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After talking with a bunch of user researchers, we realised that a lot of the research process is stupidly clunky. User researchers often run a survey with open

After talking with a bunch of user researchers, we realised that a lot of the research process is stupidly clunky. User researchers often run a survey with open ended questions, manually group responses into themes and then turn that into a normal multiple-choice survey based on what gets said most. Overall it can take a full week of work and is pretty frustrating. How our tool makes this process better: - By analysing user votes we surface the most important topics/opinions, not just the topic with the most submissions. - You get qualitative input alongside quantitative analysis, making product prioritisation way easier. - By letting users submit new opinions you can discover new insights you never considered before. We're in the process of setting up a freemium subscription model. Right now it's free to create your first survey [1] and we've got a sample survey going too if you want to just play around with it from a participant perspective [2] (it asks for your email but feel free to put anything in, it doesn't verify it). [1] https://app.opinionx.co/sign-up https://app.opinionx.co/sign-up [2] http://app.opinionx.co/5fc62b9f9891c20db5dc2d14 http://app.opinionx.co/5fc62b9f9891c20db5dc2d14

AlexTWithBeard 6y ago
My problem with the most surveys is vague questions. Do you like meeting new people? Well, it depends on circumstances, situation and what kind of people these are. Do I always learn something new? Nope. No way any human being can be always learning. So why even ask such a question?
- danielkyne 6y ago
  This is frustratingly common with traditional surveys. In our conversations with user researchers we found that researchers often know what they want to ask, but they end up breaking it up into loads of different (often vague) questions in order to retrofit their research objective into survey format. Because you're less limited in scope with an open-survey like OpinionX, you're able to much more directly set the direction and question of a survey. At the end of the day, it's up to the researcher to write the best question possible, but we feel that OpinionX gives more breathing room and allows them to ask more directly if needed.
- SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
  I think it makes sense if you see the vague questions as proxies for cultural markers. There's a type of person who says "Yeah, I learn something new every time I meet someone! People are all so interesting and unique!". What the survey really wants to know is whether you're that type of person.
  - mannykannot 6y ago
    > "Yeah, I learn something new every time I meet someone! People are all so interesting and unique!". If you want to know if people feel that way, would it not be better to ask about that issue directly, such as by asking how much they agree with the above sentiment? It might not be a very reliable way to find out, but I am skeptical that asking "do you always learn something new?" is a better way. There's also something circular about the idea that "there's a type of person who...", if those types are coming from the surveyor's interpretation of the replies to the questions they asked, especially if the questions themselves were framed on the assumption that there's a type of person who...
    - AlexTWithBeard 6y ago
      Yup. Ask me if I like meeting new people and I'll say yes. Ask me if I like meeting new people in a gym, when all I want is to break some sweat, have a shower and go home and I'll say no. Go figure.
- smoyer 6y ago
  This is often combined with multiple choice answers that are completely unambiguous. My favorite is that in this scenario, there's never a "Other" box and you're not allowed to leave the question blank. I figure the researchers deserve what they ask for so I try to pick the most ridiculous answer from those provided. What is your favorite color? [ ] 1. Seafoam [ ] 2. Taupe [ ] 3. Periwinkle [X] 4. African Swallow (if only they'd offered "Blue, no Green!")

AlexTWithBeard 6y ago

My problem with the most surveys is vague questions. Do you like meeting new people? Well, it depends on circumstances, situation and what kind of people these are. Do I always learn something new? Nope. No way any human being can be always learning. So why even ask such a question?

danielkyne 6y ago
This is frustratingly common with traditional surveys. In our conversations with user researchers we found that researchers often know what they want to ask, but they end up breaking it up into loads of different (often vague) questions in order to retrofit their research objective into survey format. Because you're less limited in scope with an open-survey like OpinionX, you're able to much more directly set the direction and question of a survey. At the end of the day, it's up to the researcher to write the best question possible, but we feel that OpinionX gives more breathing room and allows them to ask more directly if needed.
SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
I think it makes sense if you see the vague questions as proxies for cultural markers. There's a type of person who says "Yeah, I learn something new every time I meet someone! People are all so interesting and unique!". What the survey really wants to know is whether you're that type of person.
- mannykannot 6y ago
  > "Yeah, I learn something new every time I meet someone! People are all so interesting and unique!". If you want to know if people feel that way, would it not be better to ask about that issue directly, such as by asking how much they agree with the above sentiment? It might not be a very reliable way to find out, but I am skeptical that asking "do you always learn something new?" is a better way. There's also something circular about the idea that "there's a type of person who...", if those types are coming from the surveyor's interpretation of the replies to the questions they asked, especially if the questions themselves were framed on the assumption that there's a type of person who...
  - AlexTWithBeard 6y ago
    Yup. Ask me if I like meeting new people and I'll say yes. Ask me if I like meeting new people in a gym, when all I want is to break some sweat, have a shower and go home and I'll say no. Go figure.
smoyer 6y ago
This is often combined with multiple choice answers that are completely unambiguous. My favorite is that in this scenario, there's never a "Other" box and you're not allowed to leave the question blank. I figure the researchers deserve what they ask for so I try to pick the most ridiculous answer from those provided. What is your favorite color? [ ] 1. Seafoam [ ] 2. Taupe [ ] 3. Periwinkle [X] 4. African Swallow (if only they'd offered "Blue, no Green!")