Top tips for online surveys - The Survey Initiative Guide to employee research and surveys

The Survey Initiative: An Introductory Guide to Employee Research and Employee Surveys.

Do not use too many colours or fonts. They are distracting. On the other hand, bolding, italicising, and changing the colours of key words, used appropriately, can make your questions easier to understand. Using colour and font size to make instructions distinct from question text can make your questionnaire easier to follow.
Always specify a background colour, even if it is white (usually a good choice). Some browsers may show a background colour you do not expect, if you do not specify one. Background images usually make text harder to read, even when they make a page more attractive at first glance.
Use graphics sparingly. Graphics will slow the download time and frustrate users.
Make sure you do not require people to scroll horizontally to view part of the survey page. Most people find horizontal scrolling annoying.
Include an introduction or welcome page. Explain the reason for the survey. Put instructions at the point they are needed, instead of grouping them on the first page.

Make sure your page and question layouts are consistent. Do not put answer choices on the right for some questions and on the left for others. Use colour consistently. For example, always use the same colour to represent an instruction.
Recognise that requiring that questions be answered will likely increase the number of people who drop out of a survey in the middle. Whenever you require an answer make sure the available options include all possible answers, including “don’t know” or “not applicable”.
Allow space for long replies to comment type questions. Some people will type in longer answers on a Web page than they would write on a paper questionnaire or say to an interviewer.
Drop-down lists save space on the screen, but be careful using them. Lists that require scrolling to see some choices can bias the results. Use them only if there is only one possible choice a person can make.
When you have finished creating the survey, test it thoroughly. Make sure that all the pages look as you wish and that all skips, randomisations and other logic work as you intend.