In article <[log in to unmask]>, "William H. Stirrat"
<[log in to unmask]> says:
>
>At the Science Museum of Minnesota we administer a quarterly visitor
>survey.  Currently, it is 3 pages long (arrggh!) and takes about 10 minutes
>
Bill,
We have tried computerised surveys here at the National Museum of Sci & Tech
in Ottawa. There is a very simple-to-use system called In-Touch that uses
an electronic pen and a printed survey mounted on a stand. It worked very well,
and was used by all ages (particularly seniors). I've also used typical
keyboard and monitor packages. They can allow open responses, and handle
skips automatically and invisibly, but they are still a little too attractive
to kids, and scary to seniors. People apparently are more honest on them, even
moreso than with self-filled in surveys.
The real issue with these tools are the sampling strategies. You still have
to use a random or systematic or quota sample to avoid self-selection bias.
We let people chose whether to fill in a survey or not. Tourists and first-time
users were overrepresented, satisfactions may have been more polarized, etc.
I have tens of thousands of surveys that show interesting patterns, but it's
still not as useful as a truly representative sample.
It's often the selecting and persuading respondents that takes time, so you may
not save as much money as you want. It wasn't clear from your message whether
you were doing an interviewer-administered or a self-filled-in survey.
Three surveys an hour is a little pokey for interviewers, and unacceptable
for a self-filled-in one. You can improve your acceptance rate with comfortable
seating, play-areas for kids, a nicely-designed, 'special' area for filling out
forms,
and maybe a little refreshment (ice water, pop, snacks). A chance to win
something
relevant to the museum experience can be astonishingly effective. We once
raffled off
a flight in a Stearman biplane. The costs are worth it for good data.
Good luck!


*************************************************************
Doug Hoy              Evaluation           National Museum of
[log in to unmask]           &              Science & Technology
(613)998-6863v         Research       P.O.Box 9724, Station T
(613)990-3654f                          Ottawa K1G 5A3 CANADA
*************************************************************