Asking Questions Like a Pro - A Practitioner’s Guide to Mixed Methods Research
Design better questions. Generate better insights.A lot of research falls short long before analysis begins — not because of poor data or tools, but because the questions weren’t strong enough. In an era of AI-generated noise, rushed surveys and surface-level interviews, the ability to ask clear, purposeful and psychologically sound questions has become a serious professional advantage.This course is designed to help you build that advantage.Whether you’re running surveys, conducting interviews or facilitating workshops and focus groups, you’ll learn how to design questions that engage people, reduce bias, and generate reliable, actionable insights — the kind you can use confidently in decision-making, policy, strategy, product development or your research publications.Why this course?Most guidance on question design is either oversimplified (“avoid leading questions!”) or buried in technical literature. This course bridges that gap: it blends research evidence with the lived experience of someone who designs and tests mixed-methods instruments for a living.You’ll learn not only what works but why it works: how people interpret, recall, simplify, distort or react to questions, and what that means for your design choices.This isn’t generic training. It’s a practitioner’s guide for people who want their research to be more robust and meaningful.Who this course is forNo matter your level of experience, you’ll find practical value: Beginners gain a strong foundation and templates that remove guesswork. Intermediate practitioners upgrade their toolkit and stop repeating common mistakes. Advanced professionals sharpen specialised skills and refresh blind spots. Some key sectors that can benefit from these materials include consulting, academia, policy, user research, evaluation, market insights and organisational development.What you’ll learnAcross structured lessons, you’ll learn how to: Craft questions that improve response quality Sequence questions to avoid bias Navigate sensitive topics with care Reduce cognitive overload for participants Understand how memory, recall and perception shape responses Build instruments that work smoothly in surveys, interviews and group exercises Avoid the subtle (and not so subtle!) design pitfalls that undermine insights Practise techniques through real examples and exercises Lessons are designed to be immediately applicable, so you’ll be able to use what you learn right away.FormatThe course is available via Notion, so you can learn wherever you are. Any device is compatible with the materials in this course.Table of contentsChapter 1. Introduction What this course is (and isn’t!) about [Free preview] ✅ Mixed methods research - why go through the trouble? 🔑 What research method(s) should I pick? 🔑 Chapter 2. Mastering online surveys An introduction to survey design 🔑 Practice session 1: Choosing a survey question type 🔑 Writing good survey questions 🔑 Practice session 2: Cognitive load 🔑 Practice session 3: Social desirability bias 🔑 Practice session 4: Question order 🔑 Practice session 5: Appropriateness of question options 🔑 Practice session 6: Cultural and linguistic barriers 🔑 Practice session 7: Recall accuracy 🔑 Practice session 8: Sensitive topics 🔑 Practice session 9: Specificity 🔑 A brief summary of what we learned so far 🔑 From questions to questionnaire: Creating flow and structure 🔑 Logic and validation 🔑 Practice session 10: Capstone exercise 🔑 The basics of survey administration 🔑 Chapter 3. Mastering semi-structured interviews An introduction to semi-structured interviews 🔑 Interview guides - An example 🔑 Types of interview questions 🔑 Practice session 11: Exploring interview question types 🔑 The interviewer’s skillset 🔑 Practice session 12: Survey or interview? 🔑 Running successful interviews 🔑 Practice session 13: The laddering technique 🔑 Application example: Complex interview scenarios 🔑 Practice session 14: Capstone exercise 🔑 Chapter 4. Mastering group-based research An introduction to group-based research 🔑 Core concepts and setup 🔑 Participant selection and management 🔑 Focus group and workshop exercises 🔑 Practice session 15: Card sorting 🔑 Practice session 16: Word association 🔑 Practice session 17: Scenario discussion 🔑 Using personas in your research 🔑 Activity design principles 🔑 Building facilitation skills 🔑 Workshop guides - An example 🔑 Practice session 18: Capstone exercise 🔑 Chapter 5. Quick design guides Online surveys 🔑 Semi-structured interviews 🔑 Group-based research 🔑 Chapter 6. A few more things Handling sensitive questions 🔑 Digital tools for mixed-methods research 🔑 Using generative AI in question design 🔑
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