Online Survey Software & Form Tools at Their Best!

With so many different online questionnaire tools available, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to decide which to try. To choose which is best for your needs, it’s helpful to examine user experience, one the most important differentiating factors.

The online user experience depends on a lot of different factors, including website layout, color scheme, selection of pictures, easy navigation, connectivity and, of course, browser compatibility. There may be numerous attractive online products, but there are just a few survey tools that stand out due to their User Interface design and overall “look and feel.”

SoGoSurvey and FluidSurvey are two products that offer a user experience worth mentioning, with their product color scheme, pictures and easy website navigation making them instantly stand out from the rest.

Their products consist of two parts — the static side and the dynamic side. The static side refers to the product’s outer appearance, its never-changing content, layout and pictures. The dynamic side is where the product actually functions and includes all the various features with which the user spends most of his time. Both the static and dynamic sides make up the overall user experience.

Both SoGoSurvey and FluidSurvey offer attractive and professional products that also provide their users with memorable online survey experiences.

SoGoSurvey vs. SurveyMonkey

“How to design surveys” is becoming a popular online search topic as online surveys offer a unique platform for businesses of all sizes and structures to connect with customers and prospects. With so many social networking sites, it’s now easy to share information, with online survey tools one of the preferred methods.

In the last few years, we have seen the emergence of numerous options for survey design and sharing, using tools that are easy and practically free. These players have all been competing to receive maximum coverage and traffic. As is typically the case, a select few have prospered, while others have fallen.

Two companies emerging as the top contenders are SoGoSurvey and SurveyMonkey. While both offer similar design options, each has a different objective and takes a different approach. In an attempt to win a monopoly, SurveyMonkey has spent considerable money acquiring smaller online survey players. SoGoSurvey, on the other hand, is using its decade-long experience in the technical and scientific survey business to focus more on offering a high-end technical product, without the distraction of chasing online popularity.

Based on some rough analysis, SoGoSurvey appears to be lagging behind in its marketing and advertising efforts, whereas SurveyMonkey is the most sought-out product from a branding prospective. But the proliferation of social media has introduced challenges and opportunities, with a socially friendly and customer-centric product the ultimate objective. From a user experience point of view, each product stands apart from the other. SoGoSurvey offers robust sharing and reporting tools, whereas SurveyMonkey offers quick customer service through their social media platforms.

In the race to reach the top spot, both of these players are taking the necessary steps to reach out to their customers and attract maximum traffic.

I felt like a STAR

We have heard a lot about the famous Survey Monkey guys and how their survey tools have monopolized the market over the past decade. After a rather slow start, they have over the years built a huge customer base.

Online survey tool users are constantly looking for variety, options, reliability, innovation and of course, a risk-free deal. The past couple of years have brought radical growth in the online survey industry, with numerous new players joining the game. As an avid survey designer, reporter and enthusiast, I am always searching for new and improved online survey software with increasingly improved features and a professional look and feel.

Last year, while searching for some college research data, I received a survey invite, forwarded to me from an old college buddy. The survey on Robotic Science looked really professional and well designed — with precise questions, smooth navigation and an attractive look and feel. Soon I was searching for the source of that survey and the survey designing tool, and was directed to SoGoSurvey.com. I found myself lured to their signup page and in no time I was all set up with my FREE account.

Just to test the capability of this new tool, I designed a poll about the most widely used Social Media Tool among college teens. While designing the poll, I came across SoGoSurvey’s famous Chain Invites tab, which allowed me to forward my newly created poll to my friends, who could then in turn forward it to their friends and so on and so on.

I distributed my survey to around 100 contacts and also shared it on all my social media accounts. In about an hour, I noticed my poll being discussed on Twitter; I had more than 200 retweets. That evening I saw something really amazing — my Twitter handle was actually a trending topic in the city of Boston!  For about an hour I became a STAR! I was receiving emails, SMS and calls from college buddies and work colleagues. It was overwhelming and was all because of a simple tool that helped me distribute and spread my newly created poll.

Since that day, SoGoSurvey has become my only option for designing and distributing surveys. Their robust tool helps me design a variety of detailed surveys with distribution lists, reporting tools, etc. I recently upgraded my account to their paid enterprise version, and I must say, I am rather surprised with their prompt customer service. Unlike Survey Monkey, Zoomarang or FluidSurvey, they aren’t the most advertised survey tool online, but I definitely feel their product is worth a try.

From my experience as a professional survey designer, I see SoGoSurvey becoming the market leader and a true pioneer in redefining survey design. I’m betting it won’t be long until SoGoSurvey stands alone as the most professional online option available for survey designers.

Top online survey tools

I remember creating paper surveys in junior college when I needed  valuable insight into a certain group’s likes and dislikes. Back then, compiling the results took a lot of time and patience. Today, however, thanks to the ever-changing online and e-commerce industry, designing surveys is much easier and less time consuming.

With all the available online survey options, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. As a survey designer for the past 20 years, I’ve used almost all of them.

Based upon my experience and preference, I’ve compiled a list of the top online survey tools available today. I’ve based this list on careful analysis of each tool’s functionality, user experience, navigation, reporting, features and popularity:

SoGoSurvey – I’ve   heard that these guys are a bunch of techies who do not quite work on their advertising or product marketing, claiming they let their product speak for itself. I find their platform to be robust and user-friendly, useful for detailed and researched-based surveys. Though not quite popular, they surely do have a good product to offer.

SurveyMonkey – In business for more than 10 years, this is the most popular and widely used online survey software. All the free surveys offered include basic feature modules; you to need to upgrade to the paid version to work with the additional features. Personally, I prefer to get the feel of all the features before I upgrade. Perhaps something they will work on.

Zoomarang – Recently acquired by Survey Monkey, they offer almost the same tools and features. Not quite a business-friendly product, as it helps you design simple surveys but nothing too advanced or research-based. They did, however, receive a  marketing boost following their buyout. A good tool for quick and easy survey creation.

Fluid Survey - I personally feel that they have the best UI (user interface) in the market. Very slick and attractive. Their free version, however, only allows you to create 20 questions per survey during a 14-day trial period. Overall, an attractive product that offers some cool display and survey template options.