One question at a time: The best strategy for a survey

Displaying one question at a time is the fastest and easiest way to conduct a survey. This method improves the user experience, which increases the likelihood that a respondent will continue until they reach the end of the survey.

Most people use their phones to access the internet. No one wants to see a long list of questions on a small screen. If a respondent starts to feel survey fatigue setting in, there’s a good chance they will abandon the survey before finishing it.

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Differences between one question surveys and one question at a time surveys

• One question surveys: These surveys consist of just one standalone question. They are extremely brief, efficient, and intended for immediate, quick responses. Ideal for net promoter scores® (NPS), customer satisfaction ratings, or quick pulse-check questions.
• One question at a time surveys: In contrast, these surveys can contain multiple questions, but each question appears individually on its own page. This layout helps maintain respondent focus, improves the overall user experience, and reduces survey fatigue, although it may extend total survey completion time due to loading multiple pages.

How one question at a time works

When you design a survey using the one question at a time strategy, you present respondents with a single question on the screen. As soon as the user answers the question, the survey shows the next question.

This eliminates the need to scroll down to view the next question. Instead, the respondent’s focus remains on one question until they move on to the next question.

When to use one question at a time surveys

One question at a time surveys are particularly effective in specific scenarios across various industries. Here are some use cases:

• Customer feedback in e-commerce: When collecting customer satisfaction data immediately after a purchase, presenting one question at a time reduces distractions and increases response rates.
• Healthcare patient intake forms: One question at a time is ideal for patient intake forms as it enhances focus, accuracy, and patient experience, reducing errors in sensitive information.
• Event registration: Simplifying registration processes for conferences or workshops with single-question displays makes completion easier and quicker.
• Educational quizzes and exams: Presenting questions one at a time helps students concentrate, thereby improving performance and minimizing anxiety.
• Market research surveys: Businesses gathering extensive consumer insights benefit from single-question displays that increase data quality and response completion rates.

When would you not want to use one question at a time surveys?

While one question at a time surveys offer numerous advantages, they aren’t always suitable. Situations when you might avoid this method include:

• Long surveys with complex relationships: Surveys requiring respondents to refer back to previous answers frequently can create frustration with constant back-and-forth navigation.
• Technical constraints: Each question loading separately can cause delays due to page load times, increasing the risk of user drop-off, especially with poor internet connectivity.
• Comparative or matrix questions: Surveys involving comparative judgments or matrix-style questions, where respondents need to assess multiple items simultaneously, are better suited to displaying multiple questions on a single page.

Bottlenecks of one question at a time surveys:

• Increased time per question due to loading each page separately.
• Higher potential for user frustration if respondents prefer quicker navigation.
• Technical issues such as page load delays may negatively affect the survey experience.

Benefits of one question at a time

Why should you design a survey with one question at a time instead of using a long list of survey questions on the same page? This survey format

• Reduces survey fatigue. A long list of survey questions can overwhelm some people, causing them not to finish the survey.
• Eliminates bias. When you list all of the questions together, the phrasing of one question could bias a person’s response to other questions.
• Improves the survey experience. Simplifying surveys by using one question at a time improves the overall experience for each user. Many people find the format easier to navigate.
• Increases survey conversions. Improving the efficiency of online surveys boosts survey conversions. Survey completion rates are as much as 36 percent higher when you present the questions one at a time compared to completion rates for traditional surveys.
• Gathers more data. A higher survey completion rate translates into gathering more data for your organization. The information you get from survey responses can help improve payments, lead generation, registration rates, and more.
• Collects partial survey results. Even if a person doesn’t complete the survey, you still receive their responses to the questions they did answer. If all questions are shown on the same page, and the respondent drops out halfway through the survey, you won’t capture any data.
• Enhances your brand. Any time a customer interacts with your brand, they form an opinion about the company. A well-developed survey can improve perceptions of your brand.
• Expands access. Good survey design creates a user-friendly experience across all devices. Customers can access the questions on a phone, tablet, or computer.
• Integrates gamification features. Since many people often use screens for entertainment, it’s important that your customers have fun. Motivate customers through gamification by using a progress bar and micro animations that guide users through the questions.
• Leverages extra features. Using one question per page gives you the option to leverage unique survey features such as randomization, skip logic, and answer piping.

While there’s a variety of benefits to the one question at a time method, there’s also a potential drawback. Moving through multiple pages in the survey could increase the risk of technical issues because of page load time and connectivity. The easiest way to avoid these problems is to use a reputable, proven tool — like Jotform.

How to design a survey using one question at a time

If your survey is short, you might consider putting the questions on a single page. On the other hand, a lot of questions can result in too many pages if you only show one question per page. The one question at a time survey method works best for surveys that are short or medium in length.

Creating a user-friendly survey is easy with Jotform. It’s important to ask your customers for feedback using a system that’s easy and fun, and Jotform Cards meets that qualification as well. There’s also a variety of designs and styles to match your design and branding.

Use Jotform Cards to create your survey using a template. Or, if you want to upgrade existing online forms, you can convert them to Jotform Cards.

Net Promoter®, NPS®, NPS Prism®, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter ScoreSM and Net Promoter SystemSM are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.