When designing any kind of web pages, it's critical to keep in mind who is going to be viewing the web page. In your case this means who is going to be in your sample, filling out the questionnaire.

Before you invest considerable effort developing a fancy online questionnaire, you should consider who your participants are:

• Will study participants be competent with the computer aspects of completing an online questionnaire? (handling a mouse, understanding scroll bars, etc.) This is not a problem with Drew students, and probably most high school students. With an adult, elderly, or very young population, however, some potential participants may not be able to complete a computer-based survey.
• Will study participants have access to a computer? How?
  • Will participants come to a stationary computer?
  • Will participants complete the questionnaire on their own computer?
  • Will participants need to be supervised as they complete the questionnaire?
• How does conducting the survey online impact confidentiality and anonymity?
  • Will participants worry about anonymity, no matter how much you reassure them?
  • Can you actually promise anonymity? (This depends on the method you use to submit data)

In addition, you will need to consider some of the logistics surrounding what computer will be used to complete the survey.

1. BRING THE PARTICIPANTS TO THE SURVEY

This is where you run the web form off of a central computer(s) and have respondents come there to complete it.

Advantages:

1. You control the characteristics of the computer on which the survey form will be completed (screen size, browser version, and sound and video output, environment, any external plug-ins needed to run the survey)
2. Completion rate once you get participants to the computer itself is higher, particularly if you supervise participants.
3. You can correct "buggy" behavior of the questionnaire, or answer questions participants have immediately.
4. You know who is completing your survey, and under what conditions. You can make sure each person completes it only once.

Disadvantages:

1. Time: you can only run as many participants as you have computers at one time.
2. Response rate may be lower, since you are asking respondents to go somewhere else, at a scheduled time.
3. If using public computers, these may be difficult to reserve for use and tailor to your needs (i.e., may not be private).

2. BRING THE SURVEY TO YOUR PARTICIPANTS

Advantages:

1. Can run many participant simultaneously.
2. Response rate likely to be higher, particularly if the request to complete it is made in person or by telephone, rather than via e-mail.
3. Participants can complete the survey anytime, at their convenience. No need to schedule participation.

Disadvantages:

1. Difficult to ensure one person does not complete the questionnaire multiple times.
2. Can't correct "buggy" web pages, or answer questions.
3. Cannot control characteristics of computer on which survey is filled out. The web form (survey) may not function properly on user's computer.
4. Don't know the conditions under which the survey was filled out. May see more "screw you" biases.