The Complete Guide to Writing Questionnaires: How to Get Better Information for Better Decisions

“Successful research is as much about how we frame the questions as it is about how we interpret the answers. This methodologically sound yet pragmatic guide to questionnaire design fills a critical void for business professionals who understand the need to get things right at both ends of the survey. It restores the ‘art of the ask’ to its proper place in the hunt for critical customer insight.”
--Susan Schwartz McDonald, Ph.D., President and CEO, National Analysts Worldwide

“An extremely helpful guide for anyone faced with the challenge of conceptualizing, developing, and testing a survey questionnaire. If you don’t know where to begin, or the steps involved, Harris illuminates the path.”
--Gordon Willis, Ph.D., author of Cognitive Interviewing: A Tool For Improving Questionnaire Design

“You are crazy to write a questionnaire without reading this book first. And who knew a book about gathering data could be so much fun to read? You’ll buy it for the practical value of getting questionnaires right, but along the way you’ll absorb a lot of fascinating lessons about psychology and logical thinking.”
--Dan Heath, co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive

“Developing a good questionnaire is not as simple as is often assumed. There are many ways in which answers to questions can be biased or confused by naive investigators. Harris has provided a comprehensive treatment of the many practical issues that arise and need to be kept in mind when preparing questions for a wide range of uses. This book is clearly based on a great deal of personal experience, as well as informed by the work of others who have studied the complexities of the question-answer process—whatever one’s goals.”
--Howard Schuman, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Research Scientist, Emeritus, at the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center

“This book provides an accessible and thorough narrative into the world of questionnaire design. Practitioners, teachers, and researchers in a wide variety of fields will find it indispensable for their survey work.”
--Michelle Janning, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Whitman College

“This is an outstanding and much-needed resource for anyone who needs to gather information or make decisions based on data—in other words, nearly everyone.” --Tracy Carlson, author of What Great Brands Know

David F. Harris is a leader in the field of questionnaire design and qualitative research. He received his B.A. from Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. in Quantitative Psychology from the prestigious L. L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is committed to supporting better decision-making for organizations of all kinds through the application of sound and thoughtful research.