Best Practices for Running Challenge Surveys
In this best practices guide we offer recommendations to address common questions you may have regarding when and how to utilize challenge surveys within your organization's wellbeing program. We have also included survey templates at the end of this guide to assist you in creating your organization's surveys.
Why should you run a challenge survey?
Challenge surveys can play a vital role in enhancing the challenge experience, and can be used for a number of reasons, including:
understanding why participants are joining a challenge
gauging perceived activity levels (especially before vs during a challenge)
identifying preferred communication channels for sharing challenge updates
gathering feedback on your challenges and future challenge preferences
determining which prizes may be most motivating to your participants
gathering specific details you need for a challenge (such as t-shirt sizes)
Surveys provide an excellent opportunity for participants to reflect on personal and team goals, as well as to share their feedback on their experiences and expectations. For challenge admins, surveys offer valuable insights into users' needs and experiences, enabling you to more effectively tailor future challenges to your group.
Surveys can be run both before and after any admin-created challenge. Learn more about each survey type below.
*Please keep in mind that all survey questions are required, and all participants must submit a survey response before they can either join the challenge and/or access final challenge stats.
What can I use pre-challenges surveys for?
Pre-challenge surveys can help you gather information from users on a variety of topics, such as:
Learning what users would like to get out of a challenge and why they’re choosing to participate
Gauging excitement for the challenge goals and topic
Asking users to rate their feelings of wellbeing before the challenge begins
Having users vote on their preferred challenge prizes
Have users provide information related to challenge incentives like t-shirt sizing or shipping addresses
What can I use post-challenges surveys for?
Post-challenge surveys can help you gather information from users on a variety of topics such as:
Asking users to rate their challenge experience and share feedback
Gauging user interest in future challenges or challenge topics
Having users rate their feelings of wellbeing after the challenge ends compared to their pre-challenge feelings of wellbeing
Assessing what parts of the challenge users found to be most engaging and motivating
When should I run my first survey?
Surveys can be run for any challenge, whether it’s your first or your tenth! The key factors in deciding when to run a survey are to have a well-defined objective and be ready to act on the feedback obtained.
For example, if you're unsure of how to structure your challenges for the upcoming year, implementing challenge surveys can be an excellent method to gather insights on the effectiveness of your current challenges and identify potential adjustments for the future. This approach ensures that your surveys are efficient, straightforward, and have a meaningful impact on your wellbeing program.
How often should I be including surveys?
The frequency of your surveys will depend on what you aim to achieve from them. To determine the appropriate cadence for your organization, consider your objectives for using challenge surveys.
If your goal is to gather consistent feedback before and/or after each challenge, you may opt to run a survey for every challenge you host. On the other hand, if your goal is to collect broad insights, you might choose to conduct challenge surveys only as needed throughout your program.
How do I decide what questions to ask?
Once you’ve determined your objectives for running a survey, it’s time to identify the questions you want to ask. When crafting each question, be intentional with what you’re asking and ensure that you are equipped to address user feedback that could be received.
A few things to consider as you build your survey questions:
What is my goal in asking this question?
Is this question necessary?
Will potential responses to this question help to inform future decisions?
Which question type suits this question best?
We’ve also provided a set of sample questions and recommended question types at the end of the article to help guide you in building your surveys.
How long should a survey be?
Surveys are limited to a max of 7 questions, with a minimum of at least 1 question being required for each survey. When determining what to ask your participants, we recommend using the guidance above to ensure each survey question has a clear goal in mind.
Sample Survey Templates
Pre-challenge Survey Template
1. What motivated you to sign up for this challenge? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
To improve overall health and fitness
To enjoy friendly competition
To get outside
To have fun
To build community
Opportunity to win a prize
2. How would you describe your current level of physical activity?
Question type: Single select
Very active (150+ active mins/week)
Moderately active (60-150 active mins/week)
Somewhat active (30-60 active mins/week)
Not active (>30 active mins/week)
3. What resources or support do you think would help you succeed in this challenge? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
Team encouragement
Access to fitness classes/resources
Regular updates to track progress and celebrate achievements
Group activities or walks
Clear communication on challenge goals & rules
Flexible work schedules to accommodate break times to get active
4. How do you prefer to receive information and updates about the challenge? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
In the Wellbeing+ app
Email
Slack/Teams
Company intranet
Team meetings
Social media
Post-Challenge Survey Template
1. How would you rate your overall challenge experience?
Question type: Star rating
2. How engaging did you find the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Very engaging
Mostly engaging
Somewhat engaging
Not very engaging
3. What did you find most engaging about the challenge?
Question type: Short answer
4. Do you have any suggestions for improving future challenges?
Question type: Short answer
5. How did participating in the challenge impact you? Check all that apply.
Question type: Checkboxes
Increase in activity
Increase in feelings of wellbeing
Positive change on daily routine
Strengthened relationships with fellow participants
Spent more time outside
Decrease in feelings of stress
6. What other types of wellbeing challenges would you be interested in participating in? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
Nutrition
Mindfulness
Social connection
Seasonal
Team / competitive
Physical Activity
Financial
7. What types of rewards would you find most appealing for future challenges? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
Gift cards
Extra time off
Wellness products
Recognition in company communications
Health-related rewards (e.g. gym membership stipend, healthy meal vouchers)
Comparative Challenge Templates
You can also choose to run the same question in a pre- and post-challenge survey in order to measure users' experiences during the challenge and how participating impacted their overall perception of wellbeing post-challenge.
Pre-Survey
How would you rate your current wellbeing on a scale of 1 - 10?
Question type: Number Rating
Post-Survey
How would you rate your post-challenge wellbeing on a scale of 1 - 10?
Question type: Number Rating
Question Bank
Here are some additional questions you can consider including in any surveys that you create for your organization:
Pre-challenge Questions
1. What are your personal goals for this challenge? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Number rating
Increase daily step count
Improve overall fitness
Connect with colleagues
Win a prize
2. On average, how many steps do you take in a day?
Question type: Single select
Less than 2,000
2,000 - 4,999
5,000 - 7,499
7,500 - 9,999
10,000 or more
3. Is there anything specific you would like to learn or achieve during this challenge?
Question type: Short answer
Question you can ask after running at least one previous challenge:
1. What was the most engaging part of the previous Wellbeing+ challenges you’ve participated in?
Question type: Single select
Challenge goals
Content/topic
Chatting with other participants
Challenge notifications
Competition
Post-challenge Questions
1. How would you rate your overall experience in this challenge?
Question type: Star rating
2. Did you achieve your personal goal during the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Yes
No
Partially
3. How would you describe your level of physical activity now compared to before the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Much more active
Somewhat more active
No change
Less active
4. How do you feel about your overall physical health now compared to before the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Much better
Somewhat better
No change
Worse
5. How do you feel about your mental health now compared to before the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Much better
Somewhat better
No change
Worse
6. What did you enjoy most about this challenge?
Question type: Short answer
7. Do you have any suggestions for improving future challenges?
Question type: Short answer
8. How did the challenge impact your relationship with your colleagues?
Question type: Single select
Strengthened relationships
No change
Weakened relationships
9. In terms of challenge communications, is there anything you would change for future challenges? If yes, please explain.
Question type: Short answer
10. What channels did you find most useful for receiving information about the challenge? (Select all that apply)
Question type: Checkboxes
In the Wellbeing+ app
Email
Slack/Teams
Company intranet
Team meetings
Social media
11. How would you rate the support provided by your team/department/company during the challenge?
Question type: Single select
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
12. How did participating in this challenge affect your daily routine?
Question type: Single select
Positively
Negatively
No change