Does Mobile Friendliness Affect Survey Responses?

Just because people are taking your company’s survey doesn’t mean you can call it a success. Numbers don’t matter unless they’re the right ones. To ensure that results are truly relevant, companies must attract those respondents whose opinions most closely represent their preferred target market. It’s not an easy task. If just anyone could do it, they would. Being able to find the right segment of people at the right time with the right survey is what keeps market researchers employed. And one of the key points they know is that the way respondents can participate in a survey directly impacts their willingness to take it. Options, especially mobile ones, can often the mean difference in relevant feedback and the wrong feedback, or even no feedback at all.

Knowing the importance of a survey’s platform means researchers, and the companies who hire them, must think long and hard about providing multiple ways for people to respond to a survey. According to data compiled in Engage, a handbook detailing 101 best practices for online surveys and published by Global Research Business Network (GRBN), “the Internet was accessed by mobile devices 70% of the time in 2016” with “30% of potential participants [in North America…] looking to participate in a survey via a mobile device.” It’s even higher in other countries. To get to those respondents, companies must ensure that they offer mobile survey options. But just offering them isn’t enough; companies must make certain they are user-friendly. Otherwise, who would take them?

Here are some of the best ways to improve mobile friendliness and increase survey responses as referenced by GRBN:

Keep Things Clean

Clutter causes anxiety and distraction. Keep mobile surveys free of needless graphics and text. Because mobile devices have smaller screens, it’s important that available space is used in the most valuable way.

Consider Question Types

Typing on a mobile device is difficult. Consider limiting open-ended questions that require a lot of text. Choose easier ways for respondents to select and record information. Trade drop-down menus for steppers, sliders or radio groups when feasible. The less steps it takes for a respondent to reply are less chances he will abandon a survey.

Make It Readable

As with all surveys, mobile surveys should only be as long and as wordy as necessary. But unlike other survey platforms, mobile surveys also require a close inspection of font size to insure that respondents aren’t scrolling for days on end to read anything.

Learn More

The mobile survey is a mainstay of the market research world. And the experience a user has when taking one often dictates the quality of information gleaned. Our team at Communications for Research (CFR) understands when to use mobile surveys and how to create them. Contact us to see how we can help you use them to your advantage.

You may also download our FREE eBook, "The Insider’s Guide to Successfully Using Market Research Online Surveys", for additional information: