Surveys that work: the book and extras

My book on surveys is now available: Surveys that work: A practical guide for designing better surveys.

You can order it from any online retailer but I would be grateful if you choose to buy directly from my publisher, Rosenfeld Media.

The book has a seven-step process

The book takes you through a seven-step process for a survey starting with Goals and ending with Reports.

If you’d like to get a flavour of it, try: Surveys That Work: An excerpt from Chapter 1.

This website has a selection of other free extras: things that I couldn’t fit into the book, slides you can use for your own presentations, and other types of supporting material.

Get a discount or sample copy

If you are an event or book club organiser, an academic who would like a sample copy, or willing to commit to writing a review of the book, then Rosenfeld Media would like to hear from you. (Tip: they’re usually really good about this).

Read a few of the reviews

The book about surveys everyone should read…I bought this book after it’s been recommended. I absolutely loved it. Whether you’re just starting out with surveys, want solid fundamentals or are a seasoned professional – this is THE book! It’s practical, easy to follow and fun to read. The visuals and examples help a lot. Caroline has put her expertise and dozens years of experience in a minefield of knowledge. Thank you! Katharina Webhofer

Essential handbook for running reliable surveys…I’ve been a user researcher for over a decade, and in that time written hundreds of surveys. I’ve never found a book as good as Surveys That Work for explaining a reliable, repeatable process for creating robust surveys. Steve B.

Relevant, quick and easy to use…I am no expert of designing surveys and do not want to be. So when I had to conduct a survey for another purpose this book provided me with what I wanted, immediately. I went from ‘fool’ status to ‘competent’ in less than a day. Exactly what I needed at the time. Graham Curtis

The book I always send colleagues to read first…In user research we often get asked by designers, product managers and engineers to help with ‘getting a survey out’, and, because we all receive and answer surveys ourselves, the form and shape of the questions seems familiar, and therefore obvious. This is the resource I direct people towards: it helps you clarify your intentions, sharpen your language, question the purpose and value of the data you’re trying to gather, and pick the right structure. When people are in a hurry – they are always in a hurry – I insist they read chapter 3, and edit their survey in the light of that before going ahead. It always makes things better. Martin S.

A great investment for anyone without a quant reserach background…My favourite parts of the book… are the little extras in there. Caroline provides a solid critique of some established gold standards – NPS, statistical significance, even Likert scales. And I love the checklists and acceptance criteria, along with the pragmatic guides for survey improvement (sized for every time-budget). These really reduce the book down to its most actionable essence, and turn it from a book I’ve learned loads from into a reference book I’ll refer back to regularly. Odd