Ask HN: Did you go to college, drop-out, or just skip it all together? Hi Folks! Four quick survey questions that'd help me out a lot. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GhDiZoNLqft2F57OTJYN_023vmBHpz2oi6-bF8kL0h4/viewform?usp=send_form Gist of the Survey: Techies & formal education |
Let me tell you a public relations secret -- never ask for personal information from people when you provide no information about yourself. It sounds too one-sided and creates resistance.
For example, if you were mining HN readers for personal information in furtherance of some nefarious corporate goal, you wouldn't need to conceal your motive, but only because you haven't provided a motive. This frees readers to imagine what reasons you might have, and decline to participate.
I've been doing research (through many methods) as a UX'er, for years. You're correct, the very personal stuff, is best done in a 1:1 interview.
It's rare for researchers to present a hypothesis to research subjects, before conducting the requisite study.
My four questions are pretty broad/basic, and they map well to my startup's purpose... which is being in the biz, of closing workplace inequality gaps and making workplace cultures more adaptive and welcoming to folks from all walks of life.
That should be plenty, to assuage worriers of my potentially nefarious corporate goals. If it's not, those folks should really go outside and enjoy a sunny day, sometime soon. Or, several.