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Open-ended vs. closed questions in user research.

January 26, 2024 2024-01-26

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When conducting user research, asking questions helps you uncover insights. However, how you ask questions impacts what and how much you can discover .

In This Article:

Open-ended vs. closed questions, why asking open-ended questions is important, how to ask open-ended questions.

There are two types of questions we can use in research studies: open-ended and closed.

  Open-ended questions allow participants to give a free-form text answer. Closed questions (or closed-ended questions) restrict participants to one of a limited set of possible answers.

Open-ended questions encourage exploration of a topic; a participant can choose what to share and in how much detail. Participants are encouraged to give a reasoned response rather than a one-word answer or a short phrase.

Examples of open-ended questions include:

• Walk me through a typical day.
• Tell me about the last time you used the website.
• What are you thinking?
• How did you feel about using the website to do this task?

Note that the first two open-ended questions are commands but act as questions. These are common questions asked in user interviews to get participants to share stories. Questions 3 and 4 are common questions that a usability-test facilitator may ask during and after a user attempts a task, respectively.

Closed questions have a short and limited response. Examples of closed questions include:

• What’s your job title?
• Have you used the website before?
• Approximately, how many times have you used the website?
• When was the last time you used the website?

Strictly speaking, questions 3 and 4 would only be considered “closed” if they were accompanied by answer options, such as (a) never, (b) once, (c) two times or more. This is because the number of times and days could be infinite. That being said, in UX, we treat questions like these as closed questions.

In the dialog between a facilitator and a user below, closed questions provide a short, clarifying response, while open-ended questions result in the user describing an experience.

Using Closed Questions in Surveys

Closed questions are heavily utilized in surveys because the responses can be analyzed statistically (and surveys are usually a quantitative exercise). When used in surveys, they often take the form of multiple-choice questions or rating-scale items , rather than open-text questions. This way, the respondent has the answer options provided, and researchers can easily quantify how popular certain responses are. That being said, some closed questions could be answered through an open-text field to provide a better experience for the respondent. Consider the following closed questions:

• In which industry do you work?
• What is your gender?

Both questions could be presented as multiple-choice questions in a survey. However, the respondent might find it more comfortable to share their industry and gender in a free-text field if they feel the survey does not provide an option that directly aligns with their situation or if there are too many options to review.

Another reason closed questions are used in surveys is that they are much easier to answer than open-ended ones. A survey with many open-ended questions will usually have a lower completion rate than one with more closed questions.

Using Closed Questions in Interviews and Usability Tests

Closed questions are used occasionally in interviews and usability tests to get clarification and extra details. They are often used when asking followup questions. For example, a facilitator might ask:

• Has this happened to you before?
• When was the last time this happened?
• Was this a different time than the time you mentioned previously?

Closed questions help facilitators gather important details. However, they should be used sparingly in qualitative research as they can limit what you can learn.

The greatest benefit of open-ended questions is that they allow you to find more than you anticipate. You don’t know what you don’t know.   People may share motivations you didn’t expect and mention behaviors and concerns you knew nothing about. When you ask people to explain things, they often reveal surprising mental models , problem-solving strategies, hopes, and fears.

On the other hand, closed questions stop the conversation. If an interviewer or usability-test facilitator were to ask only closed questions, the conversation would be stilted and surface-level. The facilitator might not learn important things they didn’t think to ask because closed questions eliminate surprises: what you expect is what you get.

Closed Questions Can Sometimes Be Leading

When you ask closed questions, you may accidentally reveal what you’re interested in and prime participants to volunteer only specific information. This is why researchers use the funnel technique , where the session or followup questions begin with broad, open-ended questions before introducing specific, closed questions.

Not all closed questions are leading. That being said, it’s easy for a closed question to become leading if it suggests an answer.

The table below shows examples of leading closed questions . Reworking a question so it’s not leading often involves making it open-ended, as shown in column 2 of the table below.

One way to spot a leading, closed question is to look at how the question begins. Leading closed questions often start with the words “did,” “was,” or “is.” Open-ended questions often begin with “how” or “what.”

New interviewers and usability-test facilitators often struggle to ask enough open-ended questions. A new interviewer might be tempted to ask many factual, closed questions in quick succession, such as the following:

• Do you have children?
• Do you work?
• How old are you?
• Do you ever [insert behavior]?

However, these questions could be answered in response to a broad, open-ended question like Tell me a bit about yourself .

When constructing an interview guide for a user interview, try to think of a broad, open-ended version of a closed question that might get the participant talking about the question you want answered, like in the example above.

When asking questions in a usability test, try to favor questions that begin with “how,” or “what,” over “do,” or “did” like in the table below.

Another tip to help you ask open-ended questions is to use one of the following question stems :

• Walk me through [how/what]...
• Tell me a bit about…
• Tell me about a time where…

Finally, you can ask open-ended questions when probing. Probing questions are open-ended and are used in response to what a participant shares. They are designed to solicit more information. You can use the following probing questions in interviews and usability tests.

• Tell me more about that.
• What do you mean by that?
• Can you expand on that?
• What do you think about that?
• Why do you think that?

Ask open-ended questions in conversations with users to discover unanticipated answers and important insights. Use closed questions to gather additional small details, gain clarification, or when you want to analyze responses quantitatively.

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Open-Ended Questions in Qualitative Research: Strategies, Examples, and Best Practices

Table of content, understanding open-ended questions, designing open-ended questions, types of open-ended questions, conducting interviews and focus groups with open-ended questions, analyzing and interpreting open-ended responses, challenges and limitations of using open-ended questions, best practices for using open-ended questions in qualitative research, definition of open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are a research tool that allows for a wide range of possible answers and encourages respondents to provide detailed and personalized responses. These types of questions typically begin with phrases such as “ How ,” “ What ,” or “ Why “, and require the respondent to provide their thoughts and opinions.

Open-ended questions are crucial in the following scenarios:

Understanding complex phenomena : When a topic is complex, multi-faceted, or difficult to measure with numerical data, qualitative research can provide a more nuanced and detailed understanding.

Studying subjective experiences: When the focus is on people’s perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, or experiences, qualitative research is better suited to capture the richness and diversity of their perspectives.

Developing theories: When a researcher wants to develop a model or theory to explain a phenomenon, qualitative research can provide a rich source of data to support the development of such hypotheses.

Evaluating programs or interventions: Qualitative research can help to evaluate the effectiveness of programs or interventions by collecting feedback from participants, stakeholders, or experts.

Researchers use open-ended methods in research, interviews, counseling, and other situations that may require detailed and in-depth responses.

Benefits of Using Open-Ended Questions in Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is most appropriate when the research question is exploratory, complex, subjective, theoretical, or evaluative. These questions are valuable in qualitative research for the following reasons:

More In-depth Responses

Open-ended questions allow participants to share their experiences and opinions in their own words, often leading to more in-depth and detailed responses.  For example, if a researcher is studying cancer survivors’ experiences, an open-ended question like, “Can you tell me about your experience with cancer?” may elicit a more detailed and nuanced response than a closed-ended question like “Did you find your cancer diagnosis to be difficult?”

Flexibility

Open-ended questions give the participant flexibility to respond to the questions in a way that makes sense to them, often revealing vital information that the researcher may have overlooked.

Better Understanding

Open-ended questions provide the researcher with a better understanding of the participant’s perspectives, beliefs, attitudes, and experiences, which is crucial in gaining insights into complex issues.

Uncovering New Insights

Open-ended questions can often lead to unexpected responses and reveal new information. When participants freely express themselves in their own words, they may bring up topics or perspectives that the researcher had not considered.

Building Rapport

Open-ended questions help build rapport with the participant, allowing the researcher to show interest in the participant’s responses and provide a space for them to share their experiences without feeling judged. This can lead to a positive research experience for participants, which may increase the likelihood of their continued participation in future studies.

Validating or Challenging Existing Theories

By allowing participants to provide their own perspectives and experiences, researchers can compare and contrast these responses with existing theories to see if they align or diverge. If the data from participants align with existing hypotheses, this can provide additional support for this data. On the other hand, if the information diverges from existing theories, this can indicate a need for further investigation or revision of the existing data.

Avoiding Bias and Preconceived Notions

Researchers may unintentionally guide participants towards a particular answer or perspective when using close-ended questions. This can introduce bias into the data and limit the range of responses that participants provide. By using open-ended questions, researchers can avoid this potential source of bias and allow participants to express their unique perspectives.

Differences Between Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions encourage numerous responses and allow respondents to provide their thoughts and opinions. “ What ,” “ How, ” or “ Why ” are some of the words used to phrase open-ended questions and are designed to elicit more detailed and expansive answers. Researchers use open-ended questions in ethnography, interviews , and focus groups to gather comprehensive information and participants’ insights.

Some examples of open-ended questions include:

• What do you think about the current state of the economy?
• How do you feel about global warming?
• Why did you choose to pursue a career in law?

On the other hand, closed-ended questions only allow for a limited set of responses and are typically answered with a “Yes” or “No” or a specific option from a list of multiple choices. These questions are handy in surveys, customer service interactions and questionnaires to collect quantitative data that can be easily analyzed and quantified. They are significant when you want to gather specific information hastily or when you need to confirm or deny a particular fact.

Some examples of closed-ended questions include:

• What was your shopping experience with our company like?
• Have you ever traveled to Europe before?
• Which of these brands do you prefer: Nike, Adidas, or Puma?

Both open-ended and closed-ended questions have their place in research and communication. Open-ended questions can provide rich and detailed information, while closed-ended questions can provide specific and measurable data. The appropriate question type typically depends on the research or communication goals, context and the information required.

Designing open-ended questions requires careful consideration and planning. Open-ended questions elicit more than just a simple “yes” or “no” response and instead allow for a broad range of answers that provide insight into the respondent’s thoughts, feelings, or experiences. When designing open-ended questions in qualitative research, it is critical to consider the best practices below:

Before designing your questions, you must predetermine what you want to learn from your respondents. This, in turn, will help you craft clear and concise questions that are relevant to your research goals. Use simple language and avoid technical terms or jargon that might confuse respondents.

Avoid leading or biased language that could influence and limit the respondents’ answers. Instead, use neutral wording that allows participants to share their authentic thoughts and opinions. For example, instead of asking, “Did you enjoy the food you ate?” ask, “What was your experience at the restaurant?”

One of the advantages of open-ended questions is that they allow respondents to provide detailed and personalized responses. Encourage participants to elaborate on their answers by asking follow-up questions or probing for additional information.

One can deliver open-ended questions in various formats, including interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Consider which one is most appropriate for your research goals and target audience. Additionally, before using your questions in a survey or interview, test them with a small group of people to make sure they are clear and functional.

Open-ended questions give a participant the freedom to answer without restriction. Furthermore, these questions evoke detailed responses from participants, unlike close-ended questions that tend to lead to one-word answers.

Open-Ended Questions Categories

When a researcher wants to explore a topic or phenomenon that is not well understood, qualitative research can help generate hypotheses and insights. For instance, “Can you tell me more about your thoughts on animal poaching in Africa?” or “What is your opinion on the future of social media in business?”

Researchers use these questions to prompt respondents to think more deeply about a particular topic or experience, sometimes using anecdotes related to a specific topic. For example, “What did you learn from that experience?” or “How do you think you could have handled that situation differently?

Researchers use probing questions to gain deeper insight into a participant’s response. These questions aim to understand the reasoning and emotion behind a particular answer. For example, “What did you learn from that mistake?” or “How do you think you could have handled that situation differently?

These questions get more information or clarify a point. For example, “Can you explain that further?” or “Can you give me an example?”

These questions ask the respondents to imagine a hypothetical scenario and provide their thoughts or reactions. Examples of hypothetical questions include “What would you do if you won the lottery?” or “How do you think society would be different if everyone had access to free healthcare?”

These questions ask the respondent to describe something in detail, such as a person, place, or event. Examples of descriptive questions include “Can you tell me about your favorite vacation?” or “How would you describe your ideal job?”

When preparing for an interview , it is important to understand the types of interviews available, what topics will be covered, and how to ask open-ended questions.

Questions should be asked in terms of past, present, and future experiences and should be worded in such a way as to invite a more detailed response from the participant. It is also important to establish a clear sequence of questions so that all topics are addressed without interrupting the flow of conversation.

Planning and Preparing For Interviews and Focus Groups

Before starting an interview or focus group, creating a list of topics or areas you want to explore during your research is essential. Consider what questions will help you gain the most insight into the topic.

Once you’ve identified the topics, you can create more specific questions that will be used to guide the conversation. It can be helpful to categorize your questions into themes to ensure all topics are addressed during the interview.

As you write your questions, aim to keep them as open-ended as possible so that the participant has space to provide detailed feedback. Avoid leading questions and try to avoid yes or no answers. Also, allow participants to provide any additional thoughts they may have on the topic.

Let’s say you’re researching customer experience with an online store. Your broad topic categories might be customer service, product selection, ease of use, and shipping. Your questions could cover things like:

• How satisfied are you with the customer service?
• What do you think about the product selection?
• Is it easy to find the products you’re looking for?

 Best Practices

During the conversation, only one person can talk at a time, and everyone should be able to contribute. To ensure participants understand the questions being asked, try asking them in multiple ways.

It is also important to pause briefly and review the question that has just been discussed before moving on. In addition, brief pauses and silences before and after asking a new question may help facilitate the discussion. If participants begin talking about something that may be an answer to a different question during the discussion, then feel free to allow the conversation to go in that direction.

With these strategies, examples, and best practices in mind, you can ensure that your interviews and focus groups are successful.

Tips For Asking Open-Ended Questions During Interviews and Focus Groups

Asking open-ended questions during interviews and focus groups is critical to qualitative research. Open-ended questions allow you to explore topics in-depth, uncover deeper insights, and gain valuable participant feedback.

However, crafting your questions with intention and purpose is important to ensure that you get the most out of your research.

Start With General Questions

When crafting open-ended questions for interviews or focus groups, it’s important to start with general questions and move towards more specific ones. This strategy helps you uncover various perspectives and ideas before getting into the details.

Using neutral language helps to avoid bias and encourages honest answers from participants. It’s important to determine the goal of the focus group or interview before asking any questions. These findings will help guide your conversation and keep it on track.

Use of Engagement Questions

To get the conversation started during interviews or focus groups, engagement questions are a great way to break the ice. These types of questions can be about anything from personal experiences to interests.

For example: “How did you get here, and what was one unusual thing you saw on your way in?”, “What do you like to do to unwind in your free time?” or “When did you last purchase a product from this line?”.

Use of Exploratory Questions

Exploratory questions about features are also useful in this type of research. Questions such as: “What features would you talk about when recommending this product to a friend?”, “If you could change one thing about this product, what would you change?”, or “Do you prefer this product or that product, and why?” all help to uncover participants’ opinions and preferences.

Exploratory questions about experiences are also helpful; questions such as: “Tell me about a time you experienced a mishap when using this product?” help to identify potential problems that need to be addressed.

Researchers can gain valuable insights from participants by using these tips for asking open-ended questions during interviews and focus groups.

Strategies For Active Listening and Follow-Up Questioning

Active listening is an important skill to possess when conducting qualitative research. It’s essential to ensure you understand and respond to the person you are interviewing effectively. Here are some strategies for active listening and follow-up questioning:

Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues

It is important to pay attention to non-verbal cues such as body language and voice when listening. Pay attention to their facial expressions and tone of voice to better understand what they are saying. Make sure not to interrupt the other person, as this can make them feel like their opinions aren’t being heard.

Listen Without Judging or Jumping to Conclusions

It is important to listen without judgment or jumping to conclusions. Don’t plan what to say next while listening, as this will stop you from understanding what the other person is saying.

Use Non-Verbal Signals to Show That You’re Listening

Nodding, smiling, and making small noises like “yes” and “uh huh” can show that you are listening. These signals can help the person feel more comfortable and open up more.

Don’t Impose Your Opinions or Solutions

When interviewing someone, it is important not to impose your opinions or solutions. It is more important to understand the other person and try to find common ground than it is to be right.

Stay Focused While Listening

Finally, it is critical to stay focused while listening. Don’t let yourself get distracted by your own thoughts or daydreaming. Remain attentive and listen with an open mind.

These are all key elements in effectively gathering data and insights through qualitative research.

Qualitative research depends on understanding the context and content of the responses to open-ended questions. Analyzing and interpreting these responses can be challenging for researchers, so it’s important to have a plan and strategies for getting the most value out of open-ended responses.

Strategies For Coding and Categorizing Responses

Coding qualitative data categorizes and organizes responses to open-ended questions in a research study. It is an essential part of the qualitative data analysis process and helps identify the responses’ patterns, themes, and trends.

Thematic Analysis and Qualitative Data Analysis Software

These are two methods for automated coding of customer feedback. Thematic analysis is the process of identifying patterns within qualitative data. This process can be done by manually sorting through customer feedback or using a software program to do the work for you.

Qualitative data analysis software also facilitates coding by providing powerful visualizations that allow users to identify trends and correlations between different customer responses.

Manual Coding

Manual coding is another method of coding qualitative data, where coders sort through responses and manually assign labels based on common themes. Coding the qualitative data, it makes it easier to interpret customer feedback and draw meaningful conclusions from it.

Coding customer feedback helps researchers make data-driven decisions based on customer satisfaction. It helps quantify the common themes in customer language, making it easier to interpret and analyze customer feedback accurately.

