Write a Survey With High Completion Rates

Design a survey for the following research objective:

Research objective: [what decision will this survey inform?]
Target respondents: [who will take this survey?]
Distribution method: [email / in-app / SMS / social media / panel]
Completion time target: [e.g. under 3 minutes / 5 minutes]
Incentive: [yes — what? / no]

Survey design:

1. Opening statement (2–3 sentences): purpose, anonymity, time required
2. Screening question (if needed): to qualify respondents
3. Question bank (15–20 questions max, remove anything you don't need):
   - Demographic questions: only what's essential for segmentation
   - Likert scale questions: use consistent scale throughout
   - Multiple choice questions: exhaustive options + "other"
   - Ranking questions: no more than 5 items to rank
   - Open-ended questions: maximum 2, placed near the end
4. Question order: from general to specific, from easy to hard
5. Closing: thank you, what happens with results, contact for questions

Avoid: double-barreled questions, leading questions, and survey fatigue (cut anything you won't actually act on).