Questionnaires are best for the job

Our main analysis tool is the questionnaire. We find the questionnaire to be a good compromise in achieving our objectives. It is/gives:

• easy to understand for most building users;
• quick to fill in;
• rapid to administer (in and out of the building the same day);
• not a threat to anybody (questions can be vetoed);
• a wide selection of coverage (65 variables) - we find this is enough to cover the majority of topics but not unmanageable;
• sufficient information for different viewpoints (e.g. architecture, building services, facilities management);
• appropriate for benchmarking;
• a balance between qualitative and quantitative data;
• reasonably easy to analyse, given the potential complexity of buildings;
• easy to translate;
• usable by others without supervision;
• an open-ended format, so changes can be incorporated;
• cost effective, especially using the standard version;
• underpinned by a database, so data can be further interrogated if required.