Strategies for manual coding include using predetermined codes for common words or phrases and assigning labels to customers’ responses according to certain categories. Examples of best practices for coding include using multiple coders to review responses for accuracy and consistency and creating a library of codes for ease of use.

Identifying Themes and Patterns in Responses

These processes involve reviewing the responses and searching for commonalities regarding words, phrases, topics, or ideas. Doing so can help researchers to gain a better understanding of the material they are analyzing.

There are several strategies that researchers can use when it comes to identifying themes and patterns in open-ended responses.

Manual Scan

One strategy is manually scanning the data and looking for words or phrases that appear multiple times.

Automatic Scan

Another approach is to use qualitative analysis software that can provide coding, categorization, and data analysis.

For example, if a survey asked people about their experience with a product, a researcher could look for common phrases such as “it was easy to use” or “I didn’t like it.” The researcher could then look for patterns regarding how frequently these phrases were used.

Concept Indicator Model

This model is an important part of the coding process in classic grounded theory. It involves a continuous process of exploring and understanding open-ended responses, which can often lead to the development of new conceptual ideas.

Coding Process

The coding process is broken down into two parts: substantive coding and theoretical coding. Substantive coding involves organizing data into meaningful categories, while theoretical coding looks at how those categories relate.

Forms of Coding

Within the concept indicator model are two forms of coding: open coding and selective coding. Open coding is used to explore responses without predetermined theories or preconceived ideas. It is an iterative process involving connecting categories and generating tentative conclusions.

On the other hand, selective coding uses predetermined theories or ideas to guide data analysis.

The concept indicator model also uses a cycling approach known as constant comparison and theoretical sampling. Constant comparison is the process of constantly comparing new data with previous data until saturation is reached.

Theoretical sampling involves examining different data types to determine which ones will be more useful for exploring the concepts and relationships under investigation.

Gaining experience and confidence in exploring and confirming conceptual ideas is essential for success in the concept indicator model.

Strategies such as brainstorming and creating examples can help analysts better understand the various concepts that emerge from the data.

Best practices such as involving multiple coders in the process, triangulating data from different sources, and including contextual information can also help increase the accuracy and reliability of coding results.

Interpreting and Analyzing Open-Ended Responses in Relation to Your Research Questions

• Ensure Objectives are Met: For any study or project, you must ensure your objectives are met. To achieve this, the responses to open-ended questions must be categorized according to their subject, purpose, and theme. This step will help in recognizing patterns and drawing out commonalities.
• Choose A Coding Method: Once you have identified the themes, you must choose a coding method to interpret and analyze the data.

There are various coding strategies that can be employed. For example, a directed coding strategy will help you focus on the themes you have identified in your research objectives. In contrast, an axial coding method can be used to connect related concepts together. With a coding method, it will be easier to make sense of the responses.

Use Narrative Analysis

This process involves looking for story elements such as plot, characters, setting, and conflict in the text. It can be useful for identifying shared experiences or values within a group.

By looking for these narrative elements, you can better understand how individuals perceive their own experiences and those of others.

Analyze the Findings

However, to understand the meanings that the responses may have, it is also important to analyze them. This stage is where techniques such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and textual analysis come in.

These methods provide valuable insights into how the responses are related to each other and can help uncover potential connections and underlying motivations.

Summarize Your Findings

Once you have interpreted and analyzed the data, it is time to decide on your key findings. For example, you can summarize your findings according to different themes, discuss any implications of your research or suggest ways in which further research can be carried out.

These strategies provide valuable insights into the qualitative data collected from open-ended questions. However, to ensure that the data’s most effective outcomes are obtained, you need to familiarize yourself with the best practices in qualitative research.

Open-ended questions have the potential to generate rich and nuanced data in qualitative research. However, they also present certain challenges and limitations that researchers and educators need to be aware of.

We will now explore some of the challenges associated with using open-ended questions, including potential biases and subjectivity in responses, social desirability bias, and response bias.

We will also discuss strategies to address these challenges, such as balancing open-ended and closed-ended questions in research design. By understanding these limitations and employing best practices, researchers and educators can use open-ended questions to gather meaningful data and insights.

Addressing potential biases and subjectivity in responses

When we use open-ended questions in qualitative research, it’s crucial to be mindful of potential biases and subjectivity in responses. It’s natural for participants to bring their own experiences and beliefs to the table, which can impact their answers and skew the data. To tackle these challenges, we can take several steps to ensure that our research findings are as accurate and representative as possible.

One way to minimize subjectivity is to use neutral and unbiased language when framing our questions. By doing so, we can avoid leading or loaded questions that could influence participants’ responses. We can also use multiple methods to verify data and check responses, like conducting follow-up interviews or comparing responses with existing literature.

Another important consideration is to be open and transparent about the research process and participants’ rights. Addressing these biases also includes providing informed consent and guaranteeing confidentiality so that participants feel comfortable sharing their genuine thoughts and feelings. By recruiting diverse participants and ensuring that our data is representative and inclusive, we can also reduce potential biases and increase the validity of our findings.

By tackling biases and subjectivity in responses head-on, we can gather reliable and insightful data that can inform future research and enhance teaching methods.

Dealing with social desirability bias and response bias

In qualitative research, social desirability bias and response bias can pose significant challenges when analyzing data. Social desirability bias occurs when participants tend to respond in ways that align with social norms or expectations, rather than expressing their true feelings or beliefs. Response bias, on the other hand, happens when participants provide incomplete or inaccurate information due to factors like memory lapse or misunderstanding of the question.

To address these biases, researchers can use various strategies to encourage participants to be more candid and honest in their responses.

For instance, researchers can create a safe and supportive environment that fosters trust and openness, allowing participants to feel comfortable sharing their true thoughts and experiences. Researchers can also use probing techniques to encourage participants to elaborate on their answers, helping to uncover underlying beliefs and attitudes.

It’s also a good idea to mix up the types of questions you ask, utilizing both open-ended and closed-ended inquiries to get a variety of responses. Closed-ended questions can aid in the verification or confirmation of participants’ comments, but open-ended questions allow for a more in-depth investigation of themes and encourage participants to submit extensive and personal responses.

Balancing open-ended and closed-ended questions in your research design

An appropriate combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions is essential for developing an effective research design. Open-ended questions allow participants to provide detailed, nuanced responses and offer researchers the opportunity to uncover unexpected insights.

However, too many open-ended questions can make analysis challenging and time-consuming. Closed-ended questions, on the other hand, can provide concise and straightforward data that’s easy to analyze but may not capture the complexity of participants’ experiences.

Balancing the use of open-ended and closed-ended questions necessitates a careful evaluation of the study objectives, target audience, and issue under examination. Researchers must also consider the available time and resources for analysis.

When designing a research study, it’s essential to prioritize the research goals and choose questions that align with those goals. Careful selection of questions guarantees that the data gathered is pertinent and adds to a greater knowledge of the topic under consideration. Researchers should also consider the participants’ backgrounds and experiences and select questions that are appropriate and sensitive to their needs. Furthermore, adopting a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions can assist researchers in triangulating data, which allows them to cross-validate their findings by comparing results from multiple sources or techniques.

Lastly, we will be exploring the best practices for utilizing open-ended questions in qualitative research. We cover a range of helpful tips and strategies for creating a research design that fosters rich and nuanced data while maintaining the integrity of your research.

Building an effective connection with your research participants, developing carefully developed research questions that align with your research objectives, remaining flexible and adaptable in your approach, and prioritizing ethical considerations throughout your research process are some of the key best practices we explore.

Building Rapport with Participants

Building rapport with research participants is an essential component of conducting effective qualitative research. Building rapport is all about creating trust and providing a comfortable environment where participants can feel free to share their thoughts and experiences.

The first thing a researcher should do is to introduce themselves and make the participant understand why the research is significant.  Additionally, active listening is critical in building rapport. Listening attentively to your participants’ responses and asking follow-up questions can demonstrate your interest in their experiences and perspective.

Maintaining a nonjudgmental, impartial position is also essential in developing rapport. Participants must feel free to express their opinions and experiences without fear of being judged or prejudiced.

Using respectful language, maintaining eye contact, and nodding along to participants’ responses can show that you are invested in their stories and care about their experiences.

Overall, establishing rapport with participants is an ongoing process that requires attention, care, and empathy.

Developing clear research questions

In research, developing clear research questions is an essential component of qualitative research using open-ended questions. The research questions provide a clear direction for the research process, enabling researchers to gather relevant and insightful data.

To create effective research questions, they must be specific, concise, and aligned with the overall research objectives. It is crucial to avoid overly broad or narrow questions that could impact the validity of the research.

Additionally, researchers should use language that is easy to understand. Researchers should avoid any technical jargon that may lead to confusion.

The order of the questions is also significant; they should flow logically, building on each other and ensuring they make sense. By developing clear research questions, researchers can collect and analyze data in a more effective and meaningful manner.                      

Maintaining a flexible and adaptable approach

When conducting qualitative research, maintaining a flexible and adaptable approach is crucial. Flexibility enables researchers to adjust their research methods and questions to ensure they capture rich and nuanced data that can answer their research questions.

However, staying adaptable can be a daunting task, as researchers may need to modify their research approach based on participants’ responses or unforeseen circumstances.

To maintain flexibility, researchers must have a clear understanding of their research questions and goals, while also remaining open to modifying their methods if necessary. It is also essential to keep detailed notes and regularly reflect on research progress to determine if adjustments are needed.

Staying adaptable is equally important as it requires researchers to be responsive to changes in participants’ attitudes and perspectives. Being able to pivot research direction and approach based on participant feedback is critical to achieving accurate and meaningful results.

Maintaining a flexible and adaptive strategy allows researchers to collect the most extensive and accurate data possible, resulting in a more in-depth understanding of the research topic. While it can be challenging to remain flexible and adaptable, doing so will ultimately lead to more robust research findings and greater insights into the topic at hand.

Being aware of ethical considerations

When conducting research, It is critical to remember the ethical aspects that control how individuals interact with one another in society and how these factors affect research. Ethical considerations refer to the principles or standards that should guide research to ensure it is conducted in an honest, transparent, and respectful manner.

Before beginning the study, researchers must obtain informed consent from participants. Obtaining consent means providing clear and comprehensive information about the research, its purpose, what participation entails, and the potential risks and benefits. Researchers must ensure that participants understand the information and voluntarily consent to participate.

Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of participants must be essential for researchers. They should look into safeguarding personal information, using pseudonyms or codes to protect identities, and securing any identifying information collected.

Researchers must avoid asking questions that are too personal, sensitive, or potentially harmful. If harm or distress occurs, researchers should provide participants with appropriate support and referral to relevant services.

Using open-ended questions in qualitative research presents both challenges and benefits. To address potential limitations, researchers should remain objective and neutral, create a safe and non-judgmental space, and use probing techniques. Best practices include building rapport, developing clear research questions, and being flexible. Open-ended questions offer the benefits of revealing rich and nuanced data, allowing for flexibility, and building rapport with participants. Ethical considerations must also be a top priority.

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Your quick guide to open-ended questions in surveys.

17 min read In this guide, find out how you can use open-ended survey questions to glean more meaningful insights from your research, as well as how to analyse them and best practices.

When you want to get more comprehensive responses to a survey – answers beyond just yes or no – you’ll want to consider open-ended questions.

But what are open-ended questions? In this guide, we’ll go through what open-ended questions are, including how they can help gather information and provide greater context to your research findings.

What are open-ended questions?

Open-ended questions can offer you incredibly helpful insights into your respondent’s viewpoints. Here’s an explanation below of what they are and what they can do:

Free-form and not governed by simple one word answers (e.g. yes or no responses), an open-ended question allows respondents to answer in open-text format, giving them the creative thinking, freedom and space to answer in as much (or as little) detail as they like.

Open-ended questions help you to see things from the respondent’s perspective, as you get feedback in their own words instead of stock answers. Also, as you’re getting more meaningful answers and accurate responses, you can better analyze sentiment amongst your audience.

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Open-ended versus closed-ended questions

Open-ended questions provide more qualitative research data; contextual insights that accentuate quantitative information. With open-ended questions, you get more meaningful user research data.

Closed-ended questions, on the other hand, provide quantitative data ; limited insight but easy to analyze and compile into reports. Market researchers often add commentary to this kind of data to provide readers with background and further food for thought.

Here are the main differences with examples of open-ended and closed-ended questions:

For example, an open-ended question might be: “What do you think of statistical analysis software?”.

Whereas closed-ended questions would simply be: “Do you use statistical analysis software?” or “Have you used statistical analysis software in the past?”.

Open-ended questions afford much more freedom to respondents and can result in deeper and more meaningful insights. A closed question can be useful and fast, but doesn’t provide much context. Open-ended questions are helpful for understanding the “why”.

When and why should you use an open-ended question?

Open-ended questions are great for going more in-depth on a topic. Closed-ended questions may tell you the “what,” but open-ended questions will tell you the “why.”

Another benefit of open-ended questions is that they allow you to get answers from your respondents in their words. For example, it can help to know the language that customers use to describe a product of feature, so that the company can match the language in their product description to increase discoverability.

Open-ended questions can also help you to learn things you didn’t expect, especially as they encourage creativity, and get answers to slightly more complex issues. For example, you could ask the question “What are the main reasons you canceled your subscription?” as a closed-ended question by providing a list of reasons (too expensive, don’t use it anymore). However, you are limited only to reasons that you can think of. But if you don’t know why people are canceling, then it might be better to ask as an open-ended question.

You might ask open-ended questions when you are doing a pilot out preliminary research to validate a product idea. You can then use that information to generate closed-ended questions for a larger follow-up study.

However, it can be wise to limit the overall number of open-ended questions in a survey because they are burdensome.

In terms of what provides more valuable information, only you can decide that based on the requirements of your research study. You also have to take into account variables such as the cost and scale of your research study, as well as when you need the information. Open-ended questions can provide you with more context, but they’re also more information to sift through, whereas closed-ended questions provide you with a tidy, finite response.

If you still prefer the invaluable responses and data from open-ended questions, using software like Qualtrics Text IQ can automate this complicated process. Through AI technology Text IQ can understand sentiment and articulate thousands of open-ended responses into simplified dashboards.

Learn More: Qualtrics Text IQ

Open-ended question examples

While there are no set rules to the number of open-ended questions you can ask, of course you want to ask an open-ended question that correlates with your research objective.

Here are a few examples of open-ended survey questions related to your product:

• What do you like most about this product?
• What do you like least about this product?
• How does our product compare to competitor products?
• If someone asked you about our product, what would you say to them?
• How can we improve our product?

You could even supplement closed-ended questions with an open-ended question to get more detail, e.g. “How often do you use our product?” — with a multiple choice, single word answers approach. These might be simple answers such as “Frequently”, “Sometimes”, “Never” — and if a respondent answers “Never”, you could follow with: “If you have never used our product, why not?”. This is a really easy way to understand why potential customers don’t use your product.

Also, incorporating open-ended questions into your surveys can provide useful information for salespeople throughout the sales process. For example, you might uncover insights that help your salespeople to reposition your products or improve the way they sell to new customers based on what existing customers feel. Though you might get helpful answers from a closed-ended question, open-ended questions give you more than a surface-level insight into their sentiments, emotions and thoughts.

It doesn’t need to be complicated, it can be as simple as what you see below. The survey doesn’t need to speak for itself, let your survey respondents say everything.

Asking open-ended questions: Crafting question that generate the best insights

Open responses can be difficult to quantify. Framing them correctly is key to getting useful data from your answers. Below are some open ended questions examples of what to avoid.

1. Avoid questions that are too broad or vague

Example :  “What changes has your company made in the last five years due to external events?”

Problem : There are too many potential responses to this query, which means you’ll get too broad a range of answers. What kind of changes are being referred to, economic, strategic, personnel etc.? What external events are useful to know about? Don’t overwhelm your respondent with an overly broadquestion – ask the right questions and get precise answers.

Solution : Target your questions with a specific clarification of what you want. For example, “What policy changes has your company made about working from home in the last 6 months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?”. Alternatively, use a close-ended question, or offer examples to give respondents something to work from.

2. Make sure that the purpose of the question is clear

Example :  “Why did you buy our product?”

Problem : This type of unclear-purpose question can lead to short, unhelpful answers. “Because I needed it” or “I fancied it” don’t necessarily give you data to work with.

Solution : Make it clear what you actually want to know. “When you bought our product, how did you intend to use it?” or “What are the main reasons you purchased [Our Brand] instead of another brand?” might be two alternatives that provide more context.

3. Keep questions simple and quick to answer

  Example :  “Please explain the required process that your brand uses to manage its contact center (i.e. technical software stack, approval process, employee review, data security, management, compliance management etc.). Please be as detailed as possible.”

Problem : The higher the level of effort, the lower the chances of getting a good range of responses or high quality answers. It’s unlikely that a survey respondent will take the time to give a detailed answer on something that’s not their favorite subject. This results in either short, unhelpful answers, or even worse, the respondent quits the survey and decides not to participate after seeing the length of time and effort required. This can end up causing bias with the type of respondents that answer the survey.

