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116 Part 2 • InformatIon requIrements analysIs

Figure 4.10
Open-ended questions used for
questionnaires.
53. What are the most frequent problems you

experience with computer output?
A.
B.
Open-ended
questions can
C. ask the
respondent
for lists …
54.
most troublesome?
Of the problems you listed above, what is the single

55. Why?

… or detailed
responses …

… or short blanks to the best of your ability.
answers. 67.
Below are questions about yourself. Please fill in the
How long have you worked for this company?
Years and
68. Months
How long have you worked in the same industry?
Years and
Months
69. In what other industries have you worked?

The basic question types used on the questionnaire are open-ended and closed, as discussed
for interviewing. Due to the constraints placed on questionnaires, some additional discussion of
question types is warranted.

oPen-ended Questions. Recall that open-ended questions (or statements) are those that
leave all possible response options open to the respondent. For example, open-ended questions
on a questionnaire might read, “Describe any problems you are currently experiencing with
output reports” or “In your opinion, how helpful are the user manuals for the current system’s
accounting application?”
When you write open-ended questions for a questionnaire, anticipate what kind of response
you will get. For instance, if you ask a question such as, “How do you feel about the system?” the
responses are apt to be too broad for accurate interpretation or comparison. Therefore, even when
you write an open-ended question, it must be narrow enough to guide respondents to answer in a
specific way. (Examples of open-ended questions can be found in Figure 4.10.)