Using a feedback survey

What is a survey and what are the benefits?

a feedback survey is used for identifying or measuring the experience of users
it helps uncover insights into products or services
with a good survey design, you are more likely to receive higher response rates, completion rates, and therefore, more accurate data

you can keep it running for an indefinite amount of time
this will give residents an opportunity to provide their feedback on your website when it suits them
you can look at responses over a stretch of time, spot trends and identify the most frustrating things for your users
identifying key issues means your can direct your website improvement on areas that will have the most impact
it gives users a chance to opt-in to research if you have the capacity to engage with them in the future

keep the survey short, concise and use plain language
make it visible for site visitors (in accessible colours so those with visual impairments can use it too)
for government websites the design patterns position the feedback banners at the top of the page

Here are some examples of how the feedback call to action looks on a variety of government websites.

As a part of the project funded by the Welsh Local Government Association we produced an example template for capturing feedback about the council tax service.

though the survey refers to ‘Council Tax’ this can be swapped out for any of your services to get feedback on those areas
if you do change the service area, remember to change the options under question 3 so that it aligns
you can also remove references to a service entirely, make it more generic and use it across your website end-to-end
you will need somebody with web development skills to get the survey onto your website
you may find “get feedback” guidance in the gov.uk service manual useful