Solution : If you really need the level of detail, there are a few options to try. You can break up the question into multiple questions or share some information on why you really need this insight. You could offer a different way of submitting an answer, such as a voice to text or video recording functionality, or make the question optional to help respondents to keep progressing through the survey. Possibly the best solution is to change from open-ended questions in a survey to a qualitative research method, such as focus groups or one-to-one interviews, where lengthier responses and more effort are expected.

4. Ask only one  question at a time

Example :  “When was the last time you used our product? How was your experience?”

Problem : Too many queries at once can cause a feeling of mental burden in your respondents, which means you risk losing their interest. Some survey takers might read the first question but miss the second, or forget about it when writing their response.

Solution : Only ask one thing at a time!

5. Don’t ask for a minimum word count

Example :  “Please provide a summary of why you chose our brand over a competitor brand. [Minimum 50 characters].”

Problem : Even though making a minimum word count might seem like a way to get higher quality responses, this is often not the case. Respondents may well give up, or type gibberish to fill in the word count. Ideally, the responses you gather will be the natural response of the person you’re surveying – mandating a word count impedes this.

Solution : Leave off the word count. If you need to encourage longer responses, you can expand the text box size to fit more words in. Offer speech to text or video recording options to encourage lengthier responses, and explain why you need a detailed answer.

6. Don’t ask an open-ended question when a closed-ended question would be enough  

Example :  “Where are you from?”

Problem : It’s harder to control the data you’ll collect when you use an open question when a closed one would work. For example, someone could respond to the above question with “The US”, “The United States” or “America”.

Solution : To save time and effort on both your side and the participant’s side, use a drop-down with standardized responses.

7. Limit the total number of open-ended questions you ask  

Example :  “How do you feel about product 1?” “How do you feel about product 2?” “How do you feel about product 3?”

Problem : An open question requires more thought and effort than a closed one. Respondents can usually answer 4-6 closed questions in the same time as only 1 open one, and prefer to be able to answer quickly.

Solution : To reduce survey fatigue,lower drop-off rates, and save costs, only ask as many questions as you think you can get an answer for. Limit open-ended questions for ones where you really need context. Unless your respondents are highly motivated, keep it to 5 open-ended questions or fewer. Space them out to keep drop-offs to a minimum.

8. Don’t force respondents to answer open-ended questions

Example :  “How could your experience today have been improved? Please provide a detailed response.”

Problem : A customer may not have any suggestions for improvements. By requiring an answer, though, the customer is now forced to think of something that can be improved even if it would not make them more likely to use the service again.  Making these respondents answer means you risk bias. It could lead to prioritizing unnecessary improvements.

Solution : Give respondents the option to say “No” or “Not applicable” or “I don’t know” to queries, or to skip the question entirely.

How to analyze the results from open-ended questions

Step 1: collect and structure your responses.

Online survey tools can simplify the process of creating and sending questionnaires, as well as gathering responses to open-ended questions. These tools often have simple, customisable templates to make the process much more efficient and tailored to your requirements.

Some solutions offer different targeting variables, from geolocation to customer segments and site behavior. This allows you to offer customized promotions to drive conversions and gather the right feedback at every stage in the online journey.

Upon receipt, your data should be in a clear, structured format and you can then export it to a CSV or Excel file before automatic analysis. At this point, you’ll want to check the data (spelling, duplication, symbols) so that it’s easier for a machine to process and analyze.

Step 2: Use text analytics

One method that’s increasingly applied to open-ended responses is automation. These new tools make it easy to extract data from open-text question responses with minimal human intervention. It makes an open-ended question response as accessible and easy to analyze as that of a closed question, but with more detail provided.

For example, you could use automated coding via artificial intelligence to look into buckets of responses to your open-ended questions and assign them accordingly for review. This can save a great deal of time, but the accuracy depends on your choice of solution.

Alternatively, you could use sentiment analysis — a form of natural language processing — to systematically identify, extract and quantify information. With sentiment analysis, you can determine whether responses are positive or negative, which can be really useful for unstructured responses or for quick, large-scale reviews.

Some solutions also offer custom programming so you can apply your own code to analyze survey results, giving complete flexibility and accuracy.

Step 3: Visualize your results

With the right data analysis and visualization tools, you can see your survey results in the format most applicable to you and your stakeholders. For example, C-Suite may want to see information displayed using graphs rather than tables — whereas your research team might want a comprehensive breakdown of responses, including response percentages for each question.

This might be easier for a survey with closed-ended questions, but with the right analysis for open-ended questions’ responses, you can easily collate response data that’s easy to quantify.

With the survey tools that exist today, it’s incredibly easy to import and analyze data at scale to uncover trends and develop actionable insights. You can also apply your own programming code and data visualization techniques to get the information you need. No matter whether you’re using open-ended questions or getting one-word answers in emojis, you’re able to surface the most useful insights for action.

Ask the right open-ended questions with Qualtrics

With Qualtrics’ survey software , used by more than 13,000 brands and 99 of the top 100 business schools, you can get answers to the most important market, brand, customer, and product questions with ease. Choose from a huge range of multiple-choice questions (both open-ended questions and closed-ended) and tailor your survey to get the most in-depth responses to your queries.

You can build a positive relationship with your respondents and get a deeper understanding of what they think and feel with Qualtrics-powered surveys. The best part? It’s completely free to get started with.

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The Ultimate Guide to Qualitative Research - Part 1: The Basics

• Introduction and overview
• What is qualitative research?
• What is qualitative data?
• Examples of qualitative data
• Qualitative vs. quantitative research
• Mixed methods
• Qualitative research preparation
• Theoretical perspective
• Theoretical framework
• Literature reviews
• Introduction

Why are research questions so important?

Research question examples, types of qualitative research questions, writing a good research question, guiding your research through research questions.

• Conceptual framework
• Conceptual vs. theoretical framework
• Data collection
• Qualitative research methods
• Focus groups
• Observational research
• Case studies
• Ethnographical research
• Ethical considerations
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Power dynamics
• Reflexivity

Research questions

The research question plays a critical role in the research process, as it guides the study design, data collection , analysis , and interpretation of the findings.

A research paper relies on a research question to inform readers of the research topic and the research problem being addressed. Without such a question, your audience may have trouble understanding the rationale for your research project.

People can take for granted the research question as an essential part of a research project. However, explicitly detailing why researchers need a research question can help lend clarity to the research project. Here are some of the key roles that the research question plays in the research process:

Defines the scope and focus of the study

The research question helps to define the scope and focus of the study. It identifies the specific topic or issue that the researcher wants to investigate, and it sets the boundaries for the study. A research question can also help you determine if your study primarily contributes to theory or is more applied in nature. Clinical research and public health research, for example, may be more concerned with research questions that contribute to practice, while a research question focused on cognitive linguistics are aimed at developing theory.

Provides a rationale for the study

The research question provides a rationale for the study by identifying a gap or problem in existing literature or practice that the researcher wants to address. It articulates the purpose and significance of the study, and it explains why the study is important and worth conducting.

Guides the study design

The research question guides the study design by helping the researcher select appropriate research methods , sampling strategies, and data collection tools. It also helps to determine the types of data that need to be collected and the best ways to analyze and interpret the data because the principal aim of the study is to provide an answer to that research question.

Shapes the data analysis and interpretation

The research question shapes the data analysis and interpretation by guiding the selection of appropriate analytical methods and by focusing the interpretation of the findings. It helps to identify which patterns and themes in the data are more relevant and worth digging into, and it guides the development of conclusions and recommendations based on the findings.

Generates new knowledge

The research question is the starting point for generating new knowledge. By answering the research question, the researcher contributes to the body of knowledge in the field and helps to advance the understanding of the topic or issue under investigation.

Overall, the research question is a critical component of the research process, as it guides the study from start to finish and provides a foundation for generating new knowledge.

Supports the thesis statement

The thesis statement or main assertion in any research paper stems from the answers to the research question. As a result, you can think of a focused research question as a preview of what the study aims to present as a new contribution to existing knowledge.

Here area few examples of focused research questions that can help set the stage for explaining different types of research questions in qualitative research . These questions touch upon various fields and subjects, showcasing the versatility and depth of research.

• What factors contribute to the job satisfaction of remote workers in the technology industry?
• How do teachers perceive the implementation of technology in the classroom, and what challenges do they face?
• What coping strategies do refugees use to deal with the challenges of resettlement in a new country?
• How does gentrification impact the sense of community and identity among long-term residents in urban neighborhoods?
• In what ways do social media platforms influence body image and self-esteem among adolescents?
• How do family dynamics and communication patterns affect the management of type 2 diabetes in adult patients?
• What is the role of mentorship in the professional development and career success of early-career academics?
• How do patients with chronic illnesses experience and navigate the healthcare system, and what barriers do they encounter?
• What are the motivations and experiences of volunteers in disaster relief efforts, and how do these experiences impact their future involvement in humanitarian work?
• How do cultural beliefs and values shape the consumer preferences and purchasing behavior of young adults in a globalized market?
• How do individuals whose genetic factors predict a high risk for developing a specific medical condition perceive, cope with, and make lifestyle choices based on this information?

These example research questions highlight the different kinds of inquiries common to qualitative research. They also demonstrate how qualitative research can address a wide range of topics, from understanding the experiences of specific populations to examining the impact of broader social and cultural phenomena.

Also, notice that these types of research questions tend to be geared towards inductive analyses that describe a concept in depth or develop new theory. As such, qualitative research questions tend to ask "what," "why," or "how" types of questions. This contrasts with quantitative research questions that typically aim to verify an existing theory. and tend to ask "when," "how much," and "why" types of questions to nail down causal mechanisms and generalizable findings.

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As you can see above, the research questions you ask play a critical role in shaping the direction and depth of your study. These questions are designed to explore, understand, and interpret social phenomena, rather than testing a hypothesis or quantifying data like in quantitative research. In this section, we will discuss the various types of research questions typically found in qualitative research, making it easier for you to craft appropriate questions for your study.

Descriptive questions

Descriptive research questions aim to provide a detailed account of the phenomenon being studied. These questions usually begin with "what" or "how" and seek to understand the nature, characteristics, or functions of a subject. For example, "What are the experiences of first-generation college students?" or "How do small business owners adapt to economic downturns?"

Comparative questions

Comparative questions seek to examine the similarities and differences between two or more groups, cases, or phenomena. These questions often include the words "compare," "contrast," or "differences." For example, "How do parenting practices differ between single-parent and two-parent families?" or "What are the similarities and differences in leadership styles among successful female entrepreneurs?"

Exploratory questions

Exploratory research questions are open-ended and intended to investigate new or understudied areas. These questions aim to identify patterns, relationships, or themes that may warrant further investigation. For example, "How do teenagers use social media to construct their identities?" or "What factors influence the adoption of renewable energy technologies in rural communities?"

Explanatory questions

Explanatory research questions delve deeper into the reasons or explanations behind a particular phenomenon or behavior. They often start with "why" or "how" and aim to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs, or processes. For example, "Why do some employees resist organizational change?" or "How do cultural factors influence decision-making in international business negotiations?"

Evaluative questions

Evaluative questions assess the effectiveness, impact, or outcomes of a particular intervention, program, or policy. They seek to understand the value or significance of an initiative by examining its successes, challenges, or unintended consequences. For example, "How effective is the school's anti-bullying program in reducing incidents of bullying?" or "What are the long-term impacts of a community-based health promotion campaign on residents' well-being?"

Interpretive questions

Interpretive questions focus on understanding how individuals or groups make sense of their experiences, actions, or social contexts. These questions often involve the analysis of language, symbols, or narratives to uncover the meanings and perspectives that shape human behavior. For example, "How do cancer survivors make sense of their illness journey?" or "What meanings do members of a religious community attach to their rituals and practices?"

There are mainly two overarching ways to think about how to devise a research question. Many studies are built on existing research, but others can be founded on personal experiences or pilot research.

Using the literature review

Within scholarly research, the research question is often built from your literature review . An analysis of the relevant literature reporting previous studies should allow you to identify contextual, theoretical, or methodological gaps that can be addressed in future research.

A compelling research question built on a robust literature review ultimately illustrates to your audience what is novel about your study's objectives.

Conducting pilot research

Researchers may conduct preliminary research or pilot research when they are interested in a particular topic but don't yet have a basis for forming a research question on that topic. A pilot study is a small-scale, preliminary study that is conducted in order to test the feasibility of a research design, methods, and procedures. It can help identify unresolved puzzles that merit further investigation, and pilot studies can draw attention to potential issues or problems that may arise in the full study.

One potential benefit of conducting a pilot study in qualitative research is that it can help the researcher to refine their research question. By collecting and analyzing a small amount of data, the researcher can get a better sense of the phenomenon under investigation and can develop a more focused and refined research question for the full study. The pilot study can also help the researcher to identify key themes, concepts, or variables that should be included in the research question.

In addition to helping to refine the research question, a pilot study can also help the researcher to develop a more effective data collection and analysis plan. The researcher can test different methods for collecting and analyzing data, and can make adjustments based on the results of the pilot study. This can help to ensure that the full study is conducted in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

Overall, conducting a pilot study in qualitative research can be a valuable tool for refining the research question and developing a more effective research design, methods, and procedures. It can help to ensure that the full study is conducted in a rigorous and effective manner, and can increase the likelihood of generating meaningful and useful findings.

When you write a research question for your qualitative study, consider which type of question best aligns with your research objectives and the nature of the phenomenon you are investigating. Remember, qualitative research questions should be open-ended, allowing for a range of perspectives and insights to emerge. As you progress in your research, these questions may evolve or be refined based on the data you collect, helping to guide your analysis and deepen your understanding of the topic.

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• Knowledge Base
• Starting the research process
• 10 Research Question Examples to Guide Your Research Project

10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project

Published on October 30, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on October 19, 2023.

The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper , thesis or dissertation . It’s important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.

The exact form of your question will depend on a few things, such as the length of your project, the type of research you’re conducting, the topic , and the research problem . However, all research questions should be focused, specific, and relevant to a timely social or scholarly issue.

Once you’ve read our guide on how to write a research question , you can use these examples to craft your own.

Note that the design of your research question can depend on what method you are pursuing. Here are a few options for qualitative, quantitative, and statistical research questions.

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

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Why Are Open-Ended Questions Important In Qualitative Research?

Nov 8, 2023 | User Acceptance Testing , User Research

Qualitative research is crucial in understanding the complexities of human behaviour, experiences, and perspectives.

It allows researchers to explore the richness and depth of individuals’ thoughts, feelings, decision making process and motivations.

One of the critical tools in qualitative research is the use of open-ended questions. Open-ended questions invite respondents to provide detailed and personalised responses—allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the topic at hand.

This article aims to explore the importance of open-ended questions in qualitative research and share some actionable tips for crafting practical questions. So, let’s dig in!

What is qualitative research?

Before delving into the significance of open-ended questions, let’s first understand what qualitative research entails.

Qualitative research is an exploratory approach that aims to understand the meaning and interpretation individuals attach to their experiences.

Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on numerical data and statistical analysis, qualitative research emphasises in capturing the richness and depth of human experiences through methods like interviews, think aloud usability test, focus groups, and observations.

Objectives of qualitative research in usability testing

In the context of usability testing, qualitative research helps uncover users’ thoughts, emotions, and attitudes towards a product or service.

Fundamentally, it provides valuable insights into user behaviour, preferences, pain points, and areas for improvement.

By leveraging open-ended questions, researchers can uncover the underlying reasons behind users’ actions and gain a deeper understanding of their needs and expectations.

Differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods

Qualitative and quantitative research methods typically differ in their approaches, data collection techniques, and analysis.

For context, quantitative research focuses on numerical data, statistical analysis, and generalizability, while qualitative research seeks to explore and understand specific contexts, meanings, and interpretations.

Furthermore, qualitative research is more subjective, allowing for greater depth and richness of data, while quantitative research prioritises objectivity and generalizability.

What are open-ended questions?

Open-ended questions are questions that don’t have predefined or limited answer options. They encourage respondents to provide detailed and personalised responses, allowing them to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in their own words.

Unlike closed-ended questions, which may be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” or by selecting from a list of options, open-ended questions invite respondents to provide more elaborate and nuanced responses.

Characteristics of open-ended questions

Open-ended questions are characterised by several key elements that distinguish them from closed-ended questions, namely:

• Freedom of response: Respondents can express themselves freely with open-ended questions because there are no predetermined answer options.
• Richness of information: Open-ended questions encourage respondents to provide detailed and in-depth responses, providing researchers with a wealth of information.
• Flexibility: Open-ended questions give respondents the flexibility to respond in a way that makes sense to them, allowing for diverse perspectives and insights.
• Exploration of complexity: These questions help explore complex phenomena, opinions, and experiences that cannot be easily captured by closed-ended questions.

Importance of open-ended questions in qualitative research

Open-ended questions play a vital role in qualitative research for several reasons, namely:

Encouraging detailed responses

Open-ended questions enable respondents to provide more detailed and nuanced responses. By avoiding predetermined options, researchers can capture the richness and complexity of individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

This depth of information is invaluable in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the research topic.

Facilitating a deeper understanding

Open-ended questions provide researchers with a better understanding of participants’ perspectives, beliefs, attitudes, and experiences.

By allowing individuals to express themselves freely, researchers can gain insights into the underlying reasons behind their actions and decision-making processes.

This deeper understanding is crucial for uncovering the underlying motivations and meanings that drive human behaviour.

