Before you start building your custom survey, it is essential to spend time on the preparatory phase. This phase will determine the success of your survey and the quality of the data you collect.

Define the survey’s objective

The survey’s objective is the goal you aim to achieve through the creation, distribution and analysis of the questionnaire. Ask yourself exactly what you want to achieve and why you are creating this survey. Setting a clear objective is relatively simple: you just need to ask yourself what you want to know and why.

It is important to write down the objective and keep it to hand throughout the creation process. This approach will help you formulate relevant questions, select the appropriate distribution method and stay focused without straying off course. Furthermore, well-defined objectives allow you to easily track your progress towards the final goal.

Identifying the target audience

Once you have defined your objectives, the next step is to identify who should take part in the survey. Carefully consider demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income and level of education, as well as hobbies, values, behaviours and lifestyles.

A common mistake is to assume that ‘everyone’ represents the right audience. In reality, the more specific the sample, the more useful the data collected will be. To obtain representative results, you may need at least 100–200 responses, depending on the total population you intend to study.

Choosing the right platform for creating an online survey

The choice of platform depends mainly on three key factors. First of all, consider your specific objectives: if you need to understand why users drop out during the registration process, look for platforms that offer customisable surveys with features for gathering real-time feedback.

The second aspect to consider is cost. You don’t need to spend a fortune to get excellent results. Many platforms offer flexible pricing options that allow you to start small and scale up as your needs grow.

Finally, consider ease of use. What you need is an intuitive tool that allows your team to create surveys and view results without having to consult complicated technical manuals. The simpler the tool is to use, the quicker you’ll be able to start making decisions based on the data collected.

Using the survey effectively

The logic of an online survey is at its very heart, enabling you to offer a truly personalised experience. A well-planned structure transforms a generic questionnaire into an effective and engaging data collection tool.

Creating conditional questions

Conditional questions, also known as display logic, allow you to show certain questions only when specific criteria are met. This feature creates a personalised survey experience for each respondent, dynamically adapting to the answers provided. For example, if a respondent answers ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you have children?’, only then will they be shown the next question ‘How many children do you have?’.

There are several types of conditional logic:

Display logic: shows or hides questions based on previous answers
Conditional redirects: directs respondents to specific sections of the survey
Quotas: automatically excludes respondents once certain thresholds are reached

Avoiding irrelevant questions

One of the biggest mistakes when creating an online survey is overloading the questionnaire with irrelevant questions. By using branching logic, you can ensure that participants only see the questions relevant to them, thereby reducing the bias caused by irrelevant questions.

Furthermore, it is essential to order the questions logically: start with an introduction that motivates respondents, then move from more general questions to more specific ones. Place the most important questions in the first half of the survey, when participants’ attention is at its peak.

Keep your survey short and focused

Shorter surveys yield higher response rates and lower drop-out rates. It is better to focus on a single objective rather than trying to cover several aspects at once. To ensure your survey remains effective:

Remove all non-essential questions
Keep question texts brief (ideally no more than 140 characters)
Group related questions to create a natural flow
Use section headings to provide context

Always test your survey’s logic before publishing. Visualise the flow using flowcharts and check all possible paths to ensure smooth navigation without dead ends. This methodical approach will transform your survey into an immersive experience that motivates respondents to provide accurate answers.

Customising the user experience

Personalisation is the key factor that distinguishes an effective online survey from a mediocre one. When you offer a tailored experience, engagement increases significantly and the quality of the data collected improves.

Referencing previous answers

A powerful tool for personalising surveys is the ability to reference previous answers in subsequent questions. This technique, known as ‘piping’, allows you to automatically insert information provided by the user, creating a conversational experience. For example, if you asked ‘Which device do you use most?’, you can subsequently refer to that answer: ‘How satisfied are you with your [previous answer]?’.

Using the user’s name in the survey

Including the user’s name in the questions immediately creates a personal connection. This simple technique can increase completion rates by up to 40%. You can include the name at the start (“Hello [name], what do you think about…”), in specific questions, or in the final thank-you message. However, avoid overusing this feature so as not to come across as artificial.

Segment the journey based on profile

Segmentation allows you to fully tailor the survey journey to the user’s characteristics:

Demographic segmentation: age, gender, location
Behavioural: purchasing habits, frequency of use
Psychographic: interests, values, lifestyle

Furthermore, you can create different journeys based on information you already have, such as purchase history or previous interactions.

Optimising and testing the survey

Once you have structured and customised your survey, it is essential to spend time optimising and testing it before publication. This stage determines the quality of the data you will collect.

Viewing the flow with flowcharts

Visualising the flow is essential for understanding the user experience. The Survey Flow allows you to customise the order in which respondents interact with the questionnaire elements. In addition to standard blocks, you can use branches, randomisers and other elements to create customised paths. Flowcharts provide a detailed graphical representation that helps identify potential bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

Testing flow paths before publication

Before launching your online survey, it is essential to test all possible flow paths. You can use the ‘Generate sample responses’ feature to check how the data and reports will appear. Furthermore, as up to 53% of surveys are completed on mobile devices, it is essential to use the mobile preview to check compatibility with smartphones and tablets.

Gather feedback and improve

Data shows that surveys taking longer than 12 minutes (9 minutes on mobile) start to see significant drop-off among respondents. Use a pilot group to test the questionnaire and gather feedback on the clarity of questions, technical issues and completion times. Carefully analyse the responses to identify:

Questions that everyone answers in the same way
Questions that are frequently skipped
Open-ended responses that cause confusion

Conclusion

Creating customised online surveys is undoubtedly a winning strategy for obtaining high-quality data and improving response rates. During this third lesson, you have learnt how to transform a simple questionnaire into an interactive tool tailored to each participant.

Through careful preparation, by setting clear objectives and identifying your target audience, you lay the foundations for an effective survey. The implementation of conditional logic, therefore, allows you to guide respondents through relevant pathways, eliminating unnecessary questions and keeping their attention levels high.

Personalising the user experience also creates a stronger connection with participants. Techniques such as recalling previous answers and using the user’s name can significantly increase completion rates by up to 40%.

Before publishing, remember to thoroughly test all the logic paths in your survey. This step is essential for identifying any issues and ensuring a smooth experience across all devices, given that over half of all surveys are completed on mobile devices.

By applying these personalisation techniques, you will not only collect more accurate data, but also create a positive experience for your respondents. Surveys structured in this way become meaningful conversations rather than tedious questionnaires, generating results that can truly guide your strategic decisions.