User Experience Survey Questions: How You Can Learn From the People Who Matter Most

Without a large team or unlimited resources, you may feel a million miles away from your competitors. But you don’t need those luxuries to stick in the minds of consumers. To gain their support, you need to deliver what they want in the simplest way possible and quickly.

If you can’t provide this, they know another business can. In fact, a whopping 88% of customers won’t return to a site with a bad user experience (UX). You could be waving goodbye to revenue, customer loyalty, and opportunities without even realizing it. 

Well, it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s a treasure trove of knowledge to be found in UX survey questions. The trick is knowing how to ask the right ones. Here’s everything you need to know so you can uncover the most valuable insights and act on them afterwards. 

What is user experience?

Let’s go back to basics briefly. User experience (UX) refers to the interaction between a person and your product or service. In other words, how they feel during and after using it. Various factors will determine whether your company is perceived positively or negatively. 

The criteria usually look a little something like this.

• Was it easy to access?
• Was it convenient to use?
• Did it load quickly?
• Was it pleasing to the eye?
• Was everything easy to find?
• Did it demonstrate good and practical functionality?

When a user answers “yes” to all of the above questions, it means you are meeting their needs and addressing their pain points. Doing so will boost customer satisfaction, encourage advocacy, and build your positive reputation, which is essential to success. 

Shall we see it in action? Let’s look at Mural, a collaborative intelligence company with excellent UX. The brand acts as a real-time interactive whiteboard where employees and teams can share ideas with each other. As such, it needs to be professional, creative, and, most importantly, easy for a wide range of people to use. 

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So, what stands out? The call-to-action, “Start a whiteboard”, is attractive, bold, and easy to locate. The image shows users exactly how the platform operates. Finally, the text is clear and explains what Mural’s purpose is. The page is an inviting mix of minimalism and color. If you had a scroll, you’d find videos and “how-to” sections. Two thumbs up from us. 

1. What types of questions are there?

So, you need to find the right questions. But there are considerations to be made first. Ask yourself things like: how much control do you need? How much detail do you require? Who are you targeting with your questions, and do they have any requirements to consider? Doing this ensures you get actionable insights when you gather feedback. 

To help you get started, here are some of the ways you can pose your queries. 

• Close-ended questions: the participants are given predetermined answers to choose from. This can be used to steer your data in the right direction. 
• Open-ended questions: a format where the respondents can write a fuller answer. You’ll be able to see how complete their knowledge is of a situation, service, or product. 
• Multiple-choice questions: a form of close-ended where you offer participants a variety of answers to pick from. They can choose more than one to give a clearer overview of their opinion. 
• A/B testing: although not technically a question, it is a user experience research methodology that involves showing a user two versions of the same asset to determine which performs better. This could easily be incorporated into a survey.
• Follow-up questions: here, you’ll ask for further explanation or expansion from previous answers given. Doing this gives you clarity and can clear up any misunderstandings. 
• Rating survey questions: provide a rating system. For example, 1-10 or sad-face to happy-face makes it easier for the participant and simplifies the data to compare. 

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2. What questions should you ask?

Now you know what’s out there. But phrasing them is another challenge entirely. One wrong move and the respondent could feel frustrated, confused, or too bored to complete the survey. Incomplete or rushed results are no good, so bare this in mind as you design. 

The best practice is to group your questions by topic or purpose. This way, users won’t have to think back, and you won’t interrupt their flow of thoughts. The ones below are just suggestions and may not fit with your brand voice, but check them out for inspiration. 

General feedback

More general questions will help form the basis of your user feedback. These questions will paint a picture of how well your UX is doing right off the bat. It’ll also help users find their groove if you ease them in at the beginning. Consider these examples at the start. 

• By looking at the website or app, did you know what the product/service was for?
• Could you rate the user-friendliness of the product/service on a scale from 1-10 (1 being poor usability and 10 being great usability)?
• Were installations and downloads easy or complicated to complete?
• If you purchased/subscribed to our company, what was the main reason for this?

User experience research

As a business, you’re wanting to grow and be better every day. Sometimes you can be too close to the product and service to notice any obvious gaps. One effective way of finding them is by asking your existing customers what they think is missing. Here’s how to do it. 

