Create accessible materials – forms and surveys
When designing inclusive forms and surveys, you should incorporate accessibility into the structure and questions and offer many ways for people to respond.
Check your questions are clear, readable, and unbiased. Tell people how they can stay updated and thank people for completing your form or survey.
Create one version of your form or survey that is accessible in all different formats. This means you can compare responses from all participants equitably.
Give participants the option to submit their responses using a variety of methods. This could include:
- a paper submission (accepted via email, file upload on a website, or post)
- an email response
- an interactive chat platform
- a team member reading out the questions, explaining them, and recording a participant’s answers in person or over the phone
- an audio or video recording.
See Figure 1 for an example of how to offer participants multiple options to submit their responses.
Figure 1. An example of a survey offering other methods to register interest
Relevant pages
Forms (Australian Government Style Manual)
How to make more inclusive surveys (SurveyMonkey)
Surveys (Listen Include Respect)
Follow a simple structure
Minimise length and duration
It is important that you:
- Keep your forms and surveys as short as possible. Split long forms and surveys into shorter sections.
- Tell participants how many sections or questions are included instead of an estimated or average time to complete. There is variety in the time it takes participants to complete a form or survey.
- Allow participants to take breaks, save their responses, and come back to the form or survey.
- Give participants enough time to answer questions. Keep the form and survey open and accept responses for as long as possible and be open to extending the deadline. For example, leaving a survey open for at least a month means respondents have time to get the support they might need to complete it and can complete it in their own time.
Example
You are preparing a survey about your local community’s transport needs and priorities. You know people take different lengths of time to complete surveys and may need help from others. You do not assume how long it will take someone to complete the survey. Instead, you outline that the survey has two sections, with two key questions and an optional question in each section. Each question has a brief explanation of its meaning and some examples. The survey saves participant responses in progress or offers an option to download their responses as they go to minimise having to repeat themselves. At the end of each section, there is a large, high contrast ‘next’ button. Your survey has a clear progress bar.
Include a clear introduction
Explain the context and use of the form or survey on the first page. Inform participants about the:
- context and reason for the form or survey
- ways they can complete the form or survey, including how to use any accessibility functions
- information, documents, or other materials participants will need to complete the form or survey
- researchers and organisation running the form or survey
- ways to contact the researchers with questions or comments
- ways the form or survey data will be stored and analysed, including how participants can revoke their consent (if possible)
- deadline to submit responses
- potentially sensitive or traumatic topics the form or survey will cover, and support services available for participants.
You should also share this information in another format, like in a briefing meeting or an accessible briefing pack. However, you also need to make sure participants can complete the form or survey without using these other materials or attending these sessions.
Relevant pages
Plan: Give participants clear information in advance
Write accessible questions
It is important that you:
- Create simple, clear and distinctive questions for participants that present information in an unbiased manner.
- Use clear and plain language. Check the readability of your questions to meet your audience’s reading level. For example, using words at a year 7 reading level will mean more respondents can understand the questions you are asking.
- If you use complex words, acronyms, or uncommon terminology, include a clear, concise, and visible description.
- Try to make all your questions as distinct as possible. Repetitive questions can be confusing or boring for survey respondents.
- Pay a specialist to complete a sensitivity read of your questions. Consider your unconscious bias. This helps you understand what you are assuming or implying to make sure you do not cause harm.
Make it easy to answer the questions
Make the questions as easy as possible to answer:
- Use clear and simple language.
- Give participants all the information they need to answer the question on the same page.
- Give participants a variety of ways they can answer questions, such as submitting text, drawings, photos, audio, or video.
- Explain how to answer each question, such as how many options the respondent should choose, or the criteria for each rating on a scale.
- Provide example answers, where relevant, so participants know what kind of answers you are looking for.
Consider how to request demographic information
Be considerate when you ask for demographic information. You should:
- Only ask for demographic information if it is necessary.
- Explain why you are asking respondents for their demographic information, as this can be very sensitive or personal. As much as possible, allow participants to skip or choose not to answer these questions.
- Explain how you are handling sensitive information: how you will use sensitive information once it is submitted, including how you will manage privacy, confidentiality, retribution, ethics, and storage.
Relevant pages
Design: Follow ethical standards
Follow up: Quote participants accurately
Consider how to request disability information
Think about why and the way you will ask for demographic information about disability. Similar to other demographic information, you should:
- Only ask questions that are specific to the output of your project and the experience of participants.
- When requesting information about people’s disability status or type, allow participants to select multiple options and to add detail in a description box if they choose.
- Include a way for people with disability who don’t identify with the options provided to tell you how they identify to provide detail on their lived experience.
- Only use the medical model of disability if it is most appropriate – for example, if you will compare the survey results with medical statistics.
Relevant pages
Context: Understand what disability means
Design: Follow ethical standards
Follow up: Quote participant accurately
Example
You are usability testing a new website design and collecting information on user experiences through an exit survey. You ask participants if they used a screen reader or the website’s text-size adjustment function to navigate the website.
Participants respond with detailed information about their experience with screen readers or the text-size adjustment feature. By asking specific questions about the user experience, you receive responses that are more relevant to the output of your project.
You did not receive this level of detail in previous usability tests when you used the medical model of disability and asked participants if they were blind or vision impaired.
Finish with a clear statement of completion
At the end of the form or survey, you should give people information about:
- how they can provide any other information they would like you to have. For example, ask “What else would you like to tell us?” and providing an open-text field
- opportunities for people to give feedback about the form or survey process and experience, including accessibility and inclusion. Offer different channels for providing feedback, such as email, phone, and anonymous submission options
- how they may stay updated on the project.
Take the time to thank participants:
- Create a customised submission notification message using clear and simple language.
- Clarify the value you received from participants’ contributions.
- Show appreciation of the time, effort, energy, and resources participants invested in the activity.
- Share how participants may expect compensation or remuneration. This may include telling people what other information you may need from them to complete a payment.
- Give participants a clear method and timeframe for when you will provide payment such as cash, gifts, gift cards, compensation, or expense reimbursement.
The following images show three examples of submission notifications, the content improving with each one.
Figure 2. An automated survey response submission notification
Figure 3. An effective automated survey response submission notification
Figure 4. An effective and customised survey response submission notification
Provide alternative formats
You should also aim to deliver your form or survey in several different formats to make sure it is accessible for all respondents.
Digital forms or surveys
- Make sure your form or survey is designed with the same principles as digital documents.
- Use an accessible form or survey platform. The platform should be compliant with the latest WCAG rating and be easy to navigate. Read your chosen platform’s accessibility documentation to take advantage of any accessibility features it may have.
- Use accessible form or survey questions. Not all question types are easy to understand or work with a screen reader. Consult your platform’s accessibility documentation.
- Provide alternate submission methods for digital forms or surveys, such as print versions or receiving facilitator assistance to complete the survey.
Relevant pages
Plan: Create accessible materials – print and digital documents
Printed forms or surveys
- Design printed forms or surveys using the same principles as print and digital documents.
- Make it clear where the form or survey needs to be returned to, and by what date. If you are mailing a form or survey to participants, provide pre-paid return postage.
- Think about how your print form or survey may create barriers, particularly upper body mobility barriers. Provide alternate submission methods for print forms or surveys, such as digital versions or receiving facilitator assistance to complete it.
Relevant pages
Plan: Create accessible materials – print and digital documents
Facilitated forms or surveys
You may collect form or survey information with a facilitator present, such as in an interview or through street polls.