{"id":2760,"date":"2016-03-25T02:12:08","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T06:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=2760"},"modified":"2024-08-23T08:02:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T12:02:30","slug":"using-a-matrix-grid-in-your-surveys-to-elicit-better-responses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/using-a-matrix-grid-in-your-surveys-to-elicit-better-responses\/","title":{"rendered":"Using a Matrix Grid in Your Surveys to Elicit Better Responses"},"content":{"rendered":"

One hallmark of outstanding customer service is the speed at which a business responds. If you have thought of Sogolytics purely as a data-gathering tool for trend analysis, it may not have occurred to you to use the software as a tool to improve the relationship with your customers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Most people who are new to designing surveys start out by using only a few question-types: drop-down lists; radio buttons; open-ended text boxes; and perhaps a rating or ranking scale. In many cases, those really are all you need for a simple survey.<\/p>\n

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However, other question types have a lot of advantages, too. Among the most powerful is the matrix grid<\/i>. New survey designers sometimes aren\u2019t sure how to use these, or why they should bother.<\/p>\n

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This question type is worth learning about if you need to ask several related questions with the same response sets. With a matrix grid, you present the participant with a series of items (usually in rows), sharing a common set of response options (usually in columns), asking one or more questions about each item. Because matrix grids group questions logically, they can clue-in respondents that you\u2019re asking them to share opinions from a similar mindset. They also have advantages for you, as survey designer and data analyst.<\/p>\n

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The basics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re soliciting feedback after a company event, such as a sales conference that had a dozen break-out sessions. You could<\/i> ask a series of similar questions where only the session name varies:<\/p>\n

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\"Matrix<\/a><\/p>\n

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In this case, the respondent has to pay attention to both the topic of the question (\u201coh, right, that<\/i> breakout session!\u201d) and what you\u2019re asking her to rate (its value). And she has to pay close attention to every question, since you might ask for different feedback on each session (e.g. \u201cwas the session too long, too short\u2026?\u201d).<\/p>\n

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Even in its simplest form, a matrix grid is easier to understand, since it\u2019s obvious to the respondent that the same scale applies to all the items listed.<\/p>\n

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\"Matrix<\/a><\/p>\n

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The matrix grid shrinks the survey visually, particularly once you get past three or four items. Anything that prevents a respondent from saying, \u201cEnough, already! I\u2019m tired of answering so many questions!\u201d is helpful.<\/p>\n

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Note: Don\u2019t use that power as an excuse to list 30 items. When you do so, otherwise-thoughtful respondents stop paying attention to each item, and they choose one answer for the whole long list. (\u201cSatisfied, satisfied, satisfied\u2026\u201d) Try to limit the number of items in a feedback survey<\/a> to five to ten items.<\/p>\n

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A matrix grid also saves you time in question construction, which is a nice extra. You supply the list-of-items and the list-of-answers just once, rather than investing time in copy-and-paste.<\/p>\n

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In addition, a matrix grid gives you additional control over survey flow. For instance, you can instruct Sogolytics to rotate or randomize the order in which the items are presented. This way, people don\u2019t \u201cvote\u201d for the first three candidates they see on a list \u2013 or if they do<\/i> do so, at least you know everyone is seeing a different set of people presented at the top of the list.<\/p>\n

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\"Matrix<\/a><\/p>\n

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Exploring the power of matrix grids<\/b><\/p>\n

The most common way to use a matrix grid is to apply rating or ranking scales to each of several (usually related) items, such as, \u201cHow important are each of these hotel amenities?\u201d<\/p>\n

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But a matrix grid can use any of these question types:<\/p>\n