Surveys are a powerful tool in Product Discovery—when done well. They can help you validate assumptions, uncover unmet needs, and prioritise where to focus next. The problem? Many surveys end up biased, bloated, or ignored by respondents.
Here are 5 tips to design surveys that actually support discovery, not just tick a research box:
1. Start With ‘What Do You Want To Learn?’
Before writing a single question, ask yourself: “What decision will this survey help us make? or ‘What do we want to learn”
If you can’t connect the survey to a decision or assumption (e.g., validating which customer segment to prioritise), then it’s too vague. Clarity here keeps your survey lean and purposeful.
2. Keep It Short and Focused
Product Discovery surveys should feel like a quick conversation, not a customer interrogation. Aim for 5–10 questions max. Long surveys often mean high drop-off rates and low-quality answers.
3. Mix Scales With Open-Ended Questions
Scaled (Likert) questions give you measurable data. Open-ended questions provide the why behind the numbers. For example:
- Scale: “On a scale of 1–5, how often do you face this challenge?”
- Open: “Can you describe a recent situation where this challenge slowed you down?”
The combination makes your insights richer.
4. Watch Out for Leading Questions
It’s tempting to phrase questions in a way that nudges respondents toward the answer you want. Don’t.
❌ “How much do you love our new feature?”
✅ “How would you describe your experience using this feature?”
Neutral wording builds trust and yields more accurate data.
5. Test Your Survey Before You Launch
Run it past a colleague—or even better, a small pilot group of real users. Ask:
- Did any question feel confusing?
- Was it too long?
- Did the order make sense?
This small step saves you from collecting unusable data at scale.
Final Thought
A well-designed survey isn’t about asking more questions—it’s about asking the right ones. In Product Discovery, every question should bring you closer to understanding your users’ world, not just their answers.
