What were you looking for?
Capture the sought item in the respondent's own words before judging search quality.
Product and software research / Survey guide
Product and software research · Practical field guide
Website search experience survey
Learn whether users can find the information they meant to find.
Opens product registration. Example questions are not imported automatically.
YOUR DRAFTING BRIEF
Draft a questionnaire to help with this goal: Learn whether users can find the information they meant to find. Include neutral questions and allow people to skip situations they did not experience. Do not assume: Do not assume zero-result searches are all misspellings.
An example brief you can adapt. This preview does not call an AI service.
Read the answers carefully
What the answers cannot tell you.
Do not assume zero-result searches are all misspellings.
Example search feedback shows that a result title matches the query but its content answers another need. This is an illustrative interpretation problem rather than a real customer result. Improve result labels and content mapping before assuming the search term is wrong.
A useful starting point
A questionnaire for website search experience.
Learn whether users can find the information they meant to find. 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.
Did the results contain a useful answer?
Check usefulness for the original need; a result containing the searched words may still fail the task.
Which words would you use to describe the missing item?
Collect alternative vocabulary without asking for confidential names, document contents, or personal identifiers.
Which result title looked promising but was not useful?
Identify a mismatch between a promising title and the result so ranking and preview problems are distinguished.
What information should a result preview include?
Find decision information that belongs in the preview rather than simply making snippets longer.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate. What were you looking for? Did the results contain a useful answer? Which words would you use to describe the missing item? Which result title looked promising but was not useful? What information should a result preview include?
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 search feedback shows that a result title matches the query but its content answers another need.
Choose an action to test
Improve result labels and content mapping before assuming the search term is wrong.
Check the experience again
After testing the action, revisit this original observation: Example search feedback shows that a result title matches the query but its content answers another need. 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 website search experience was a completely positive experience?
What were you looking for?
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 looking for? | Short open text | Capture the sought item in the respondent's own words before judging search quality. |
| Did the results contain a useful answer? | Short open text | Check usefulness for the original need; a result containing the searched words may still fail the task. |
| Which words would you use to describe the missing item? | Short open text | Collect alternative vocabulary without asking for confidential names, document contents, or personal identifiers. |
| Which result title looked promising but was not useful? | Short open text | Identify a mismatch between a promising title and the result so ranking and preview problems are distinguished. |
| What information should a result preview include? | Short open text | Find decision information that belongs in the preview rather than simply making snippets longer. |
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. Learn whether users can find the information they meant to find.
- 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 looking for?” 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 website search experience 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: learn whether users can find the information they meant to find.
Invite relevant voices
Invite people who experienced the relevant situation. Explain response handling and include an optional skip or not-applicable route. Do not assume zero-result searches are all misspellings.
Choose an action
Improve result labels and content mapping before assuming the search term is wrong.
Before you send it
Questions, answered.
What should I learn from this website search experience questionnaire?
Learn whether users can find the information they meant to find. 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 “Did the results contain a useful answer?”?
Check usefulness for the original need; a result containing the searched words may still fail the task.
What would a practical next action look like?
Improve result labels and content mapping before assuming the search term is wrong. 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 looking for?” 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 search feedback shows that a result title matches the query but its content answers another need. 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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