• What is one thing you wish this product/service could do that it can’t right now? 
• Would you stop using the product/service if we removed a particular feature?
• If you could imagine one collaboration or partnership, who would it be with?
• Can you name a product/service you prefer to use for this task or purpose?

User experience design 

Here’s where unfamiliar customers can get involved. These questions can be answered by any member of your target audience, regardless of how familiar they are with your brand. All you have to do is show them your desired asset. Below are examples of what to ask. 

• Do you have a favorite or least favorite feature you’d like to share with us?
• Would you consider the color palette to be appropriate for this brand’s purpose?
• Could you rate the overall aesthetics of this product/service on a scale of poor, neutral, good, or very good? 
• Did you feel overwhelmed by the layout, or was it simple to navigate?

User behavior

The key is getting as much detail as possible. On the surface, it might seem like your company is killing the UX game. But to make sure, doing some in-depth user research will show you the external factors affecting your performance. Here’s how you could do it. 

• On a scale of 1-10 (1 being definitely not and 10 being absolutely), how likely would you be to continue your subscription/purchase again?
• Have you told any of your friends/colleagues about this product/service?
• Did you feel the pricing of the product/service matched the overall functions?
• How often would you say you use this product/service? Daily, weekly, monthly?

Customer support

Let’s say there’s a new feature users don’t understand. Or they open up your product for the first time and are left clueless when they try to use it. What you do next affects their whole experience. Having solid customer support is crucial if you want to have the best UX. Let’s look at some of the questions you could ask to test the quality of this service. 

• Have you ever needed to contact our customer support about this product/service?
• In your own words, was our team able to come to the resolution you needed?
• Did you feel you received support quickly, or did it take longer than you wanted?
• Are you happy to interact with chatbots or virtual assistants?

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3. Have you considered our best practices?

Of course, you’ll want to put your own spin on your survey. You may have a different question in mind that reflects a unique part of your business. Or you could have specific metrics you want to measure. If this is the case, then you can use the tips below to ensure you’re getting the most out of your customer feedback. 

1. Avoid leading questions. To get the most out of your data, you need to feel confident that the users have answered as genuinely and honestly as possible. Avoid “Does our website have a fast loading time?” Consider “Would you say you were pleased or disappointed with the loading time of our website?”
2. Don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t make assumptions that your respondents will understand industry jargon or complicated language. Make it as easy for them as possible by using rating scales, simple language, and short surveys where you can.
3. Personalize your survey. It’s always good practice to make your surveys sound authentic to your brand, tone, and values. Try using your color palette, including your logo somewhere on the page, or providing some company context in your questions. The less generic the document sounds, the higher the response rate. 
4. Collect a variety of data. Quantitative data alone may leave you wondering why a customer came to a conclusion. But qualitative data isn’t always easy to compare. Make sure you make the most of both, so there are no gaps in your knowledge. 
5. Don’t be overly professional. We’re sure you’ve completed a never-ending, long, and dull survey before. Remember those feelings of frustration, anger, and wasted time? Let’s not replicate them in your version. Instead, conduct UX with a conversational tone to compliment your questions. 
6. Be transparent. Tell respondents how long the survey is going to take. Before they begin, add a disclaimer saying something like, “This survey will take an average of 7 minutes.” Also, remember to tell them what their data will be used for. 94% of consumers prefer brands that practice transparency, so get into the habit now. 

4. Should you utilize survey tools?

Some people will choose to design their online surveys on platforms like Excel or Google Forms. However, on these, you will have to do a lot of the work yourself. Other applications on the internet are designed to make your surveys well-formatted, engaging, and easy to create. Some will even have automation features you can utilize. 

Each one is a little different, so here are our top picks for survey software you should know about and why we think they’re so notable. 

TypeForm 

The design of this survey platform is refreshing. The dynamic text and striking visuals are sure to get you the information you require because they will catch the eyes of your users. Break the norms of customer and market research and stand out against your competitors. 

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Here’s what we like. 

