What were you trying to build?
Anchor the response to the task being built rather than a general opinion of the documentation.
Product and software research / Survey guide
Product and software research · Practical field guide
Developer documentation feedback survey
Discover whether instructions support a concrete implementation task.
Opens product registration. Example questions are not imported automatically.
BEFORE YOU INVITE PEOPLE
Local planning aid. No answers are submitted or saved.
Read the answers carefully
What the answers cannot tell you.
A useful reference and a useful quick-start solve different reader needs.
Example developers can follow the code sample but cannot identify the required setup assumptions. This is an illustrative interpretation problem rather than a real customer result. State the supported environment and expected result beside the example.
A useful starting point
A questionnaire for developer documentation.
Discover whether instructions support a concrete implementation task. Choose the questions that fit the experience you are investigating; avoid asking people to evaluate a step they did not encounter.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate.
Which example or instruction did you need but could not find?
Identify a missing example or step so a revision can address the reader's actual obstacle.
Could you complete the task after following the documentation?
Distinguish following the instructions from reaching a useful result in the reader's environment.
Which assumption about your environment was unclear?
Locate an unstated environment assumption without collecting private configuration values.
What would make the example easier to adapt?
Find the change that would make adaptation possible; an example that runs unchanged may still fail the user's real task.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate. What were you trying to build? Which example or instruction did you need but could not find? Could you complete the task after following the documentation? Which assumption about your environment was unclear? What would make the example easier to adapt?
Download the questions as text ↓
Examples to adapt, rather than a validated research instrument.
A worked interpretation example
From a comment to a practical next step.
Illustrative scenario. These are not customer results.
Keep the finding specific
Example developers can follow the code sample but cannot identify the required setup assumptions.
Choose an action to test
State the supported environment and expected result beside the example.
Check the experience again
After testing the action, revisit this original observation: Example developers can follow the code sample but cannot identify the required setup assumptions. Repeat the relevant experience prompts with people who encountered the change. Compare specific explanations and sample differences; do not claim causation from the before-and-after responses.
Before you send it
Check what your wording assumes.
Would you agree that developer documentation feedback was a completely positive experience?
What were you trying to build?
The initial wording assumes a positive evaluation. The revised question asks about the actual situation so a respondent can describe difficulty, uncertainty, or a different experience.
Choose the response format
Make room for the explanation.
| Question | Suggested format | What to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| What were you trying to build? | Short open text | Anchor the response to the task being built rather than a general opinion of the documentation. |
| Which example or instruction did you need but could not find? | Short open text | Identify a missing example or step so a revision can address the reader's actual obstacle. |
| Could you complete the task after following the documentation? | Short open text | Distinguish following the instructions from reaching a useful result in the reader's environment. |
| Which assumption about your environment was unclear? | Short open text | Locate an unstated environment assumption without collecting private configuration values. |
| What would make the example easier to adapt? | Short open text | Find the change that would make adaptation possible; an example that runs unchanged may still fail the user's real task. |
Make questions optional where appropriate. If you add a rating scale, label its endpoints, keep one idea per question, and retain a follow-up for reasons. These examples are not a validated measurement instrument.
Inside the product
Build and preview your questionnaire in SurveyTeams
Build questions around an experienced task, keeping reports of difficulty separate from feature preferences. The actual product screenshot shows a separate synthetic post-event demonstration; the example questions on this page are not already loaded in the product.
- Start a manual draft with a title that tells respondents why you are asking. Discover whether instructions support a concrete implementation task.
- Copy or download the relevant example questions above, then create and add the questions in your draft. Review the question notes before deciding which prompts to keep.
- Check the respondent preview, especially this wording: “What were you trying to build?” Include a way to say none or not applicable, and review your response-handling instructions.
Screenshots demonstrate creation and preview. Distribution and results are separate steps; availability varies by account and plan.
Build with SurveyTeams
Build your own developer documentation questionnaire.
Use these examples to draft your questionnaire. Create a survey draft, add questions, and check the respondent preview in SurveyTeams. Additional features depend on your account and plan.
Create your survey in SurveyTeams
Opens product registration. Example questions are not imported automatically.
Learn about the product ↗From question to next step
Make the feedback useful.
Set the decision
Write down the decision you want this questionnaire to support: discover whether instructions support a concrete implementation task.
Invite relevant voices
Invite people who experienced the relevant situation. Explain response handling and include an optional skip or not-applicable route. A useful reference and a useful quick-start solve different reader needs.
Choose an action
State the supported environment and expected result beside the example.
Before you send it
Questions, answered.
What should I learn from this developer documentation questionnaire?
Discover whether instructions support a concrete implementation task. Start with one decision you can act on rather than using the survey to confirm a preferred answer.
What should I look for in the answer to “Which example or instruction did you need but could not find?”?
Identify a missing example or step so a revision can address the reader's actual obstacle.
What would a practical next action look like?
State the supported environment and expected result beside the example. This is an example action to investigate, not a guaranteed improvement.
When should I send this questionnaire?
Ask after respondents have experienced the specific situation in the first prompt: “What were you trying to build?” Allow enough time after a proposed change for people to experience it before repeating the questionnaire.
What should I check after changing the process?
After testing the action, revisit this original observation: Example developers can follow the code sample but cannot identify the required setup assumptions. Repeat the relevant experience prompts with people who encountered the change. Compare specific explanations and sample differences; do not claim causation from the before-and-after responses.
Can I use these questions in SurveyTeams?
Copy the questions or download TXT, CSV, JSON, or a Markdown worksheet and adapt them in your own survey. The product CTA opens registration and does not import the example. Verify the features and terms available in your account.
Does the product screenshot contain this questionnaire?
It shows a separate synthetic event-feedback example used to demonstrate the real builder. Copy or download the questions on this page and adapt them in your own draft. Registration does not import them automatically.
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