The Annual Structural Business Survey Developing and Testing an Electronic Form

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 ICES3, June 18-21, 2007, Montreal 1

The Annual Structural Business SurveyDeveloping and Testing

an Electronic Form

Ger SnijkersEvrim Onat

Rachel Visschers

Statistics NetherlandsDivision of Business Statistics


1. Dutch Annual StructuralBusiness Survey

Annual survey of economic activity Mandatory 75.000 business each year:

• Sample of small firms, bigger firms each year Until now: paper questionnaire

• length may differ, 20 pages is typical Three parts:

• revenues and costs• summary of business accounts:

profits and losses• industry specific specifications


2. The paper questionnaireCharacteristics

A4 booklet• Right page: items• Left page: help texts - long and voluminous

Items are grouped in sections• Long sections

• Completion process: complicated and hard• Large amount of detailed information• Broad range of business information:

several departments, several respondents• No match with definitions used, but same label:

CBS – business definitions• Lay-out: misinterpratations and errors


Vernieuwde huisstijl:2. Onderzoek naar de PS

Q oud


3. The web questionnaireProject goal

Develop a web questionnaire• same contents• mixed-mode design: paper and web• support completion process:

- motivate respondents to use this mode• into the field: March 2006

Start of project: June 2004

In the field: Spring 2006


3. The web questionnaire Developing and testing

In five stages:

1. Testing the prototype (31-1-’05)• pre-tests to test usability: 3 waves

2. Revision of questionnaire (1-9-’05)• expert reviews

3. Testing of revised questionnaire (1-1-’06)• additional usability tests

4. Implementation of field pilot (1-3-’06)

5. Implementation of survey (1-3-’07)


3.1. The web Q: The prototype


3.1. The prototype: 3 test waves

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3

Period Aug. 2004 Oct. 2004 Nov./Dec. 2004

Form Blaise IS Blaise -EDR

Blaise -CBSquest

On/off-line On-line Off-line Off-line

Mode Browser CD-rom Downloadablevia internet

Number of interviews

15 CBS employees

37 businesses

6 businesses

Tested by CBS employees,external designer

6 business interviewers

2 cogn. lab interviewer + 2 business interviewer

Results Experiences from CBS employees

Experiences from interviewers

Experiences with respondents


3.1. The prototypeResearch issues

1. How does the e-form work in practice?• Completing the questionnaire• Question-and-answer process

2. What features should be included to make it easy to use?• Respondent friendly: ‘Computer-assisted’ tools• User wishes

3. How should the web Q be designed in relation to the paper Q?• The same or a different design• ‘look-and-feel’ of paper and e-form



1. How does the Q work?

Laborious and complex process• Long, complex questionnaire (≥ 25 items)• Complex completion process:

- several sessions, several informants- kick-and-rush behaviour

• Imagine ... a respondent sitting behind his/her computer ...

Respondent got lost in the questionnaire


2. Features to make it easy to use?• What am I supposed to do (next)?

• Easy to download, install, complete, send data back• It is one process: downloading – sending data back, • Clear instructions and explanations (but not read)

• How is the questionnaire built up? • Show how the questionnaire is structured: overview• Help to find the way in the questionnaire• No hidden rules, no unexpected functionalities

• Where am I? What did I do so far?• Provide overview of the completion process• Clear navigation, no scrolling• Printing function



2. Features to make it easy to use? Con’d• Printing

• Passing on sections of Q to other departments• Checking the data before transmitting• Getting authorisation to release the data

• Calculations• Well accepted, … even expected

• Entry-search• ‘Google’-like search: “Where to put these data?”

• Navigation and overview• Choose a setup people are familiar with:

- setup of tax office, windows explorer



3. Design of paper and web Q?• The computer is different than paper

• The web Q reacts to the respondent• Reading from the screen is different• Navigating and getting an overview

works differently• Kick-and-rush behaviour,

even stronger than on paper• The use of computer-assisted functionalities;

the respondent expects the computer to react



3.1. The prototypeConclusions of pre-test waves

• Visual design Clear and logical Simple, transparent, consistent No hidden and unexpected functionalities

• Support the completion process Other mode, other features, other visual design

Different than paper form, same ‘look-and-feel’

• Tailor to kick-and-rush behaviour Small sections, small tasks Short and clear explanations


3.2. The revised questionnaire

Based on:• Pre-test results• Expert reviews

• Iterative process with- Professional designer- Questionnaire designers- Methodologists

• A user friendly design was put first, not the IT tool

• New prototypes designed in Power Point



3.3. The revised questionnaireConclusions of add. pre-tests

• 10 concurrent in-depth interviews• Usability and user friendliness has been

improved respondents enjoyed working with the

questionnaire they could handle the task even though … the task had not changed

Web questionnaire design is communication design


3.4. Field pilot

Set-up:

March-July 2006 7200 businesses, 5 industries Advance letter with

• internet address: www.cbs.nl/productiestatistiek• user name and password• leaflet to introduce web questionnaire

and explain why the survey is conducted• paper questionnaire not mentioned


Leaflet


3.4. Field pilot

Goals: Implementation of web questionnaire

• paper and web flows

Test the whole process• downloading – completing – sending-in data• investigate completion process in the field:

- debriefing interviews with respondents- audit trails

Response rates Data quality

• data editing, mode effects


3.5. Survey

Now running About 75.000 business received this

questionnaire


Web questionnaire design is communication design

Documents

The Annual Structural Business Survey Developing and Testing an Electronic Form