We help organizations design web surveys and online research projects. We can help you get more out of your online research.

It’s difficult to design quality web surveys

In today’s competitive online environment, users are overwhelmed by the number of online surveys. You only have a few chances to hear from your target audiences, and you need to design web surveys that are engaging, while running recruitment campaigns that reach your target audiences.

However, designing effective online studies is difficult. For instance, many organizations do not understand how simple design choices can bias results, frustrate respondents, and lower completion rates.

Additionally, lack of research expertise can result in methodological missteps that cause problems during analysis, and limit your ability to gain the most out of your data collection efforts.

Our support will help you:

• Save time and avoid missteps – Save time by working with a doctoral level researcher who has conducted online surveys for over a decade, and who can help your organization avoid expensive mistakes. You’ll receive high quality research expertise without diverting your staff away from their primary responsibilities.
• Conduct reliable research – Draw on online survey methods used in the social sciences and use pre-validated survey instruments to ensure high quality research.
• Minimize bias – Make design decisions that increase research validity, minimize bias, and detect potentially bogus responses.
• Engage more respondents – Run motivating engagement campaigns that maximize response rates, giving you the numbers you need for quality research.
• Maximize completion rates – Design enjoyable surveys with higher completion rates, so more of the people who start, will finish.
• Focus on what matters – Draw on pre-validated survey instruments to gain more insight, with fewer questions and better results.
• Gain more options for follow-up analysis – Design surveys that provide more options for post-study analysis, so you can ask questions of the data not previously considered.
• Design mixed-mode survey tools – Web surveys are not suitable for many populations. To reach diverse groups, you’ll benefit from mixed-mode research tools, designed to integrate web survey data with a variety of other survey instruments.

How we’ll work with you

Depending on your needs, we can help your staff with their web surveys or perform the entire study. If you would like us to support your staff, we’ll start with initial consultations. Then, depending on your needs, we’ll provide consulting and support, as required, during any stage of the research process.

If you prefer to outsource the process to AlterSpark, we’ll work with your staff to design and launch the study. Then, once the study concludes, we’ll perform the analysis, discuss findings, and deliver the final report to you. On delivery, we’ll meet with you to discuss the outcomes, interpretation, and implications.

Our research expertise

AlterSpark’s web survey expertise draws on the experience of Dr. Brian Cugelman and our partnership with a world leading research group who specialize in social science-based Internet research. For over a decade, Brian has designed online surveys for global institutions such as the United Nations Millennium Campaign, United Nations Volunteers/UNDP, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, the global White Band Campaign, and Oxfam GB.

“Oxfam set out to ‘raise the bar’ in the complex field of advocacy evaluation through commissioning a comprehensive, evidence-based, independent assessment of its climate change campaign. We were fortunate to find an evaluation team capable of providing this, and we welcome their rigorous ‘mixed methods’ approach and the impressive scale of the data gathering.”
- Oxfam GB senior management

Our web survey for Oxfam GB received roughly a 50% response rate, and for those who started the survey, 95% completed it.