Flexibility and adaptability

Open-ended questions offer flexibility and adaptability in qualitative research. They give participants a platform to present fresh themes, concepts, and viewpoints that the researcher might not have anticipated.

This flexibility allows for the emergence of unexpected insights and encourages a more exploratory and dynamic research process.

Tips for crafting effective open-ended questions

Open-ended questions, designed to elicit rich and authentic responses, are essential tools for researchers seeking to unravel the depth of participant perspectives.

Here are some actionable tips to help you master the art of crafting effective, open-ended questions:

1. Align questions with objectives

Before penning down your open-ended questions, it’s crucial to align them with the overarching objectives of your research. Clear alignment ensures that each question serves a purpose in contributing to the depth and breadth of your study.

For example, if your objective is to understand user satisfaction with a new software interface, frame questions that specifically address different aspects of the UX design , such as navigation, font readability, and functionality.

2. Clarity and comprehension

Ambiguity in questions can hinder the quality of responses. Participants should easily comprehend the intent of each question, allowing them to provide insightful and relevant answers.

Always ensure that your questions are clear, concise, and free of jargon. Test your questions beforehand on a diverse audience to identify any potential confusion and refine them accordingly.

3. Maintain neutrality

A neutral tone in your questions is essential to minimise bias. Participants should feel free to express their genuine opinions without worrying about the researcher’s judgment.

Avoid injecting personal opinions, judgements, or assumptions into your questions. Instead, present inquiries in an objective and non-directive manner to foster an open and honest exchange.

4. Encourage openness

Creating an environment that encourages participants to open up is vital for qualitative research. Open-ended questions should invite participants to share their thoughts and experiences freely.

Begin questions with phrases that signal openness, such as “Tell me about…” or “Describe your experience with…” Such prompts set the stage for participants to share their perspectives openly.

5. Use probing questions

While open-ended questions provide an initial exploration, supplementing them with probing questions allows researchers to delve deeper into specific aspects.

Probing questions guide participants to elaborate on their initial responses.

After receiving an open-ended response, follow up with probing questions that seek clarification, ask for examples, or explore the participant’s feelings in more detail.

This layered approach enriches the data collected.

6. Frame questions that encourage respondents to share stories

Human experiences are often best expressed through stories. Crafting questions that invite participants to share narratives can provide a deeper understanding of their perspectives.

Furthermore, always ask questions that prompt participants to recount specific experiences or share anecdotes related to the topic. Remember, stories add context, emotion, and a human touch to the research data.

All things considered, the effectiveness of open-ended questions lies not only in their form but in the thoughtful application of these tips.

Common mistakes to avoid with open-ended questions

Pitfalls lurk along this path of crafting and using open-ended questions. It is important to be mindful of the common mistakes to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the data collected.

Let’s explore these potential pitfalls and learn how to navigate around them, shall we?

1. Leading questions

Leading questions subtly guide participants toward a particular response, often unintentionally injecting the researcher’s bias into the inquiry.

These questions can steer participants away from expressing their genuine thoughts and experiences.

Craft open-ended questions with a neutral tone, avoiding any language that may suggest a preferred answer. By maintaining objectivity, researchers create a safe space for participants to share their perspectives without feeling influenced.

Example of a Leading Question:

Leading: “Don’t you think the new feature significantly improved your user experience?”

Revised: “How has the new feature impacted your user experience?”

2. Double-barreled questions

Double-barreled questions address more than one issue in a single inquiry, potentially causing confusion for participants. This can lead to ambiguous or unreliable responses as participants may not clearly distinguish between the two issues presented.

Always break down complex inquiries into single-issue questions, as this not only enhances clarity but also allows participants to provide specific and focused responses to each component of the question.

Example of a Double-Barreled Question:

Double-barreled: “How satisfied are you with the product’s functionality and design?”

Revised: “How satisfied are you with the product’s functionality? How about its design?”

3. Overly complex questions

Complex questions, laden with jargon or convoluted language, can overwhelm participants. When faced with complexity, participants may struggle to comprehend the question, leading to vague or incomplete responses that do not truly reflect their experiences.

Frame questions in clear and straightforward language to ensure participants easily grasp the intent. A well-understood question encourages participants to provide thoughtful and meaningful responses.

Example of an Overly Complex Question:

Complex: “In what ways do the multifaceted functionalities of the application contribute to your overall user satisfaction?”

Revised: “How do the application’s features contribute to your overall satisfaction?”

In summary, open-ended questions are indispensable tools in qualitative research.

They allow UX researchers to explore the complexity and diversity of human experiences, thoughts, and perspectives.

Open-ended questions provide valuable insights that go beyond mere numerical data. It encourages detailed and personalised responses,.

Remember to align the questions with your research objectives, ensuring clarity and neutrality and encouraging openness and storytelling.

Researchers often learn more about their subjects and find valuable insights that drive meaningful research outcomes when they use open-ended questions.

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Open-Ended vs. Close-Ended Questions: When and How to Use Them

Karolina Konopka

Customer support manager

When designing surveys and questionnaires, one of the crucial decisions we face is whether to employ open-ended or closed-ended questions. However, it’s essential to recognize that each type has its own advantages and limitations and serves distinct purposes. In this article, we’ll explore the dynamics between open-ended and closed-ended questions and how their unique characteristics can shape the data we collect.

Open-Ended Questions: Unlocking Depth and Insight

Open-ended questions are free-form  survey questions  that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Instead, they encourage respondents to provide detailed, thoughtful responses. These questions typically begin with words like “what,” “how,” “why,” and “tell me about.” The responses to these  qualitative research questions  can be used to attain detailed and descriptive information on a subject.

Qualitative Market Research relies significantly on using open and subjective questions within discussions or conversations. This method involves engaging respondents with queries encouraging detailed and unrestricted responses, allowing for subsequent probing by the researcher based on the respondent’s input.

Advantages of Open-Ended Questions:

• Encourage Exploration: Open-ended questions invite people to delve deeper into their thoughts and feelings. For example, asking, “How do you feel about your job?” allows for a richer response than a close-ended question like, “Do you like your job?”
• Promote Engagement: They stimulate conversation and engagement because they require more than a brief response. People feel heard and valued when they have the opportunity to express themselves.
• Uncover Insights: These questions are valuable in research and interviews as they reveal underlying opinions, motivations, and perspectives. They provide qualitative data that can be invaluable for decision-making.
• Enhance Problem-Solving: Open-ended questions are excellent for brainstorming and problem-solving sessions. They encourage participants to consider various angles and possibilities.

Examples of Open-Ended Questions:

• What are your thoughts on the current state of the economy?
• Can you describe your experience working on that project in detail?
• How do you envision the future of our industry?
• What are your personal goals and aspirations?
• Tell me about your favorite vacation and what made it special.
• What challenges do you anticipate facing in your new role?
• How would you approach solving this complex problem?
• Describe your ideal work environment and why it suits you.
• What are some strategies you use to maintain a healthy work-life balance?
• How do you feel about the recent changes in our company’s policies?

Open-ended Questions in Employee Experience Surveys

Open-ended questions in customer experience surveys are powerful tools for gathering rich and qualitative insights . These questions encourage customers to provide in-depth feedback, offering a more comprehensive understanding of their experiences.

• “Can you describe a recent interaction with our customer support team and how it made you feel?” allows customers to share their personal experiences, shedding light on the emotional aspect of their interaction.
• “What improvements do you believe would make our products or services even better suited to your needs?” invites customers to suggest specific enhancements, providing actionable feedback for business growth. By incorporating open-ended questions like these into customer experience surveys, companies can tap into the nuanced perspectives of their customers, driving meaningful improvements and fostering stronger customer relationships.

Close-Ended Questions: Seeking Specific Answers

Close-ended questions, on the other hand, have predetermined answer options and can usually be answered with a “yes” or “no” or by selecting from a list of choices. They are concise and straightforward. One of the most popular closed questions in marketing is the  Net Promoter Score®  (NPS) question, which asks people “How likely are you to recommend this product/service on a scale from 0 to 10?” and uses numerical answers to calculate overall score trends.

Advantages of Close-Ended Questions:

• Efficiency: Close-ended questions are quick and efficient for gathering specific information. For instance, in an online survey , asking, “Did you find the website user-friendly?” provides a clear, quantifiable response.
• Clarity: They are useful when clarifying a point or confirming details without leaving room for ambiguity.
• Comparability: In surveys and data analysis, close-ended questions make comparing responses and drawing statistical conclusions easier.
• Standardization: They ensure consistency in data collection, reducing the risk of interviewer bias.

Examples of Close-Ended Questions:

• Is the temperature comfortable for you?
• Have you ever purchased our product before?
• Did you attend the conference last year?
• Is this your first time visiting our website?
• Did you receive the package we sent last week?
• Are you familiar with our company’s refund policy?
• Is your preferred payment method credit card or cash?
• Did you choose option A or option B for your meal?
• Did you watch the game last night?
• Is the meeting location convenient for you?
• Did you experience any issues with the software installation?

Close-ended Questions in Employee Experience Surveys

Close-ended questions in employee experience surveys are designed to gather specific and quantifiable data, offering a snapshot of employee sentiments.

• “On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your current work-life balance?” provides a clear numeric rating that can be easily analyzed to gauge overall satisfaction levels.
• “Do you feel adequately supported by your immediate supervisor in your day-to-day tasks?” offers a straightforward yes/no response, helping organizations identify areas that may require managerial intervention. These closed-ended questions provide structured and standardized data, making it easier for businesses to pinpoint improvement areas and track employee satisfaction changes over time, ultimately enhancing the overall employee experience.

When to Use Each Type

• Open-Ended Questions: Use open-ended questions to encourage in-depth discussions, explore feelings and experiences, gather qualitative data, and foster creativity.
• Close-Ended Questions: Utilize close-ended questions when you need specific, quantifiable answers, want to streamline data collection, seek clarity, or ensure consistency in responses.

Choosing between open-ended and close-ended questions in your online surveys is not a one-size-fits-all decision. It depends on your research objectives, the level of detail you require, and the ease of analysis. By strategically incorporating both question types into your survey design , you can strike a balance that maximizes the quality and quantity of insights you gather from your respondents, ultimately leading to more informed decision-making and improved products or services.

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Qualitative research: open-ended and closed-ended questions

Our guide to market research can be downloaded free of charge

From a very young age, we have been taught what open-ended , and closed-ended questions are. How are these terms applied to qualitative research methods , and in particular to interviews?

Kathryn J. Roulston reveals her definitions of an open-ended and closed-ended question in qualitative interviews in the SAGE Encyclopedia on Qualitative Research Methods . If you want to better understand how qualitative methods fit within a market research approach, we suggest you take a look at our step-by-step guide to market research which can be downloaded in our white papers section (free of charge and direct; we won’t ask you any contact details first).

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Introduction

• Closed-ended question
• Open-ended question

Examples of closed and open-ended questions for satisfaction research

Examples of closed and open-ended questions for innovation research, some practical advice.

Let us begin by pointing out that open and closed-ended questions do not at first glance serve the same purpose in market research. Instead, open-ended questions are used in qualitative research (see the video above for more information) and closed-ended questions are used in quantitative research. But this is not an absolute rule.

In this article, you will, therefore, discover the definitions of closed and open-ended questions. We will also explain how to use them. Finally, you will find examples of how to reformulate closed-ended questions into open-ended questions in the case of :

• satisfaction research
• innovation research

Essential elements to remember

Open-ended questions:

• for qualitative research (interviews and focus groups)
• very useful in understanding in detail the respondent and his or her position concerning a defined topic/situation
• particularly helpful in revealing new aspects , sub-themes, issues, and so forth that are unknown or unidentified

Closed-ended questions:

• for quantitative research (questionnaires and surveys)
• suitable for use with a wide range of respondents
• allow a standardised analysis of the data
• are intended to confirm the hypotheses (previously stated in the qualitative part)

A closed-ended question

A closed-ended question offers, as its name suggests, a limited number of answers. For example, the interviewee may choose a response from a panel of given proposals or a simple “yes” or “no”. They are intended to provide a precise, clearly identifiable and easily classified answer.

This type of question is used in particular during interviews whose purpose is to be encoded according to pre-established criteria. There is no room for free expression, as is the case for open-ended questions. Often, this type of question is integrated into 1-to-1 interview guides and focus groups and allows the interviewer to collect the same information from a wide range of respondents in the same format. Indeed, closed-ended questions are designed and oriented to follow a pattern and framework predefined by the interviewer.

Two forms of closed-ended questions were identified by the researchers: specific closed-ended questions , where respondents are offered choice answers, and implicit closed-ended questions , which include assumptions about the answers that can be provided by respondents.

A specific closed-ended question would be formulated as follows, for example: “how many times a week do you eat pasta: never, once or twice a week, 3 to 4 times, 5 times a week or more?” The adapted version in the form of an implicit closed-ended question would be formulated as follows: “how many times a week do you eat pasta? ». The interviewer then assumes that the answers will be given in figures.

The Net Promoter Score (or NPS) is an example of closed question (see example above)

While some researchers consider the use of closed-ended questions to be restrictive, others see in these questions – combined with open-ended questions – the possibility of generating different data for analysis. How these closed-ended questions can be used, formulated, sequenced, and introduced in interviews depends heavily upon the studies and research conducted upstream.

Read also Creating a questionnaire for quantitative market research

In what context are closed-ended questions used?

• Quantitative research (tests, confirmation of the qualitative research and so on).
• Research with a large panel of respondents (> 100 people)
• Recurrent research whose results need to be compared
• When you need confirmation, and the possible answers are limited in effect

An open-ended question

An open-ended question is a question that allows the respondent to express himself or herself freely on a given subject. This type of question is, as opposed to closed-ended questions, non-directive and allows respondents to use their own terms and direct their response at their convenience.

Open-ended questions, and therefore without presumptions, can be used to see which aspect stands out from the answers and thus could be interpreted as a fact, behaviour, reaction, etc. typical to a defined panel of respondents.

For example, we can very easily imagine open-ended questions such as “describe your morning routine”. Respondents are then free to describe their routine in their own words, which is an important point to consider. Indeed, the vocabulary used is also conducive to analysis and will be an element to be taken into account when adapting an interview guide, for example, and/or when developing a quantitative questionnaire.

As we detail in our market research whitepaper , one of the recommendations to follow when using open-ended questions is to start by asking more general questions and end with more detailed questions. For example, after describing a typical day, the interviewer may ask for clarification on one of the aspects mentioned by the respondent. Also, open-ended questions can also be directed so that the interviewee evokes his or her feelings about a situation he or she may have mentioned earlier.

In what context are open-ended questions used?

• Mainly in qualitative research (interviews and focus groups)
• To recruit research participants
• During research to test a design, a proof-of-concept, a prototype, and so on, it is essential to be able to identify the most appropriate solution.
• Analysis of consumers and purchasing behaviour
• Satisfaction research , reputation, customer experience and loyalty research, and so forth.
• To specify the hypotheses that will enable the quantitative questionnaire to be drawn up and to propose a series of relevant answers (to closed-ended questions ).

It is essential for the interviewer to give respondents a framework when using open-ended questions. Without this context, interviewees could be lost in the full range of possible responses, and this could interfere with the smooth running of the interview. Another critical point concerning this type of question is the analytical aspect that follows. Indeed, since respondents are free to formulate their answers, the data collected will be less easy to classify according to fixed criteria.

The use of open-ended questions in quantitative questionnaires

Rules are made to be broken; it is well known. Most quantitative questionnaires, therefore, contain free fields in which the respondent is invited to express his or her opinions in a more “free” way. But how to interpret these answers?

When the quantity of answers collected is small (about ten) it will be easy to proceed manually, possibly by coding (for more information on the coding technique, go here ). You will thus quickly identify the main trends and recurring themes.

On the other hand, if you collect hundreds or even thousands of answers, the analysis of these free answers will be much more tedious. How can you do it? In this case, we advise you to use a semantic analysis tool. This is most often an online solution, specific to a language, which is based on an NLP (Natural Language Processing) algorithm. This algorithm will, very quickly, analyse your corpus and bring out the recurring themes . It is not a question here of calculating word frequencies, but instead of working on semantics to analyse the repetition of a subject.

Of course, the use of open-ended questions in interviews does not exclude the use of closed-ended questions. Alternating these two types of questions in interviews, whether 1-to-1 interviews, group conversations or focus groups, is conducive not only to maintaining a specific dynamic during the interview but also to be able to frame specific responses while leaving certain fields of expression free. In general, it is interesting for the different parties that the interview ends with an open-ended question where the interviewer asks the interviewee if he or she has anything to add or if he or she has any questions.

In this type of research, you confront the respondent with a new, innovative product or service. It is therefore important not to collect superficial opinions but to understand in depth the respondent’s attitude towards the subject of the market research.

As you will have understood, open-ended questions are particularly suitable for qualitative research (1-to-1 interviews and focus groups). How should they be formulated?

The Five W’s; (who did what, where, when, and why ) questioning method should be used rigorously and sparingly :

• Who? Who? What? Where? When? How? How much? “are particularly useful for qualitative research and allow you to let your interlocutor develop and elaborate a constructed and informative answer.
• Use the CIT (Critical Incident Technique) method with formulations that encourage your interviewer to go into the details of an experience: “Can you describe/tell me…? “, ” What did you feel? “, ” According to you… “
• Avoid asking “Why?”: this question may push the interviewer into a corner, and the interviewer may seek logical reasoning for his or her previous answer. Be gentle with your respondents by asking them to tell you more, to give you specific examples, for example.

