Week 2 Lab: Designing a Survey

Week 2 Lab: Designing a Survey

Last week you took A Real, Magical Survey as a participant. This week we flip the role: you’ll learn how to design effective, ethical, and insightful surveys of your own.

If you haven't had a chance to complete the survey from last week and be entered to win a Jangled Jester candle, you can do so until September 30, 2026: A Real, Magical Survey

Watch

Survey Design by the Cognitive Psychologist

 

Learn

Core Principles of Survey Design

  • Quantitative: Numerical, easy to analyze (ratings, multiple choice, ages, yes/no).
  • Qualitative: Open-ended, richer insights (opinions, explanations).
  • Self-report: Most common; relies on participants describing their own thoughts/behaviors (can be biased).
  • Observational: Researcher records behavior instead of asking directly.

Formats

  • Online / Email: Easy distribution, good for anonymous responses, higher reach.
  • Phone: Higher response quality but more expensive and time-intensive.
  • In-person / Paper: Best for complex questions or specific populations.
  • Mobile / App: Quick and convenient, but watch for small-screen issues.

 

Experimental vs Non-Experimental Design

Surveys can be either non-experimental or experimental. Non-experimental surveys simply measure existing opinions, attitudes, or behaviors as they naturally occur. In contrast, experimental surveys test cause-and-effect relationships by deliberately manipulating variables. For example, showing different versions of the same question to different groups to study the framing effect.

 

BRUSO Technique for Good Questions

B brief

R relevant

U unambiguous

S specific

O objective

Use the BRUSO framework to craft strong survey questions. Good questions are Brief (short and to the point), Relevant (directly tied to your research goals), Unambiguous (clear with no room for confusion), Specific (focused on one idea at a time), and Objective (neutral and free from leading language).

Ethical Foundations

Ethical survey design begins with informed consent: clearly stating the purpose of the survey, how long it will take, and exactly how the data will be used. Researchers must also decide between anonymity and confidentiality, determining whether responses can be traced back to individual participants. Above all, surveys should do no harm by offering opt-outs for sensitive questions. These practices are grounded in the core principles of the Belmont Report with respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

 

Lab Practice

Instructions

  1. Choose Your Topic: Pick any subject that interests you (it can relate to philosophy, culture, politics, personal habits, art & creativity, technology, or anything else).

  2. Define Your Goal: In 1–2 sentences, write what you want to learn from this survey.

  3. Design Your Survey: Create a short survey (6–10 questions) that includes:
    • A clear introduction with informed consent language
    • A mix of question types (multiple choice, rating scales, and at least one open-ended)
    • Consideration of format (online/email, phone, etc.)
    • Questions that follow the BRUSO criteria (Brief, Relevant, Unambiguous, Specific, Objective)
    • Awareness of the framing effect
    • Optional vs required questions (use required sparingly)

  4. Ethics Check: Review your survey for anonymity/confidentiality, opt-outs, and potential harm.

  5. Reflection: After drafting your survey, answer these questions:
    • What is the biggest challenge you faced while designing it?
    • Which principle from this week (BRUSO, framing, ethics, etc.) was most useful?
    • If you were to run this survey, what format would you use and why?

Bonus: Test your survey on 1–2 people and note what worked well or needed improvement.

Back to blog