Respondent Centred Surveys

Laura is a Principal Social Researcher and the Data Collection lead for the UK Government Data Quality Hub (DQHub). Although based at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the remit of her role extends to improving the quality of all data across government. Laura is an expert qualitative researcher with over a decade’s industry experience in designing and developing official government surveys. Prior to working in DQHub, Laura led a Research and Design Team in ONS which was responsible for the transformation of its Social Surveys. There she pioneered and embedded a respondent centred approach to survey development which transformed the respondent user experience. Laura has a passion for ensuring data are collected accurately at source, and for bringing respondent needs to forefront of survey design. Emma Dickinson is a Senior Social Researcher and is the deputy Data Collection lead in DQHub. Emma is an experienced qualitative researcher and a subject matter expert in the collection of socio-demographic information. Prior to working in DQHub she led the transformation of these questions on ONS’ social surveys in the Research and Design Team. There she demonstrated the importance of using respondent centred design to ensure minimal respondent burden and maximum data accuracy during the response process. Before her transformation role, Emma worked in ONS’ Data Collection Methodology Unit and led qualitative research projects to develop official government surveys. Emma is passionate about qualitative research methods and the amalgamation of both traditional and innovative techniques to thoroughly explore a research question.

"The beauty of the book is that it is highly practical and applicable across various settings. It starts by detailing the respondent-centred design principles and frameworks, but then moves quickly to explain how these can be applied in practice and even how to implement a respondent-centred approach with different levels of resources. The concrete examples from the Office for National Statistics bring the work to life.It’s written in an engaging, practical and fresh way which makes it a pleasure to read. It encourages a deeper engagement with your work, and an understanding and appreciation of respondents’ mental models through testing. It is a must read for anyone designing respondent-facing tools and materials, whether working in academia, government or a research agency. This is particularly so in the face of falling response rates and as more and more research is moving online where interviewers are not present to help respondents navigate the survey concepts. It will transform your ways of thinking."

• Chapter 1: The foundations of respondent-centred designChapter 2: Respondent-centred design in practiceChapter 3: Agile project management applied to surveysChapter 4: Research operations part one: Research design and managementChapter 5: Research operations part two: Conducting and analysing your researchChapter 6: Creating a respondent-centred survey engagement strategyChapter 7: Creating respondent-centred household composition and socio-demographic survey questionsChapter 8: Creating respondent-centred labour market survey questionsChapter 9: Conclusion