In contrast, closed-ended questions are mainly used and adapted to quantitative questionnaires since they facilitate the analysis of the results by framing the participants’ answers.

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• Market research methods

19 July 2021

Very useful sir….

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Home • Knowledge hub • Your Guide to Using Open-Ended Questions in Market Research.

Your Guide to Using Open-Ended Questions in Market Research.

When conducting market research, asking the right questions is crucial. The magic happens when you dig deeper than the traditional ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses. This is where open-ended questions come in. These questions allow respondents to express their thoughts in their own words, providing richer, more meaningful insights. 

This blog will guide you on effectively using open-ended survey questions in your market research, analyzing the responses, and highlighting some best practices. We’ll also share some examples of effective open-ended questions.

The Power of Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. They allow respondents to express their opinions, thoughts, and feelings in a more detailed and nuanced manner.

For instance, instead of asking, “Do you like our product?” (a close-ended question), you could ask, “What do you like most about our product?” The latter question provides more room for detailed responses, giving you deeper insights into what your customers value about your product.

Also, read “ Bad Survey Questions and How to Avoid Them. “

How to Use Open-Ended Questions in Your Survey

Strategically placing open-ended questions in your survey is key. Too many open-ended questions can make the survey long and tedious, leading to lower response rates. Consider mixing both close-ended and open-ended questions to maintain balance.

Open-ended questions should be clear and straightforward. Avoid using industry jargon or complex language that might confuse the respondent. 

Here are a few examples of effective open-ended questions:

• “What features would you like to see added to our product in the future?”
• “Can you describe a situation where our service helped solve your problem?”
• “What made you choose our product over others available in the market?”

Here are some examples of less-effective questions, why they’re problematic, and how they could be improved for better insights

Example 1: “Are there any comments you’d like to share?”

Problem: This question is too vague. Respondents may need to learn precisely what you’re asking for, which could lead to irrelevant responses or discourage respondents from answering.

Solution: Instead, ask, “Can you share your thoughts on how we could improve our product?” This question is more specific and invites respondents to provide actionable feedback.

Example 2: “Do you like our new website?”

Problem: While seemingly open-ended, this question can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It doesn’t encourage respondents to provide details or reasons behind their answers.

Solution: A better way to phrase this could be, “What do you like most about our new website, and what could be improved?” This invites respondents to share specific positive feedback and offer constructive criticism.

Example 3: “What features do you want in our product?”

Problem: While this question seeks valuable feedback, it might be too open-ended. Respondents might suggest features beyond your product’s scope, making the feedback less actionable.

Solution: Instead, consider asking, “Which existing feature would you like us to enhance in our product, and why?” This question still captures the desire for improvement but focuses on the product’s current capabilities.

Example 4: “Tell us about our customer service.”

Problem: This question is broad and might lead to unfocused answers. It doesn’t guide respondents on which aspects of customer service they’re interested in.

Solution: An improved version of this question could be, “Could you describe a recent experience you had with our customer service team and how it could have been better?” This question prompts respondents to share specific experiences and provide targeted feedback.

Crafting effective open-ended questions is about clarity and relevance. Strive for questions that encourage detailed, focused responses while ensuring the question is directly relevant to the respondent and the purpose of your research.

Analyzing Responses to Open-Ended Questions

Analyzing open-ended responses can be more complex than analyzing close-ended ones due to the qualitative nature of the responses. 

Here are some strategies to help:

• Thematic Analysis: This involves identifying recurring themes or patterns in the responses. For example, if many respondents mention that they love your product’s ‘ease of use’, it’s a recurring theme worth noting.
• Sentiment Analysis: This is used to gauge the overall sentiment of the responses, i.e., whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. This can give you a quick understanding of the overall perception of your product or service.
• Coding: This involves categorizing responses into predefined categories. For example, responses to the question “What do you like most about our product?” could be coded into categories such as ‘price’, ‘quality’, ‘customer service’, and so on. 

Best Practices for Using Open-Ended Questions

• Use sparingly: Avoid overwhelming respondents with too many open-ended questions. They should be used sparingly and strategically.
• Ensure clarity: The question should be easy to understand. Avoid ambiguity that may confuse respondents.
• Invite elaboration: Encourage respondents to provide as much detail as possible. You can do this using phrases like, “Please explain…” or “Could you elaborate on…”
• Keep it relevant: Ensure that your open-ended questions are relevant to the respondent and the purpose of your survey. Irrelevant questions may lead to incomplete responses or drop-outs.

When and Why Should You Use an Open-Ended Question?

Open-ended questions can be incredibly useful, but knowing when to deploy them is vital for their effectiveness. 

Here are a few scenarios where open-ended questions are particularly beneficial:

• Gathering In-Depth Insights: Open-ended questions are perfect when seeking detailed and nuanced insights from your respondents. They encourage respondents to share their experiences, perspectives, and opinions in their own words, providing richer and more complex data than close-ended questions.
• Exploring New Ideas: Open-ended questions can be a valuable tool if you’re looking for fresh ideas or creative input. They give respondents the freedom to think outside the box and offer suggestions they might not have considered.
• Understanding Customer Sentiment: When you want to gauge how customers feel about your brand, product, or service, open-ended questions can reveal more about their emotions and attitudes. Sentiments are often complex and can’t be captured fully by a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
• Problem Diagnosis: If customers face issues with your product or service, open-ended questions can help diagnose the problem more effectively. By allowing customers to describe the issue in their own words, you’re more likely to understand the root of the problem.

Why should you use open-ended questions? Open-ended questions are essential when you want to:

• Understand the ‘Why’: Open-ended questions help you understand why respondents feel a certain way, providing context that can help inform your decision-making.
• Identify Trends and Patterns: By identifying common themes or trends in the responses to open-ended questions, you can gain valuable insights into broad customer attitudes and behaviors.
• Empower Respondents: Open-ended questions give your respondents a voice, making them feel valued and engaged. This can help build stronger relationships with your customers.

The ultimate goal of using open-ended questions is to collect meaningful and actionable insights to help you make informed decisions, enhance your product or service, and ultimately better serve your customers.

Analyzing results from open-ended questions can be challenging due to the qualitative nature of the data. 

However, the following steps can guide you through the process and help you extract meaningful insights:

• Organize Your Responses: Start by collecting and organizing all the responses you’ve received. You might transcribe them if they were collected verbally, or if they’re written, gather them into a single document or spreadsheet for analysis.
• Read and Familiarize Yourself with the Responses: Read through all the responses carefully to get a sense of what your respondents are saying. This will give you an initial understanding of the general sentiments and main ideas.
• Code Your Responses: Coding is the process of categorizing responses based on shared themes or concepts. You could categorize responses to product improvement questions into themes like ‘product features’, ‘pricing’, and ‘customer service.’
• Identify Themes or Patterns: After coding, analyze the categories to identify common themes or patterns. These recurring themes can reveal significant insights about your respondents’ opinions or experiences.
• Quantify Your Data: You should quantify your data depending on the number of responses. For instance, you can calculate the percentage of responses that mention a particular theme. This can help when comparing the prominence of different themes.
• Perform Sentiment Analysis: This involves assessing the emotional tone of the responses. Software tools can assist with this, especially for larger datasets. You can classify responses as positive, negative, or neutral.
• Review and Interpret Your Findings: Review your coded data, theme patterns, and sentiment analysis results. What do they suggest about your respondents’ perspectives? What actionable insights can you extract?
• Present Your Findings: Summarize your findings clearly and concisely, suitable for presentation. Visual aids such as charts, graphs, or word clouds can help communicate your results effectively.

Analyzing open-ended responses can be time-consuming, but the depth and richness of the insights you’ll gain make it a worthwhile endeavor.

Open-ended questions can provide rich, in-depth insights into your customers’ thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Remember, it’s not about the quantity of data you collect but the quality of the insights you glean that truly matter in market research.

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Open-ended Questions Vs. Closed-ended Questions In User Research

Simbar Dube

So you have decided to conduct a usability test for your product —so as to understand your product from the users’ perspective. You then realize that you have to come up with relevant questions to ask participants.

“ That sounds like a piece of cake ,” some may presume. 

Writing effective usability questions seems deceptively easy, but the harsh reality is it’s not as simple as you may think it is. There are quite a number of mistakes to avoid . 

How you phrase your questions will directly impact the quality and value of your user testing results. Ask your participants the wrong questions, or use the wrong words to structure the questions, and you will gather incorrect feedback. Wrong questions can contaminate the whole research —leading to misleading quantitative data and qualitative data.

Before you come up with any usability questions, there is a great need for creative thinking, which involves answering the question – what you intend to learn from the test. Begin by asking yourself this: what information do I need from this research ? 

Taking time to answer that question will help you narrow down all the possible wrong directions you might head before getting to the qualitative data or quantitative data you need. The ultimate goal could be as simple as finding out if users will click on your search result listing. 

When you have a clearly defined goal, writing usability questions isn’t a task that is hard to do.

By default, your usability questions could either be open-ended questions or close-ended questions.

Whenever we conduct any user research at Invesp, our conversations with our participants have a natural rhythm.

We ensure this by using open-ended questions and closed-ended questions in unison.

This article will explore open-ended questions and close-ended questions in great detail, focusing on how to write them and when to use them. 

What are open-ended questions? 

An open-ended question is what it is: a question that is open to any answer. In the context of user research, open-ended questions are questions that do not limit users to one- or two-word answers. Instead, they have multiple potential responses, and they often give room for further probing by the moderator.  

Open-ended questions are versatile in nature, and they prompt users to describe their feelings and thoughts in their own voice. In this regard, the Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google, Avinash Kaushik , says:

The greatest nuggets of insights are in open ended questions because it is the Voice of the Customer speaking directly to you (not cookies and shopper_ids but customers).

There is something about asking open-ended questions that makes participants feel more comfortable during a usability test . People, in general, tend to open up and express themselves better when they are given room to answer in their own words.

For example, rather than asking, “Was the new feature easy to use?” You can try something like, “How would you describe your experience of using the new feature?”

The most common response to the first question would have been, “ Yes, it was ” or “ No, it wasn’t ” and there was no way you could have understood the context behind the user’s response. But the second question allows users to respond freely, and there is a high chance of getting unique answers that you might not have anticipated.

Open-ended questions are ideal for starting and holding a conversation in any circle. They empower users, giving them 100% control of what they intend to say —and this is something that cannot be done using closed-ended questions.

Tips for writing effective open-ended questions.

Coming up with the right kind of questions requires practice. There’s an art to asking questions that prompts people to think before giving a response. Unless it’s an open-ended question, not every question you ask your users will motivate them to give a detailed answer. Here are a few tips that will help you write effective open-ended questions. 

1. Begin your question with how, why, and what

What makes a question open-ended is the wording of the sentence. For an effective open-ended question, start the question with words such as how, what, why, and can. This way, you give your users freedom to say more, and in the process, there is a possibility of uncovering rich insights. 

Avoid using more specific words such as did, would, which, when and was —these usually prompt one-worded answers.

For example, a question like “ Which part of your experience was unsatisfactory ?” does not evoke users to give in-depth details about what they found unsatisfactory with the application. Instead, you can elicit users to reflect on their experience and give a more insightful response if you ask it this way “ What challenges did you face during your experience with XYZ ?”.

Here are a couple more examples of how to attain a more precise answer by changing the wording of your question:

2. Clarity and Analysis

Ensure that your question requires users to be analytical and to clarify their points. One defining trait of an open-ended question is its ability to propel users to put more thought to their responses. 

Analytical questions do not require users to generalize their answers. For instance, in a Conversion Optimization research, you might ask your participants these questions:

• What is the significance of a certain element in a website?  
• How important is the new feature on the site?
• Why did you choose to use this service/product?

All these three questions are different, but they all have one thing in common: they would require participants to be clear and describe their answers in more detail.

By motivating users to give clarity in their responses, open-ended questions can also be used as a way of motivating their participants to verify their answers, especially when your previous question was closed-ended.

Suppose you ask this close-ended question: “Did you find the product you were looking for?” you can then verify the given answer by asking this follow-up open-ended question: “Why were you looking for that product?”

3. Avoiding leading participants into a certain answer 

In any research approach, open-ended questions are asked so as to elicit valuable insights from users, not to confirm the moderator’s existing beliefs. So, if your questioning subtly prompts users to answer in a certain way or gives hints at the expected answer, then you need to revise the phrasing of your questions. 

The wording of the question shouldn’t be suggestive of any answers to the participants as this biases the users into giving a predetermined answer. 

Let’s say you ask this question: “ Which feature made you visit our site ?” 

The problem with this question is that already suggests an answer for the users. It implies that it’s a feature that made users visit the site. Come to think of it, what if it wasn’t a feature but a service that lured the users to the site? 

Examples Of Open-Ended Questions.

You can use these sample questions as conversation starters and to also make your participant explain more.

1. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with this process?

2. What would (did) you expect to happen when you … ?

3. Did you find it?

4. How would this fit into your work?

5. How might this change the way you do that today?

6. What do you think about that?

7. What kinds of questions or difficulties have you had when doing this in the past?

8. What happened when you did this before?

9. Please describe your level of experience with …

10. What’s most confusing or annoying about … ?

11. What worked well for you?

12. How do you know … ?

13. How do you normally … ?

14. What just happened?

15. What was that?

16. What would you most want to change about … ?

17. Which things did you like the best about … ?

18. What were you expecting?

How Do You Ask Open-Ended Questions In UX Research?

Open-ended questions in UX research are used to gather qualitative data and gain insights into users’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 

These types of questions allow participants to provide detailed and unstructured responses rather than simply choosing from a set of pre-determined options.

To ask open-ended questions in UX research, you can use prompts such as:

• “Can you tell me about a time when you used a similar product or service?”
• “What do you like/dislike about the current design?”
• “How would you describe your experience using this feature?”
• “What would you change about this feature if you could?”
• “Can you walk me through your thought process as you complete this task?”

When asking open-ended questions, it is important to create a comfortable and non-threatening environment for participants and to listen and probe actively for more information as needed. Additionally, it is important to avoid leading questions and to keep the question open-ended to gather unbiased answers.

When To Use Open-Ended Questions.

In some situations, the only way to get valuable insights is to give respondents some sense of control over the conversation by allowing them to answer in their own words. There is a high chance of bumping into something completely unique and valuable if you allow users to have the freedom to express themselves.

1. In sales 

SalesHacker made an interesting observation about interactive discussions prompted by open ended questions: when you have a conversation with your potential customers, and they talk for at least 30% of the time, your conversion sales will likely increase. But if they talk for less than 30% of the time, your sales conversion rates will drop. 

With open-ended questions, you are not only guaranteed an increase in sales, but they can also help you: 

•  Explore the needs of your customers. 
•  Provide you with a better idea of what your customers think about your product.
•  Foresee and minimize risks.
•  Trigger a meaningful and insightful conversation with your customers.
•  Discover new opportunities. 
• They can play a significant role in building a good rapport with your customers. 

However, not all open-ended questions are good. In an article written by Business 2 Community, they gave examples of some of the “ bad open-ended questions ” that won’t work well in sales: 

• How much are you willing to spend? 
• What is your worst pain?
• What kind of goods or services are you ready to pay for
• What don’t you like about our service? 
• What don’t you like about our service?

2. Open-ended questions in conversion optimization research

The essence of an effective CRO program is not only based on getting tactics right and testing this and that, but it’s also about knowing the mindset of your customers. You first have to see your product or service from the customer’s lens to deliver a product or the services they desire. 

One way of getting into the customer’s head is by asking open-ended questions.

In this regard, JeremySaid put out a handy list of questions you can ask your current customers when you intend to increase your conversion rate. Here are some of the open-ended questions they recommended: 

• How was your overall experience? 
• Why are you here today? 
• What about this product/service struck out to you? 
• What do you know about our company? 
• What would you like to know about our company? 
• What problems have you experienced in the past with similar products? 
• What would you like to see us do more online?  

The more you let your customers feel comfortable, the more they will reveal what drove them to consider purchasing your product. So, whether you are conducting a usability test, focus group, customer interviews, or surveys , keep your customers TALKİNG and use the information to your advantage. And the best way of doing this is by opening up the conversation. 

What Are Closed-Ended Questions (With Examples)

If you can imagine a question restricting  participants to a set of predefined answers , then that’s a close-ended question. It aims to get precise and clear-cut answers — without leaving any room for users to express themselves.

According to Wikipedia : 

A close ended question refers to any question for which a researcher provides research participants with options from which to choose a response. Close ended questions are sometimes phrased as a statement which requires a response. A close ended question contrasts with an open ended question, which cannot easily be answered with specific information .

Asking closed-ended questions will give you specific answers, aka quantitative data. Do they want to purchase your product? Are they shopping around with your competitors for the same service? The answers are simple and direct.

Although close-ended questions provide limited insights, that doesn’t make them any less important. In most cases, close-ended questions are used in a quantitative research approach where insights gathered are numerical. 

Close-ended questions have their place in user research, and they are wonderfully effective in guiding participants into giving certain answers. 

For example, you conduct a usability test to determine if your app store listing will convert well. So you ask your participants this question: 

Which of the following pieces of information made you download this app on the Play Store?  

