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 As we attempt to tackle drivers of consumer or B2B product or service decisions, a common quantitative survey technique is to rate several key "factors" or "attributes" on an importance scale. Many an argument has ensued on the topic of what constitutes the best scale. You have your advocates of the classic 10-pointer, then there are those who insist on scales that utilize a mid-
point such as 5, 7 and 9-point scales. And, for those who want a more balanced scale that is likely to "spread out" responses, you have your piece de resistance: the one, the only, 11-point (0 to 10) scale. Sad to say, consistently overshadowed in this debate is a much greater question in my opinion. That is, for which factors should we solicit an importance rating?
Reliance On Personal Experience
Quite often, factors for importance scales are limited to the personal experience of the individual drafting the questionnaire, with a certain amount of logic and conjecture thrown in for good measure. If I were assigned the task of writing a survey question to identify, for example, what is important to people in the decision of which pool table to buy, I might quickly think of such elements as cost, and manufacturer and distributor reputations. Warranties and service would probably also enter the mix. Maybe a variety of styles and sizes to choose from might also be of importance.
Suppose that I did, in fact, execute my pool table survey incorporating ratings of importance for each factor mentioned. We then collect, tabulate and analyze the data. When all is said and done, we determine that the most important factor was cost. After all, it had the highest mean average, right? Well, that depends. I have confidence that it was the highest rated of those we tested, but the most important of all factors? I guess that is a function of how much homework was really done and whether I was able to capture all significant factors.
Conducting Qualitative Research
To avoid this problem, one highly recommended approach is to conduct some qualitative work (focus groups or one-on-one interviews), delving into the topic of what is important when buying a pool table. Even if this effort were informal among friends and acquaintances, it has the potential to enable you to think beyond your own experience. Another approach is to include an open-ended question about what is important when buying a pool table prior to the rating of the contrived factors during a pre-test of the survey. Early monitoring of these responses would allow for the late introduction of a missed factor or two.
Asking the Respondent Which Attribute is Most Important
Another issue relating to the determination of importance factors is the concern that everything you ask could be highly important and ultimately register little differentiation when comparing your results. Imagine if you were to ask the equivalent of the importance of water, air and food. Wouldn't they all be tens on a ten-point scale? How about what is important when going to the teller window in a bank? Short lines? Friendliness? Fast transactions? Aren't these all important? There could be nothing more disappointing than to go to the expense of asking these questions, looking for some differentiation, only to find that there was no effective means of distinguishing one factor from another. At Q & A, we believe the best solution is to ask which of all those receiving the highest ratings is most important overall to avoid just such a problem.
Conclusion
Choosing which factors or attributes to measure in a survey is no small task. You first need to be sure that you have the complete set of factors. This may require some element of qualitative research. Next, consider asking which attribute is most important overall. Following these simple steps in the next questionnaire you design should put you on the path toward getting the most out of your research dollar.
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