Survey fatigue prevents you from getting the data you need, but it’s easy to prevent it to capture a wealth of information

Just about everyone has at one time or another started to fill out a survey or questionnaire only to find themselves feeling like there’s no end in sight. When this happens, survey fatigue sets in and the tendency is to either give up altogether or rush the answers. Neither provides a very good outcome for the people who need the survey data. What’s more, to avoid creating survey fatigue, meeting organizers tend to hold back questions and prioritize a seemingly less stressful number of them. This is the same as de-prioritizing certain potential data. For life science meeting organizers, these scenarios can mean the difference between being able to prove return on investment/return on education and knowing little more than who was in the room. Array’s Dynamic Survey Questions help prevent survey fatigue and enable meeting sponsors to receive answers to questions with the specificity and context needed to derive actionable insights.

Array’s Dynamic Survey Questions are questions within a survey that will appear only for participants who selected a specific response to a previous question. This is a combination of conditional branching and skip logic. Conditional branching works by providing the user with a new question depending on how they answer a primary question (which must be of the ‘choose one answer’ type). Skip-logic moves them directly to another primary question if the answer they gave doesn’t have a branch question associated with it. Survey fatigue comes from feeling like there are too many questions and that they’re not relevant. Dynamic survey questions lead to a better survey experience and increased engagement, because participants recognize and appreciate that each question is relevant to them. 

Dynamic Survey Questions (also known as logic questions) in surveys are especially useful in medical meetings attended by HCPs, where the diversity of specializations and interests means that not all participants will have relevant input on every topic. These questions are designed to ensure that each HCP is only asked about topics pertaining to their expertise or experience. For instance, if a survey asks a doctor to choose a specialty area, logic-based branching would ask only the questions designed for physicians with that specialty knowledge. 

Within life science meetings there are advantages these types of questions offer in each meeting type, for example:

CME symposia:

• Logic-based questions in surveys are highly beneficial for CME Symposiums, where diverse topics are covered, and attendees come from various specialties from a wider pool attending a larger conference.
• By tailoring questions to match each attendee's expertise, organizers can gather more precise and meaningful insights, ultimately improving the educational impact of the symposium and better aligning future activities with the needs of the medical community.

Speaker training:

• By tailoring questions to the specific knowledge and presentation skills of each speaker, the surveys help identify strengths and areas for improvement, allowing for more personalized and effective training. 
• This targeted feedback not only enhances the quality of the training program but also ensures that speakers are well-prepared to deliver accurate, clear, and engaging presentations in their field.

Investigator meetings:

• By tailoring questions to match the investigator's experience and involvement in the trial, the surveys gather more precise and actionable feedback. This approach enhances the efficiency of data collection, reduces irrelevant questions, and allows for a deeper understanding of the challenges and insights related to the trial. 
• Ultimately, logic-based surveys improve the quality of feedback, leading to more informed discussions and better outcomes in the management and execution of clinical studies.

Advisory boards:

• Dynamic Survey Questions in surveys are particularly advantageous for Medical Advisory Boards, where members often have specialized knowledge and varying perspectives, and a limited amount of time and focus due to their seniority.
• By focusing on areas where each member's expertise is most valuable, logic-based surveys help streamline discussions and improve the quality of recommendations, ultimately leading to more informed decision-making and more effective advisory outcomes.

Array works with its partners to develop surveys with dynamic survey questions  that will best help them gain the insights they need from any life science meeting type, including by combining these with asynchronous surveys and pre-and post-tests.

Ultimately, dynamic survey questions in surveys enable life science meeting organizers to ask all the questions that are important to them– but in as few total questions as necessary. They enhance the quality of the data collected by reducing respondent survey fatigue and increasing the likelihood of thoughtful and accurate responses.  By focusing only on relevant questions, they also minimize the risk of incomplete or irrelevant data, which is crucial for accurate analysis and decision-making.