• Screenshots 
• Customer reviews 

From this example above, the question eliminates any element of surprise by setting boundaries for the participants’ responses. Participants are not expected to give an answer outside the set of predefined responses. 

So, if close-ended questions do not require participants to express themselves, then isn’t that a disadvantage? Well, it is. Respondents are biased into responding in a certain way. But sometimes, it’s necessary to use these types of questions in user research as they make it easier and quicker for respondents to answer . 

Although close-ended questions have different forms, they all have this in common: they are similar in the kind of answer they draw out from the respondents — clear-cut answers.

Specific questions

Specific questions are precise, clearly defined and they leave no room as to the intended meaning. At times, they come as multiple-choice questions that consist of two sections: (1) the stem which is the question itself and (2) a list of response alternatives, choices or answers that respondents will have to select an answer from. 

Example :  Suppose you want to evaluate your marketing channels and find out which platform is your brand more visible in. So you ask your participants: 

How did you first learn about our product/website? 

As alternative responses to the question, you can give these to your participants: 

Among all kinds of questions,  specific or multiple-choice questions are considered to be the most versatile type of questions.  In user research, you can use specific questions to discover facts or to gain an understanding of user behavior.  

Implicit questions

If anything is said to be implicit, then it means that it is not directly pointed out, but it is somehow suggested in the statement. So, an implicit statement is as an expression that prompts a certain reaction .   

With that said, what then is an implicit question ? 

  An implicit question can be defined as a leading question that gives hints about the type of answer needed. Think of them as leading questions , that pushes participants to respond in a specific manner.  

Example :  If you ask users this question: How many times do you visit our website ? 

Using “ how many times” in the above question implies that the participants have visited the website before. There is an element of conjecture and assumptions and in this case, participants are persuaded to give a numerical answer. 

If the question was to be phrased as a direct question, it would have been: 

Have you ever visited our website? 

This second question doesn’t influence the participants’ responses —and this means that the question doesn’t cultivate any biases in respondents. 

Tips For Writing Effective Close-Ended Questions

Close-ended questions should not always be thought of as simple questions that anyone can easily answer merely because they do not require a detailed answer.  

1. Begin sentences with Where, Which, When, Did 

To make a question a close-ended, there is a certain way you should phrase it. In his book Conversationally Speaking , Alan Garner suggests that you use these few words to begin close-ended questions:

Using these words, here’s a list of some examples of close-ended questions you can use: 

• Are you happy with your experience when using our site? 
• Would you recommend our product/service? 
• What challenges did you face when you were using this website?  
• Which elements on our mobile applications were easy to use? 

None of these closed-ended questions prompt participants to give detailed answers. They all can be answered with a one-word answer , as they aim to find out the ‘ what’ and not the ‘why’ . 

2. Be clear and simple 

Needless to say, when you ask a clear and simple question, you allow the possibility of a clear-cut answer. So the starting point is to remove extra verbiage that may end up distracting or confusing the respondents. 

Good example : Would you recommend our website ? 

Bad example : You have used the website for more than 10 minutes and you have visited all the pages and clicked on all, so does it mean that you will recommend our website to other people? 

Once you frustrate users with wordy questions, you risk compromising the value of your feedback. Here’s a list of clear and simple close-ended questions : 

• Did you experience good customer service? 
• Would you consider using our product or service again? 
• Did you like our product or service? 
• What product or service were you looking for today? 
• Are you happy with your experience with us? 
• Did you find what you were looking for today?   

Having clear and simple close ended questions won’t just make it easy for users to infer the intended meaning, but you, as a moderator, will understand the given answers without any hassles. 

3. Relevant answer choices 

If you intend to use multiple-choice questions, then make sure that your suggested answers are plausible. Participants usually have different experiences even after using the same product, so you should have several alternative answers that best describe answers. 

Use at least four alternatives in each multiple-choice question so as to give users a variety of alternatives.  

When to use close-ended questions.

Generally, an online poll can have close-ended questions and open-ended questions as long as they require short feedback. But to give users a simple experience, you can use close-ended questions as they are easy to answer and do not require a detailed answer.  Since they require limited answers, Susan Farrell from Nielsen Norman Group  says this: 

Closed ended questions are often good for surveys , because you get higher response rates when users don’t have to type so much. Also, answers to closed ended questions can easily be analyzed statistically, which is what you usually want to do with survey data.

Here’s an example of one of the close-ended questions we use on the FigPii polls. The question asked users the reason for their visit on the site and it allowed them to select one answer from four alternatives. 

Such close-ended questions which have multiple-choice forms have higher completion rates as users do not have to come up with their own responses. Although the answers given provide a general sentiment of insights, you can always follow up with an open-ended question so as to see things from the users’ perspectives. 

For instance, you can ask users to further elaborate on their answers by asking this as a follow-up:

What is the most important feature of our product/service for you ? This way you can understand the context behind the users’ decisions. 

Considering that they don’t demand much explanation from the respondents, close ended are perfect in quantitative usability research where you’d need to measure usability metrics such as task completion rates, error rates, and post-task satisfaction. 

Insights gained using close ended questions allow researchers to categorize respondents based on the answers they have selected. How so? 

Let’s say you have an online store, and you need to know the demographics of people who visit(ed) your site and left without completing a purchase. To decipher this demographic information, you can conduct an online survey that asks these close ended questions: 

Question 1: Can you please specify your gender?

Question 2: You are in which age group? 

• 18-24 years 
• 25-34 years
• 35-44 years
• 45-54 years
• 55-64 years

Question 3: What is your annual income range?

This knowledge would help you target the right kind of marketing campaign to the exact customers you’d want to attract. 

Similarly, the Nielsen Norman Group gave this list that indicates when to use close ended questions. Here are the situations where you should use this type of questions: 

• In quantitative usability studies, where you are measuring time on task and error rates, and you need to compare results among users
• In surveys where you expect many (1000+), respondents
• When collecting data that must be measured carefully over time, for example with repeated (identical) research efforts
• When the set of possible answers is strictly limited for some reason
• After you have done enough qualitative research that you have excellent multiple-choice questions that cover most of the cases. 

Final Thoughts

Whenever you hear any CRO consultant or agency saying that they will fish out all the ‘ barriers that inhibit conversion’ on your site, all they mean is that they will ask relevant questions until they achieve better results. 

In this CRO business, assumptions can ruin what might have been a good relation with your customers. Foster the culture of asking questions, after all, the source of valuable knowledge is attained through asking questions. 

So, whether it’s open-ended or closed-ended you decide to use, make sure you can answer Yes to the following questions before coming up with any questions: 

• Do your participants have relevant prior knowledge needed to respond to your questions?
• Does your question address one of the important aspects that your users may have experienced during the course of the research? 
• Is your question clearly outlined, using the appropriate language that can be easily interpreted by your customers/users? 
• Are your questions grammatically correct? 

Additional Resources

1. Open ended questions and close ended questions: What they are, and how they affect user research.

2 . 6 DTC ecommerce websites with killer value proposition.

3. 11 customer service psychology secrets that go down the funnel, not the drain.

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The Open-Ended Questions Playbook: Strategies For Engaging Communication

Open-ended questions are crucial in helping you significantly enhance the depth and quality of your insights. In this blog, you'll learn how to ask the right questions to deeply understand your users so you can make the right decisions.

Arnob Mukherjee

Imagine you're conducting a survey to understand your customer's experience with your latest product, and you ask, "On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with our product?"

You notice a glaring issue as the responses pour in - the answers only give you a numerical rating. It leaves you clueless about the reasons behind their satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Here, the power of open-ended questions comes into play.

Incorporating open-ended questions in your surveys can help you significantly enhance the depth and quality of your insights.

In this comprehensive guide to open-ended questions, we'll explore how asking the right questions can open the door to deeper understanding. It'll enable you to uncover valuable information that can help shape your strategy and decision-making process.

So, let's start with the basics!

What Are Open-Ended Questions?

Difference between open-ended and close-ended questions, when to use open-ended questions, challenges and limitations of open-ended questions, crafting effective open-ended questions, ethical considerations with open-ended questions, conclusion: unlocking the power of open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are a type of inquiry that allows respondents to answer in their own words without being restricted to predefined options or a specific format. These questions encourage respondents to provide more detailed, thoughtful, and personalized responses. It can lead to a deeper understanding of their perspectives, opinions, and experiences.

Open-ended questions are precious in research and surveys as they enable researchers to gain insights into the reasoning behind respondents' answers, uncovering nuances that might be missed with close-ended questions. They also allow respondents to express themselves freely, revealing unexpected information and facilitating a more comprehensive topic analysis.

Examples of open-ended questions include:

• Tell us more about how we can improve the app.

• Can you describe a situation where you found our service particularly helpful?
• Found a bug? Tell us how we can fix it.

Ready to experience the power of open-ended questions firsthand? Try Olvy's feedback widget and see the difference it makes in your engagement and understanding of your audience!

Open-ended questions often begin with words like "what," "why," "how," "when," "where," and "who," which prompt respondents to provide more detailed answers and share their thought processes.

Researchers and survey designers can use open-ended questions to gather rich qualitative data that can be instrumental in understanding complex issues, identifying patterns, and making informed decisions.

The critical difference between open-ended and close-ended questions lies in the nature of the responses they elicit and the kind of data they generate. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on the context and goals of the research or survey.

Here's a table of comparison between open-ended and close-ended questions:

Open-ended questions are valuable in various situations, as they provide numerous benefits regarding data collection, understanding, and creativity. Here's when, how, and why you'd want to use open-ended questions:

1. Flexibility In Responses

Open-ended questions offer limitless potential for answers, granting respondents the liberty to communicate their thoughts and opinions without restrictions. In addition, this approach facilitates the collection of a wide array of perspectives, resulting in a more extensive understanding of the subject matter.

You can embrace the diversity of responses to obtain comprehensive insights. These insights contribute to informed decision-making and a better grasp of the complexities inherent in any given topic.

2. Gathering Detailed Information

Employing open-ended questions enables the collection of detailed, nuanced responses, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This approach leads to actionable insights, allowing for informed decision-making and addressing complex issues more effectively.

Open-ended questions capture the essence of individual perspectives, providing a comprehensive view of the topic.

3. Uncovering Unexpected Findings

Open-ended questions offer the opportunity to learn something unexpected and unique. Respondents are free to provide any answer, regardless of length or detail.

With the freedom of response, open-ended questions can reveal hidden opportunities, untapped potential, and novel ideas that might otherwise remain undiscovered. This wealth of diverse input contributes to the growth and enriches the collective understanding of the subject matter.

4. Addressing Complex Issues

Open-ended questions are ideal in situations demanding context, clarification, or elaboration. They empower respondents to respond comprehensively to intricate matters where straightforward yes/no or multiple-choice options fall short.

You can use open-ended questions to allow individuals to convey their thoughts and experiences fully. Thus, you can capture the complexity and nuances essential for understanding and addressing multifaceted issues. This approach leads to more informed decision-making and practical problem-solving strategies.

5. Gaining Insights Into Respondents' Thought Processes

The unrestricted format of open-ended questions offers insights into respondents' thought processes, including their:

• Cognitive patterns
• Linguistic preferences
• Perspective

You can analyze these aspects to understand the viewpoints and motivations better. This in-depth knowledge enables more effective communication, fosters empathy, and helps address complex issues with greater sensitivity.

Open-ended questions serve as a window into respondents' minds, enhancing your ability to connect with and understand diverse perspectives in various situations.

6. Exploring Unknown Topics

When faced with a topic where your knowledge is limited and forming a hypothesis or designing closed questions proves challenging, open-ended questions serve as an effective solution. They allow you to delve into the subject without bias, paving the way for a more comprehensive understanding.

Open-ended questions are essential for gathering rich, qualitative data in various settings like research, education, and customer feedback . However, these questions also come with their own set of challenges and limitations. Let's explore some of the most common difficulties and drawbacks.

1. Analysis Challenges

One primary challenge with open-ended questions is difficulty analyzing and interpreting the responses. In addition, unlike closed-ended questions, open-ended responses are not easily quantifiable, making them harder to process and summarize.

Possible Solutions

• Employ thematic analysis or coding techniques to categorize and quantify the data.
• Utilize text analysis software to assist in the data analysis process.
• Use open coding to group responses into categories based on common themes or ideas.

2. Respondent's Fatigue

Respondent fatigue is common when participants are asked to answer a series of open-ended questions. It can result in incomplete or vague answers, ultimately compromising the quality of the collected data.

• Limit the number of open-ended questions in your survey or interview.
• Structure your questionnaire to alternate between open-ended and closed-ended questions, keeping participants engaged.
• Provide clear instructions and context for each question to reduce confusion and maintain respondents' interest.

3. Time Constraints

Open-ended questions can be time-consuming for both the respondent and the researcher. Respondents may need more time to formulate their thoughts, while researchers must allocate more resources to analyze and interpret the data.

• Carefully select the number of open-ended questions to balance the need for in-depth information and time constraints.
• Provide participants with enough time to answer open-ended questions thoughtfully.
• Plan for additional time and resources in the research process to account for the analysis of open-ended responses.

Creating engaging and thought-provoking open-ended questions is essential to gather valuable insights from respondents. Here are some guidelines to help you design effective open-ended questions that elicit meaningful responses.

1. Be Clear And Concise

Ensure that your questions are clearly worded and easy to understand. Avoid jargon, technical terms, or complex language that may confuse respondents. The question should be simple and to the point, allowing respondents to focus on providing their input.

2. Start With "How," "Why," Or "What."

Open-ended questions often begin with words like "how," "why," or "what" to encourage respondents to think profoundly and provide detailed responses. These words prompt respondents to share their thoughts, experiences, or opinions rather than just giving a yes or no answer.

3. Be Neutral And Unbiased

Your questions must be free from response bias and not lead respondents towards a specific answer. Avoid using emotionally charged or suggestive language that might influence the respondents' opinions. Instead, frame your questions neutrally to allow for diverse perspectives.

4. Avoid Double-barreled Questions

Double-barreled questions ask about two or more issues within a single question, confusing respondents. Instead, break down complex problems into more straightforward questions to ensure respondents can adequately address each aspect.

5. Provide Context Or Examples

Provide context or examples to clarify your question and help respondents understand what is being asked. It can help them focus their responses and provide more relevant information.

6. Encourage Elaboration

Phrase your questions to encourage respondents to elaborate on their thoughts and experiences. For example, instead of asking, "Did you like the product?" ask, "What did you like or dislike about the product?"

7. Test Your Questions

Before administering your survey or interview, test your open-ended questions on a small sample of your target audience. It can help identify issues or ambiguities and provide insights into how respondents interpret your questions.

8. Be Flexible And Adaptive

When conducting interviews or focus groups, be prepared to adapt your questions based on the responses you receive. For example, if a respondent provides an exciting or unexpected answer, follow up with probing questions to explore their perspective further.

Analyzing responses to open-ended questions can be a complex process due to the qualitative nature of the data. So let's understand how you can organize, interpret, and draw insights from the data collected through open-ended questions.

9. Organize And familiarize Yourself With Data

Begin by systematically organizing the responses, which may involve transcribing recordings, compiling written responses, and importing the data into a spreadsheet or qualitative data analysis software.

Familiarize yourself with the responses by reading them several times and identifying recurring ideas, exciting insights, or outliers.

10. Utilize Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Consider using qualitative data analysis software, such as NVivo or Atlas.ti, to streamline the organization, coding, and analysis of open-ended responses. In addition, these tools can provide visual representations of the data, making identifying patterns and relationships between themes easier.

11. Triangulate Findings And Create A Narrative

Compare your findings from open-ended questions with data collected through other methods, such as closed-ended questions or secondary data sources, to strengthen the validity of your conclusions.

Synthesize your findings by creating a narrative that explains the key themes, patterns, and insights from the open-ended responses, providing a clear and coherent account of the data and its implications for your research objectives or goals.

12. Visualize Data For Better Communication

Incorporate visual elements like charts, graphs, or word clouds to present your findings in a more engaging and accessible format.

Visual representations can highlight key insights and make the data more understandable to your audience, improving the overall communication of your results.

It's essential to use open-ended questions responsibly and ethically. Ethical considerations ensure that we respect the autonomy and dignity of others while engaging in conversation. Addressing these aspects is crucial for maintaining trust and fostering healthy communication.

• Confidentiality : Respecting the privacy of individuals when discussing sensitive topics is paramount. Be mindful of shared information and uphold confidentiality when necessary, particularly in professional or therapeutic settings.
• Informed Consent : Ensure that conversation partners understand your questions' purpose and know how their responses may be used. Obtain their consent before proceeding with open-ended questions that might lead to disclosing personal or sensitive information.
• Cultural Sensitivity : Recognize that cultural differences can impact the understanding and interpretation of open-ended questions. Be aware of potential biases or assumptions that could be unintentionally offensive or intrusive. Adapt your language and approach to foster a respectful and inclusive environment.

Open-ended questions are a powerful tool that, when used effectively, can provide unparalleled insights into the minds of your respondents. Embrace the techniques and strategies discussed in this comprehensive guide to harness the power of open-ended questions to drive your research, business, or educational endeavors forward.

As you navigate the world of open-ended questions, consider leveraging Olvy to streamline your survey creation and analysis process.