• Endless feedback survey templates to choose from that suit every need and goal. 
• Custom URLs can be created, which users will be redirected to after completion. 
• Downloadable data to use in meetings and reports. 
• Customizable close screen, “Thank You” screen, and ability to add your own logo. 

Mailchimp

This one is a bit more specific because it is a marketing automation and email marketing tool. It can be integrated with your email or Mailchimp CRM so you can easily reach the right people. Build a survey in a matter of minutes without any technical skills required. 

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Let’s look at some of the advantages of using this platform. 

• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools take automation to the next level. 
• There are pricing options, but they offer a free plan for those on a tighter budget. 
• Over 100 distinctive and industry-specific email and landing page templates.
• Integrations with other creative platforms such as Adobe Photoshop and Canva.

SurveyMonkey

This industry leader knows how to help you produce a sophisticated questionnaire. The self-proclaimed “World’s most popular free online survey tool” gives you access to expertise, features, and experience you won’t necessarily get from other platforms. 

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So, why did we choose this one?

• Templates designed to speak to your target audience. 
• Connect with users through email, website, or social media. 
• Pre-written questions designed to get you the insights you need. 
• Score your surveys to predict their success rate and make improvements. 

5. Do you know what your next steps are?

Maybe you’ve gotten results you weren’t hoping for. Don’t beat yourself up about it, it happens to the best of us. Now is the exciting time when you get to turn your performance around and watch your success rate soar! Let’s look at your next steps and solutions. 

Check out Walkable

If the usability of your asset is falling short it could have a huge effect on the overall customer experience. You need to find a way of making the journey more seamless to encourage a consumer to find value so they engage, purchase, and come back for more.

We carefully crafted our product Walkable for this very purpose. With the capability to embed video walkthroughs, you’ll have educated users in no time. You’ll be able to explain complicated processes in an inviting, stimulating, and appealing way. 85% of marketers in 2023 credit video as an effective way to get attention online, so that’s an added bonus. 

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These videos can be used to explain recent product development or onboarding for your service. It’s available on mobile, desktop, and in-app, so you can meet your customers wherever they are. This is crucial, considering 75% of users desire a consistent experience regardless of what device they are currently using. That’s not a statistic to be ignored. 

UXPressia

The survey results might’ve shown you that your target audience isn’t interacting with your product or service like you intended them to. There could be several reasons for this, and your questions should make it easier to find out what went wrong down the line. 

Then comes the hard part. You have to find out how to resonate with your desired customers, understand what it is they want, and learn to speak their language. These are incredibly daunting, but important tasks considering customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies that aren’t. So, why not let the experts handle it?

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UXPressia is an example we’re fond of. The customer experience mapping platform can do it all. It’s a user persona creator, an identifier of customer pain points, and a generator of customer journey maps. You’ll feel closer to your audience than ever, which will ensure the changes you make to your UX will be tailored, well-thought-through, and worthwhile. 

Measure with your net promoter score (NPS)

So, you’ve done your UX survey, and your performance couldn’t be better. But the perceptions of your customers could change in a blink of an eye. You need to be ready to deal with any fallout. You need to establish some sort of benchmark to measure over time. 

We’d recommend seeking out a net promoter score, also known as an NPS. This is a market research metric to uncover the overall sentiment of your brand. All you have to do is monitor the responses to a single survey question you’ve probably been asked a bunch of times yourself: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” 

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How you get your score is up to you. The most common method is by conducting an NPS survey. However, here are some other ways you could try:

• Website pop-ups 
• Email marketing 
• Social media monitoring
• Focus groups 
• Online review platforms
• Incorporate into your landing page
• Interviews with existing customers

We know this sounds time-consuming. But it’s all worth it, we promise. A steady ongoing approach means you won’t act on a delay. You’ll be able to identify trends in satisfaction and use customer feedback as a guide for future decisions and growth opportunities. 

No more guesswork

Customers are never going to look forward to filling out your survey. It’s a fact of life. That’s why it’s so important to ask the right questions and consider everything we’ve discussed above. Value their time, listen to what they have to say, and be rewarded with rich data. 

You can find further examples of questions on the tools we mentioned earlier. But you could also ask your community which ones work best for them, check out the many online examples to find out what you like, and simply ask customers what resonates with them.