Remember what I said two months ago about a survey Tufts sent me?

Here’s the long and the short of it, and this mirrors my experience just with the tufts survey: they are not only very long, but they are tediously long. People seemed to be genuinely interested in filling out these surveys and helping out, but help us help you. Long forms with redundant questions are a no-no. Complex matrix-like button pushing is also out. I think if the survey entry process could be simplified and brought up to a more professional, 2007 standard, there would be less angst on the part of participants. Throw some AJAX in, make it look less like SurveyMonkey, and you’re set. Shortening and tightening the questions wouldn’t hurt, either.

Well, a couple weeks ago Yale sent me an admitted student questionnaire and then repeatedly emailed me until I finally sent it in. Basically.

Dear Admitted Student,

Yale Dean of Admissions Jeffrey Brenzel recently sent you an Admitted Student Questionnaire. If you have already completed and returned the survey, thank you for doing so. If not, I hope you will take a few minutes to do so today. Your responses will provide invaluable information so we can best serve future.

“Awesome,” I said to myself. “This questionnaire has been helpfully designed to take only a few minutes- how thoughtful of the Yale Admissions Office!” How wrong I was. I opened the questionnaire-packet to find myself confronted by about 100 questions. Allowing a mere 10 seconds per question, that survey would take nearly 17 minutes to complete. “A few” indeed. Was the survey gratuitously long? Not particularly–I still filled it out. But I was annoyed by the misrepresentative sell. Was it necessary?

And, just to re-emphasize my earlier fear: please, no surveys asking for feedback about the feedback surveys.