Olvy offers a user-friendly platform for designing surveys that incorporate both open-ended and closed-ended questions. With Olvy's feedback widget, you can quickly and easily collect responses from your target audience, whether they are customers, research participants, or students.

What Are Open-Ended Questions & How Can You Analyze Them?

Gathering information and insights from customers , employees, and target audiences is important to understand their points of view about your company and products.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by asking open-ended questions – whether in person, on phone calls, or online surveys .

Open-ended questions are usually the most valuable way to get the data you need because they provide more detailed information.

In this post, you’ll learn everything there is to know about open-ended questions, from how to write them to analyzing them for fine-grained insights.

• What Are Open-Ended Questions

Open-Ended vs Close-Ended Questions

• Advantages of Open-Ended Questions
• Examples of Open-Ended Questions

How to Analyze Open-Ended Questions

What are open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are questions that can’t simply be answered “Yes/No” or with a fixed or multiple-choice response. Open-ended questions are worded to require an explanatory response in order to find out new, often subjective, information from the responder in their own words.

Responses that require more than one word will help you find out the “Why?”, “How?,” and “What do you think?” , which can offer far more interesting insights and avoid shutting down discourse.

For example, the open-ended question "What do you like best about our product?" elicits a descriptive response in the customers own words, while “Do you like this product” will be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No” , often leaving you in the dark as to why a customer likes or dislikes a product.

Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the two question types.

Close-ended questions are questions that can only be answered with one of a preset number of responses: “Yes/No,” predefined multiple-choice options, or scaled, e.g., “On a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you with this product?” Close-ended questions gather quantitative data.

Open-ended questions, on the other hand, gather qualitative data . They lead to more detailed and valuable information because responders are using their own language to explain their ideas and feelings. Open-ended questions can lead to free form answers and actionable insights that the questioner may have never even considered.

Common examples of surveys with both close-ended and open-ended questions are Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys.

NPS, for example, calculates customer loyalty from a simple close-ended question: “How likely from 0 to 10 are you to recommend this product or service to a friend or colleague?”. Then, there’s the option to follow up with an open-ended question, to dig into the details: “Why did you choose the score you did?”

When to Use Open-Ended Over Closed-Ended Questions

Asking the right questions will help you reach your goals, whether you need to improve user experience, generate more leads, or develop your product roadmap.

A closed-ended question will often help you detect if there is a problem in the first place. Text visualization tools can be used to show trends at a glance. For example, one-word answers to the closed-ended question in an NPS survey “How likely are you to recommend our service or product?” can be plotted on a graph to show the number of customers that responded with a positive, moderate, or negative answer. If answers are overwhelmingly negative, you’ll want to find out why.

That’s where open-ended questions come in.

Open-ended questions are ideal for customer surveys to better understand the voice of the customer (VoC) and follow the entire customer journey.

The advantages of open-ended questions often outweigh the disadvantages because they can help businesses find out:

• What customers love about your business?

What does your business already do successfully that makes customers happy? Finding your consistent strong points can maximize marketing and increase sales.

• How/what you can improve?

It may be harder to face than the positive, but no one knows the pain points of your business better than your customers. You just have to ask. In fact, leading product managers say that over 50% of their new products and features are motivated by customer feedback.

• Where have you failed the customer?

Why are customers leaving your company or where specifically have you failed? Maybe you simply promised too much. Improve customer retention by finding out what you can do to meet their expectations – which is especially poignant when it costs 5 times more to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones.

In a nutshell, open-ended questions reinforce close-ended questions because you:

• Get answers in the responders’ own words. Close-ended questions don’t offer any nuance. Open-ended questions get to the feelings and emotions behind the response.
• Discover information you may not have even considered. Create new product features or discover new applications or use cases for your product you had never thought of.
• Deeper, qualitative data. Close-ended questions offer statistics and numbers, which can be helpful to find out “What is happening,” but open-ended questions can help you understand “ Why it’s happening.”

Examples of Open-Ended Questions vs Closed-Ended Questions

Think about how you can word your questions to maximize the information you’re likely to receive from the responses.

Below are some examples of open-ended and close-ended questions:

Now for some tips on how to ask open-ended customer survey questions:

• Dig into the negative

While negative feedback may be harder to swallow, it’s usually much more useful to guide you to necessary changes. Ask questions about aspects of your business that customers are unhappy with, so you know how to improve them.

And when you receive negative responses, it’s important to close the customer feedback loop by letting customers know you’ve implemented changes or are simply acknowledging their concerns. Just letting your customers know you’re listening is a huge step toward keeping them happy

• Don’t ask leading questions

Don’t ask questions that lead the respondent in a particular direction. Don’t assume you already understand your customers’ points of view. That’s the whole purpose of open-ended questions. You want candid, unvarnished opinions.

• Prompt longer, more detailed responses

Ask questions starting with "why," "how," and "what if?," like you can see in the examples above, to elicit more detailed responses. That way, your customers will feel free to leave as much, or as little, information as they need to.

• Keep your survey short

Nail down your questions to only the information you need to find out, or it could lead to survey fatigue and respondents will just want to get it over with – leading to bad data.

It’s clear that open-ended questions offer more information and more in-depth results. But they’re harder to analyze, so a lot of companies stick to close-ended questions that can easily be calculated in spreadsheets.

However, text analysis with machine learning has made analyzing open-ended responses a whole lot easier.

Text analysis tools, like MonkeyLearn , can automatically analyze thousands of surveys – and all manner of customer feedback, so you don’t have to spend dozens (or hundreds) of hours on manual survey analysis .

MonkeyLearn is a no-code text analysis platform, which offers many ready-made text analysis tools that you can start using right away. However there are some steps you’ll need to follow before putting these tools to work on open-ended results.

How to analyze open-ended questions in 4 steps:

• Collect your data: use online survey tools
• Structure your data: pre-process responses
• Analyze your data: machine learning takes the pain out of data analysis
• Visualize your results: data visualization tools help get the most from your data

1. Collect your data

Online survey tools, like SurveyMonkey , Typeform , and Google Forms simplify the process of creating and sending open-ended surveys. They offer easy-to-use templates, so you can customize your surveys with just a few clicks.

2. Structure your data

With online survey tools, you can output your customer feedback data to a CSV or Excel file to set it up for automated analysis. From there, you just need to do some data cleaning, so that machines can process it.

3. Analyze your data

Here’s where we really get to see machine learning at work. MonkeyLearn can easily be connected to survey tools via the MonkeyLearn API , to help automate survey analysis.

Or, you can use Monkeylearn’s integrations with Zapier, Zendesk, and Google Sheets. Once you’ve connected MonkeyLearn to your data, you’ll need to choose the type of analysis you want to perform:

• Sentiment analysis – to automatically classify survey responses as Positive, Negative, or Neutral .
• Topic analysis – to classify responses by “aspect” (category, topic, feature, etc.).
• Aspect-based sentiment analysis – both of the above combined, to know what aspects of your product or service customers mention positively or negatively.

Sign up to MonkeyLearn to discover other types of text analysis you can perform and check out our tutorial on how to perform text analysis with machine learning .

4. Visualize your results

Data visualization tools, like MonkeyLearn Studio , show your results in a striking, easy-to-understand visual dashboard, so you can see your fresh insights in broad strokes or minute detail.

Check out the MonkeyLearn Studio public dashboard and click around to see how it works. It’s a powerful, all-in-one tool to take you from data collection to analysis to visualization, all in a single dashboard.

It’s clear that open-ended questions and surveys can help dig into customer feelings and opinions much deeper than simple “Yes/No” or multiple choice questions. The analysis is also much more complex, but machine learning text analysis tools, like MonkeyLearn , can walk you through the process to save time and money.

And once you have your tools set up in MonkeyLearn Studio you can analyze your open-ended responses constantly and in real time for immediately actionable insights.

Take a look at MonkeyLearn’s suite of text analysis tools to see what you can do beyond aspect-based sentiment analysis. Or request a demo and we’ll be happy to walk you through how to analyze your open-ended questions.

Tobias Geisler Mesevage

January 11th, 2021

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A behind-the-scenes blog about research methods at Pew Research Center.

For our latest research findings, visit  pewresearch.org .

Why do some open-ended survey questions result in higher item nonresponse rates than others?

One reality of the polling world is item nonresponse — that is, when survey takers decline to answer certain questions. But nonresponse rates can vary considerably depending on the kinds of questions that are asked.

The existing research literature shows that closed-ended questions, or those with a fixed set of response options, result in lower nonresponse rates than open-ended questions, which allow respondents to answer a question in their own words. This is true regardless of survey mode, such as online versus phone. Consider a respondent who takes a survey online: It is much easier and less time-consuming to choose an option from a multiple-choice list than to come up with a response in one’s own words and then type it out on a phone or a computer.

In Pew Research Center’s online  American Trends Panel  (ATP) — which, by and large, asks different flavors of questions across a wide variety of topics — it is uncommon to see item nonresponse rates that exceed 4%. The average nonresponse rate for closed-ended questions on the ATP hovers between 1% and 2%, and closed-ended questions, on average, make up more than 95% of questions on a typical ATP survey wave.

But the plot twists slightly when open-ended questions are asked on the ATP. Double-digit item nonresponse rates are common for open-ended questions, with the average hovering around 18% and rates for specific questions ranging from as low as 3% to just over 50%. With such a wide range of item nonresponse rates for open ends, we sought to understand what drives these differential rates, and if possible, figure out how to encourage greater response.

Some research suggests  that the general question type — such as whether it is asking about a fact, attitude or behavior — can influence the item nonresponse level. In this piece, we examine the  nature  of open-ended questions to see if certain features yield higher or lower levels of item nonresponse. We also explore whether item nonresponse differs for those question characteristics depending on the  device type  being used to complete the survey, such as a mobile device or a desktop computer. (In a typical ATP wave, about 60% of respondents respond using a mobile device.)

The aim of this analysis is not to make a case for excluding open ends because of their comparatively higher item nonresponse rates. In fact, we support using them in large-scale quantitative surveys (not just qualitatively) for the additional texture they can provide, as well as the statistical gain in representativeness, which may allow for  other methodological analyses . For researchers who have concerns about nonresponse rates on open-ended questions, we hope to show techniques for crafting questions that may minimize item nonresponse, or at the very least, set expectations for when open-ended questions are included in surveys.

What we did

We took three main steps to gather and prepare the data for this exercise. The first required identifying all open-ended questions asked across more than 40 ATP surveys fielded between September 2018 and July 2021. This yielded 92 open-ended questions. Second, we computed the item nonresponse rate for each question. The third step was more qualitative in nature: We identified relevant question characteristics — which we also call “dimensions” — that may influence whether people answer an open-ended question. For each of the 92 open-ended questions, we coded the following dimensions.

• Requested answer length .  Does the question ask for a few words or more than that?
• Level of cognitive burden .  Is the question easy to answer or does it require deep thought?
• Political focus .  Is the question about politics?

We explain each of these three dimensions in more detail below.

Requested answer length

Questions asking for  lengthy responses  may elicit higher refusal rates than questions asking for short answers. The cues for expected response length can be explicit or implied. For example, a question beginning with the phrase “In a sentence or two…” signals to the respondent that they are expected to write more than one word.

This dimension has three categories: one word, phrase and multiple sentences. In this analysis, one-word response type questions make up roughly 17% of open-ended questions, while phrase questions make up 35%. The largest share (48%) solicit multiple sentences.

Cognitive burden

Cognitive burden refers to whether a question is relatively easy or hard to answer.  Previous   research  has shown that questions that demand more from respondents cognitively are also questions with higher rates of item nonresponse. Cognitive burden is a difficult concept to measure practically, so we tried to capture it with estimated response time.

There are three categories for this dimension: low-, medium- and high-burden. Based on the sample of ATP open-ended questions in this analysis, most are medium-burden (43%) or high-burden (47%). Only 10% are low-burden questions.

Political focus

This dimension is for questions that touch on somewhat controversial or sensitive topics, mainly related to politics or ideological views. Questions of a political nature are likely to yield higher item nonresponse  because of the sensitivity  associated with them. While one might think there would be two categories under this dimension, there are three: Apolitical, somewhat political and political. This is to separate the questions that fall into a gray area on this dimension.

Almost half (47%) of the questions we looked at in this analysis are apolitical in nature, 38% are political and 15% are somewhat political.

Coding open-ends into response categories

All three of the above dimensions have mutually exclusive response categories. But some open-ended questions are more difficult to code than others because they don’t fall neatly into one specific category. In many instances, a case could be made for coders to choose two or all three categories, making the decision a subjective one.

To promote reliability in our coding choices, we developed rules that three researchers relied on to code each question. There was agreement among all three coders almost 50% of the time, and among two coders more than 90% of the time. When two coders out of the three agreed on a category, we used the majority code. In the few instances where all three coders disagreed, we conducted a review of the data for the contentious question and/or held a discussion among all three coders to understand the rationale behind each person’s choice and make a final call.

What we found

Generally, it appears item nonresponse rates can range widely across all categories in all three dimensions, depending on whether a readily formed opinion exists and can easily be reported. For example, only 3% of self-identified Democrats or Democratic-leaning respondents declined to answer the following open-ended question: “ Thinking about the 2020 presidential election, who would be your choice for the Democratic nomination for president?”  In contrast, the item nonresponse rate was 52% — by far the highest in the sample — for the following question:  “Are there any other measures that you think would do a lot to reduce inequality between Black people and White people in our country […]?”  Even though respondents may have had an opinion on this subject, it is likely that a majority had to think more intentionally about the issue, perhaps for the first time, in order to provide a response.

Below we’ll look at the main takeaways for each of the three dimensions mentioned above.

Open-ended questions that solicit multiple sentences generally yield higher item nonresponse rates (18% median) than questions that solicit one word or a phrase (both 13% median). Testing also shows that there are statistically significant differences in the  mean  item nonresponse rates between the three categories. In particular, item nonresponse rates are significantly lower for questions requesting one-word answers than for questions requesting either a phrase or multiple sentences. There is no reliable difference between average item nonresponse rates of the latter two categories.

The same item nonresponse pattern is observed for respondents using a mobile device to complete a survey. Specifically, item nonresponse rates are significantly lower for questions requesting one-word answers than those soliciting phrases and multiple sentences. However, we do not observe any significant differences in item nonresponse across the three categories when it comes to desktop/PC survey takers.

Most questions on the ATP ask respondents to give their perspective on current affairs and pertinent issues or topics. Such questions are often far from trivial, call for intentional thinking and demand more of respondents cognitively, especially when they are posed in open-end fashion. It is no surprise that almost half of the questions in our sample were considered high-burden.

Open-ended item nonresponse rates are positively associated with the cognitive burden of a question. The less response time required to answer a question, the lower the item nonresponse is likely to be, and this relationship is strong. The median item nonresponse rate for medium- and high-burden questions is two times and three times higher, respectively, than for low-burden questions. Testing again reveals that statistically significant differences exist between all three categories. Specifically, item nonresponse rates are significantly lower for low-burden questions than medium-burden questions, and  also  for medium-burden questions when compared to high-burden questions.

The same relationship holds irrespective of the device used to take the survey. That is, item nonresponse is significantly lower for low-burden questions for both mobile- and desktop-survey takers and increases proportionally with the cognitive burden of a question.

Item nonresponse rates for apolitical open-ended questions are similar to those for politically oriented questions. Unlike the other two dimensions, testing reveals that the differences across categories are  not  significant. Surprisingly, questions that are only somewhat political seem to elicit slightly higher nonresponse rates, on average, than questions that are overtly political. This suggests some justification for combining the somewhat political and political categories into one. But even doing so, the data reveals no significant difference between apolitical and political questions.

For mobile survey takers, however, political questions solicit significantly higher item nonresponse than apolitical questions. In other words, people who are presented with political questions when taking online surveys on a cellphone or tablet are more likely to refuse those questions than they would questions that are less political in nature. This pattern is not observed for desktop respondents; for them, item nonresponse rates are comparable regardless of the question’s political content.

Many confounding factors are responsible for item nonresponse on open-ended questions. It does not simply fall on the type of question being asked. Respondents’ demographics and interest, the time at which the survey is taken, the device being used, the topic and length of the questionnaire, and the number of questions — open and closed — can all be at play when a question is refused.

Limiting our analysis to three specific question characteristics, we find that the cognitive burden associated with a question has the strongest bearing on item nonresponse, regardless of the device used to take the survey. Low-burden questions also tend to require one-word responses, which elicit significantly lower item nonresponse rates than questions that require longer entries. This is especially true for respondents on mobile devices, such as cellphones and tablets. For desktop users, there is no difference in item nonresponse rates for questions requesting a word, phrase or multiple sentences.

When thinking about questions that would be susceptible to high item nonresponse, we anticipated that those of a politically sensitive nature would fall into that category, but our findings do not fully support that. The only time political questions appear to elicit greater item nonresponse than apolitical questions is when the question is administered on a mobile device. Overall, across all dimensions and categories, item nonresponse is consistently higher on mobile devices than desktop survey administration. This finding corroborates  other studies . Finally, testing did not reveal any significant interactions between the dimensions. In other words, categories of requested answer length, cognitive burden and political focus do not work together to influence item nonresponse.

In public opinion polling, it’s sometimes not possible to avoid asking burdensome, open-ended questions. With this analysis, researchers can at least anticipate when the item nonresponse rate to an open-ended question is likely to be high and what specific features of the question might be causing it.

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How adding a ‘don’t know’ response option can affect cross-national survey results.

In our surveys, people are much less likely to skip questions online than when speaking to interviewers in person or on the phone; we explore how offering a “Don’t know” option in online surveys affects results.

Can machines compete with humans in transcribing audio? A case study using sermons from U.S. religious services

To test whether machine transcription would be practical for studies of sermons in 2019 and 2020, we compared human and machine transcriptions of snippets from a random sample of 200 audio and video sermons.

Nonresponse rates on open-ended survey questions vary by demographic group, other factors

Demographic characteristics and other factors, such as the devices that respondents use to take surveys, are tied to Americans’ willingness to engage with open-ended questions.

Testing survey questions about a hypothetical military conflict between China and Taiwan

Given the complexities of geopolitics, how might wording affect responses to a question about a hypothetical conflict between China and Taiwan?

How we keep our online surveys from running too long

While there is no magic length that an online survey should be, Pew Research Center caps the length of its online American Trends Panel surveys at 15 minutes.

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To browse all of Pew Research Center findings and data by topic, visit pewresearch.org

About Decoded

Copyright 2022 Pew Research Center

surveys | December 18, 2019

Open-Ended Question: What it is, How to Use it (+Examples)

Daniel Ndukwu

Customer research is a large discipline with multiple methods to get the right information from your audience or customer base. 

Surveys are among the most effective ways to get deep insights from your most engaged users. It helps you understand how they feel about specific topics and give you perspectives – through open-ended questions – you might have otherwise missed.

These insights, also known as the voice of the customer , can expand your marketing , improve your products, and cancel out objections. In a world of choice, this is becoming even more important.

In this article, you’ll learn what open-ended questions are, their advantages, how to use them, and solid examples to make them easier to implement.

Table of Contents

What is an Open-Ended Question?

Open-ended questions are a type of unstructured survey question that allows the respondent more room to reply in an open text format thereby providing the opportunity to give more detailed answers. The only limitation usually imposed is a character limit so open-ended questions can be divided into long answer and short answer questions. 

Put another way, a respondent can draw on their knowledge, feelings, and understanding of the question and topic to give more insightful answers. They’re not limited by preset question options. 

An example of an open-ended question could be “how do you feel about your new job?”

Research from Vision Critical found that 87% of consumers want to have a say in a company’s products and services. Open-ended questions give them the opportunity to share information in a way that close ended questions don’t. 

Open-Ended Vs Close Ended Questions

As shared in the last section, open-ended questions are free-form and allow respondents to use an open text format to give replies. They’re able to say whatever they want in response to your questions. 

Close ended questions, on the other hand, are structured and have a preset group of questions a respondent can answer. Though they can still help you, you’re not able to use the voice of the customer to inform your decisions. 

Each one has merits and demerits. For example, an open-ended question allows you to probe much deeper but a close ended question allows you to get concise information that can be quantified. It’s much easier to quantify yes or nos than a paragraph of text. 

A relatable example comes from the standardized tests most of us took in school. They usually had two parts – the multiple-choice questions which are equivalent to close ended questions and the essay questions which are equal to open-ended questions. 

A close ended question: Yes or No – Was George Washington was the first president of the United States? 

An open-ended question: From the perspective of the British, what was the cause of the Revolutionary War?

As you can see from the examples, the open-ended survey questions will give you a look into the thought process of your customers. 

Advantages of open-ended questions

Some advantages are obvious while others aren’t but they tend to be more important than the disadvantages because the responses you get have so many direct tangible uses for your business. A few of the advantages include:  

Thoughtful responses

With a series of multiple-choice questions, respondents can quickly scan and choose an answer. That answer may or may not be indicative of how they feel. Open-ended questions force your respondents to slow down long enough to consider the question and give a thoughtful answer. 

Even if they give a short answer that doesn’t shed much light on the situation, it’s still helpful. It tells you the respondent’s answers shouldn’t have as much weight. 

Customers can share their feelings 

The internet is crowded. The lifespan of a Tweet is about 30 minutes and that of a Facebook post is roughly 1 hour. Anything you say is lost in a short amount of time. 

With surveys and open-ended questions, you give your customers an opportunity to voice their opinions and create in a way that can create change in your organization. If they like what you’re doing and care about your products then they’ll take the time to give you useful feedback. 

Identifying weak spots 

Close ended questions are notorious for only giving you half the answer you need. For example, if you ask a customer “how was your experience with us today?” and they answer “disappointing”, there’s no room to ask them why. This can leave you wondering if you have a real problem.

An open-ended question gives them the opportunity to tell you it was disappointing and lay out the reasons why. With that information, you can determine if it was an isolated incident or something that demands immediate attention. 

More Detailed Information

Open-ended questions were built to deliver qualitative information and, like we talk about in our free course , the more detailed the information you get from a respondent the more engaged they are. 

That information is indicative of your hottest buyer segment and the details they reveal will help you create better messages, identify your ideal target market , and otherwise make the right decisions in your business. 

The key to using the extra information these types of survey questions can give you is to look for patterns in the data. If one person says something then you may or may not be on the verge of a breakthrough. If five or ten people say something similar then there’s promise. 

When you should use open-ended questions

These questions lend themselves well to qualitative research. That means they should be used when quality is more important than the quantity of data. 

In other words, it’s used when you want to use the answers to find deep insights into the mind of your target audience. For example, you’d use them in the following situations: 

•   When a detailed response is needed so you can use the voice of the customer or detect patterns in the types of responses you get.
•   When you want your prospects to think critically about the question and the possible response they’ll give
•   If varied answers will help you develop a better understanding of the topic or field (like when you want to enter a new market ).
•   When you need to ask complicated questions and your respondents will benefit from being able to work through their thought process.

When to avoid open-ended questions

Unfortunately, you can’t always use open-ended questions. Sometimes,  a quick answer is ideal. For example, you want to know if someone has heard of your brand before. There’s no need to wax poetic about the possible reasons why they’ve not heard of it. Yes or no will do.

There are multiple situations in which free-form questions would do more harm than good. A few of them include: 

• When you have a longer survey and are short on resources to analyze the patterns in text answers 
• If you want to make a quick and automated analysis of the data
• Only have basic questions that don’t need much expansion
• Have a structured survey that derives it’s usefulness when a respondent chooses one of the available answers (like an NPS style survey or a Likert scale survey ) 

The correct way to ask open-ended questions

There is a right way and a wrong way to ask questions – especially open-ended questions. Like all surveys, you want to collect unbiased data so you can make decisions that move the needle in the right direction. The wording of your questions can have a big impact on how its perceived by your respondent. 

Don’t lead respondents

Surveys are not the time to convince someone of your view or to purposely elicit a positive response. Avoid wording that would predispose someone to answer positively or negatively. 

For example, a question like “we’re considered a market leader and have over 10,000 customers, what do you think about our company?” is biased. It predisposes the respondent to give you positive feedback.  

Consider talking to a team member or an impartial third party and showing them your questions to ensure they’re not biased. Put yourself in the shoes of the respondent and ask yourself if the question makes you feel positively or negatively towards the person asking. 

Use close ended and open-ended questions together

This method is a staple of consumer research. The most effective surveys ask a close-ended question and, depending on how the respondent answers, an open-ended question is used as a follow-up. It helps focus the respondent and bring out insights that would otherwise be missed by a close-ended question. 

Another benefit of using these two questions together stems from getting qualitative and quantitative answers. You’re able to say X people were dissatisfied with the product and X people were satisfied. For the ones who were dissatisfied, these are the reasons and places where we can improve.

Be aware of the Difference Between Question Types

At times, it can be difficult to determine if a closed or open question will be better for your needs. There’s a quick way to determine the best type. If you want the reasons behind an answer then use open-ended. If you want the raw answer without explanations then use the close ended questions. 

Of course, this should be determined on a case by case basis. When in doubt, it may be a better idea to change the question or exclude it altogether. It’s more important to get clean data.

Focus on feelings before facts

Phrase your questions so they’ll help you understand the reasons and emotions behind an answer. Instead of “How would you describe your support experience today?” Ask “how do you feel about your support experience today?” 

The difference is subtle but it can help you understand the emotions associated with an experience or product. If it’s a negative sentiment then you can take steps to change that. If it was a positive sentiment then you can focus on doubling down on what’s working.

11 Open-Ended Question Examples 

1. how does x make you feel.

This question leans towards an emotional response instead of a purely objective one. It’s helpful when finding marketing copy that incorporates the voice of the customer.

2. What do you consider fun?

This question is useful because it helps reveal psychographic information and can also help you uncover different ways to position your products. For example, you can be the perfect widget for bike enthusiasts. 

3. What brought you to our website today?

This works on two separate levels. You can find out which advertising channels are working and the reason why people are seeking you out. This will help refine your messaging. 

4. What are your thoughts about ‘Product X’?

The question above reveals unbiased information about how your products are perceived. You’re asking the customer to say what they think is good (or bad) about your products.

5. What can we do better?

This question is direct and assumes that there’s room for improvement in your products and services. Use with caution because it may force your respondent to find problems where none exist.

6. What aspects of our website do you like?

This, again, is a direct question that may force users to mention things they don’t truly like. Use with caution. 

7. How do you prefer to shop (or workout, or travel, etc.)?

Questions like these help you derive insights that make your products fit seamlessly into the lives of your target market. If your people like to work out at home, you can create products that cater to that preference. If they like to travel by road, you can create relevant products. 

8. What do you like about x?

The X here can be general or specific depending on what you chose to focus on. For example, “what do you like about our customer service or what do you like about our company?” One of the questions gives a broad answer and the other is focused.

9. What do you dislike about x?

The opposite perspective of the previous question open-ended question.

10. How can we create a better experience for you? 

These questions focus on the direct improvement of a product or service. For example, what can we do to make your support experience better?

11. How can we make it easier for you to purchase today?

This question may not be ideal for a standard questionnaire because it works best in real-time. Instead, you can use it in your live chat or chatbots to engage people at the point of purchase.

Conclusion 

There are multiple ways to go about customer research. One of the most powerful and inexpensive is surveys. 

They can give you deep insights from a large number of people in a relatively short amount of time. This article has gone through everything you need to know to make effective open-ended questions to improve your business and grow your audience. 

Let me know what you think in the comments and don’t forget to share it. 

Open-ended question FAQ

What is an open-ended question.

Open-ended questions are a type of unstructured survey question that allows the respondent more room to reply in an open text format and provides the opportunity to give more detailed answers

What are the advantages of open-ended questions?

• More thoughtful responses
• Respondents can give more detailed answers which reveal more insights
• Give respondents an opportunity to speak their minds
• Identify weak spots in your organization

What to consider before using open-ended questions?

• The way the question is worded
• How to follow-up with responses for maximum value
• The right time to use open-ended and close ended questions

Are close ended or open-ended questions better?

This depends on the situation and your goals. Open-ended questions give more insights but close ended can help with quantification of responses.                    

Good evening, My name is Cristina Raffaghello, Adjunct Professor at Eastern Piedmont University in Vercelli and online e-campus University Novedrate, Italy. In my opinion, your article is useful for teaching, as well. Do you think I may use in my course of Germanic Philology? This discipline regards the origin and development of Germanic languages (English, German, Frisian Gothic and Islandic) from linguistical, juridical, historical and literary viewpoints. I thank you for your attention. Cheers, Cristina

Of course Cristina, you’re free to use it to teach your students.

I want to write research proposal on knowledge and practices on malnutrition amongst women can I use open or closed questionnaire

Both, of course. It depends on the kind of data you’re looking for and how well-versed you are on the topic before conducting the research.

This is so interesting

Inspiring, educative. I am doing a qualitative research study, and I find both open and closed.-ended questions fitting

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How to ask open-ended questions for better insights

Research is the bedrock of product development. At the core of research are good questions to ask your audience. However, sometimes it’s not that easy to determine which questions will yield the best responses from your respondents. The way a question is worded can heavily influence the answer you receive.

When creating a survey or conducting interviews, the type of questions you ask can limit how much you can discover. By creating high-quality questions, you may find responses that drive your product roadmap.

In this article, you’ll learn what open-ended questions are, how they differ from close-ended ones, and how to go about asking them.

What are open-ended questions?

Open-ended questions are queries that go beyond receiving a simple “yes” or “no” answer. They require respondents to expand on their answers. Open-ended questions are worded carefully to ensure respondents give long, unbiased answers. It’s ideal for product development since it can provide insights into users’ thinking patterns.

What’s the difference between open-ended and closed questions?

The main difference between the two types of questions comes down to how you word them. An open-ended question results in answers that are long and more detailed. Meanwhile, closed questions lead to answers that are two words or less.

Let’s take a look at an example. Say you want to know how someone’s weekend went. Here is an open-ended question and a closed question:

• Open-ended question — What did you do this weekend?
• Closed question — Did you have a nice weekend?

The open-ended question requires some detail to answer. On the other hand, the closed question can be satisfied with a vague or one-word answer.

Open-ended questions in product research

Open-ended questions can be especially useful when conducting product research. This why you get more substantive answers from your focus groups. Here are a few examples of open-ended questions in product research:

• What would have to change for you to recommend this product?
• What was challenging about using this product?
• What was most appealing about it?
• Tell me about the issues you are facing with your current solution
• How would using this product affect your work?
• How do you normally accomplish this task?

Open-ended questions can provide insights into what is actually happening with your users. They also help to explain the reasoning behind the user’s decisions. The responses provide valuable insights that can help drive product decisions.

However, this isn’t to say you should never use closed-ended questions. They do have their purpose, especially if you are aware there are limited answers. For example, asking someone their age is a close-ended question and helps identify demographics.

The key is to know which queries are better asked in an open-ended way instead of a closed-ended question. Knowing the difference can help you understand why you have varying results in your research.

Why should you ask open-ended questions?

Let’s say that you want to discover your audience’s favorite ice cream flavor. You give them a multiple-choice survey and allow them to select one of three choices: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

You’ll find which of the three is more preferred among your audience, but you won’t discover other popular ice cream flavors like cookie dough or mint chocolate chip. Your audience wasn’t given the option to express other flavors as their favorite.

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Instead, the survey could have an open-ended question like “What is your favorite ice cream flavor?” or include an “other” option to gather additional and more accurate answers.

Asking open-ended questions provides a path for audiences to share their insights. Giving your audience a platform can provide valuable insights into your user research. You may find answers you weren’t expecting.

Some other benefits of using open-ended questions include:

• Users may provide more in-depth answers
• User responses can drive product innovation
• Users can give more valuable answers to complex questions
• Reveals thought patterns of your audience

Open-ended questions are best for situations requiring user feedback. For example, after they have used your product, they can provide commentary on how it did or didn’t work for them.

How to ask open-ended questions

Open-ended questions need careful wording to ensure you get the most accurate response. One of the biggest difficulties is avoiding leading the participant. Leading questions suggest the participant should give a particular answer. Here’s an example of a leading question and an open-ended question:

• Leading question — Are you happy with your experience with our product?
• Open-ended question — How would you describe your experience with our product?

The leading question gives the participant the chance to say “yes” or “no.” It also pressures them to say yes since saying no could be an awkward experience. The open-ended question is better since it doesn’t have any assumptions. It also provides the participant the chance to answer honestly.

Here are some other tips for asking open-ended questions:

• Keep your survey simple — Answering open-ended questions requires more effort on the part of the participant. So try to only have a limited number of open-ended questions
• Have a clear goal for your survey — Whether you’re looking for feedback on a new product feature or conducting audience research, a defined goal will help formulate the survey questions
• Avoid asking “why” questions — It may be better to ask “Tell me more about it”
• Don’t ask questions that yield one or two-word answers — You should look to collect stories from participants
• Allow the participants to share negative feedback — While it’s not fun, it’s crucial to learn what isn’t working for your audience so you can correct the course. Asking questions like “Did this product solve your problem?” can help
• Test the questions on yourself or your colleagues — The responses can quickly help identify if you asked an open or closed question

Analyzing responses to open-ended questions

Open-ended questions bring a host of benefits to user research, but there’s a fine line between helpful and problematic.

Analyzing responses to open-ended questions can take time, but the results are valuable for your product. Here is how to begin data analysis for open responses:

• Read through a few answers and identify the themes in the responses. You can also use a word bubble or text analyzer to find frequently used words
• You can also create sub-categories if you find a recurring theme within a general theme
• Double-check the responses to ensure they match the category it was assigned
• Once all answers are categorized, you can evaluate the percentage of responses

One of the difficulties of analyzing open-ended questions is that you could end up with hundreds of responses. It can make it much more difficult to categorize and analyze the answers.

You may want to consider using closed-ended questions for the bulk of your survey. Then use open-ended questions for users to expand on their answers. That way you can still have immediate data to back up your theories while waiting for the results of the open-ended responses.

Key takeaways

Asking the right questions is crucial to receiving accurate responses. The interviewer needs to carefully prepare their questions to avoid biased answers. They also need to ensure respondents are comfortable enough to talk about their experience.

Another barrier is the ability to effectively analyze responses to open-ended questions. If you receive hundreds of responses, it can take some time to accurately categorize answers. However, this is an important part of transforming data into actionable insights.

Including open-ended questions as part of your product or audience research is key to finding valuable answers. Once surveys or interviews are completed, you could end up with a blueprint of what to do next to make your customers satisfied with your product.

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