SMART Methodology to Ask Effective Questions Flashcards
What is the SMART methodology?
A tool for determining a question’s effectiveness based on whether it is specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant, and time-bound
What 5 characteristics do effective questions have?
- Specific
- Measurable
- Action-Oriented
- Relevant
- Time Bound
Describe Specific Questions
Specific questions are simple, significant, and focused on a single topic or a few closely related ideas.
Is the question specific?
Does it address the problem?
Does it have context?
Will it uncover a lot of the information you need?
Example
Non-Specific
Are kids getting enough exercise these days?
Specific
What percentage of kids achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week?
Describe Measurable Questions
Measurable questions can be quantified and assessed.
Will the question give you answers that you can measure?
Example
Unmeasurable
Why did our recent video go viral?
Measurable
How many times was our video shared on social channels the first week it was posted?
Describe Action-Oriented Questions
They encourage change
Will the answers provide information that helps you devise some type of plan?
Example
Instead of
How can we get customers to recycle our product packaging?
Try
What design features will make our packaging easier to recycle?
Describe Relevant Questions
Relevant questions matter, are important, and have significance to the problem you’re trying to solve.
Is the question about the particular problem you are trying to solve?
Example
Instead of
Why does it matter that Pine Barrens tree frogs started disappearing?
Try
What environmental factors changed in Durham, North Carolina, between 1983 and 2004 that could cause Pine Barrens tree frogs to
disappear from the Sandhills Regions?
Describe Time-Bound Questions
Time-bound questions specify the time to be studied
Are the answers relevant to the specific time being studied?
Example
1983 to 2004
How does fairness apply to asking questions?
- Fairness in the context of asking questions as a Data Analyst means ensuring that your questions don’t create or reinforce bias.
- Craft questions that make sense to everyone.
- Questions should be clear and have a straightforward wording that anyone can easily understand.
Example
Unfair
- These are the best sandwiches ever, aren’t they?
- What do you love most about our exhibits
What are good questions to answer when starting a project?
1. Objective
What is the objective. For example, what are the goals of the deep dive? What, if any, questions are expected to be answered by this deep dive?
2. Audience
Who is the audience. For example, who are the stakeholders? Who is interested or concerned about the results of this deep dive? Who is the audience for the presentation?
3. Time
What is the due date. For example, what is the time frame for completion? By what date does this need to be done?
4. Resources
What resources are avaialble to you. For example, what resources are available to accomplish the deep dive’s goals?
5. Security
Who should have access to the data. For example, who should have access to the information?
Why is it important to ask thorough questions?
Asking thorough and specific questions means clarifying details until you get to concrete requirements. With clear requirements and goals, it’s much easier to plan and execute a successful data analysis project and avoid time-consuming problems down the road.
How could you use the SMART method to determine what questions to ask in order to answer “What features do people look for when buying a new car”
Specific: Does the question focus on a particular car feature?
Measurable: Does the question include a feature rating system?
Action-oriented: Does the question influence creation of different or new feature packages?
Relevant: Does the question identify which features make or break a potential car purchase?
Time-bound: Does the question validate data on the most popular features from the last three years?
Examples of questions you could aim to answer around “What features do people look for when buying a new car”
Ask open ended questions:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the most important) how important is your car having four-wheel drive? Explain.
What are the top five features you would like to see in a car package?
What features, if included with four-wheel drive, would make you more inclined to buy the car?
How does a car having four-wheel drive contribute to its value, in your opinion?
What types of questions should you avoid?
- Leading Questions
- Closed-Ended Questions
- Vague Questions
What is an example of a leading question?
This product is too expensive, isn’t it?
This is a leading question because it suggests an answer as part of the question. A better question might be, “What is your opinion of this product?” There are tons of answers to that question, and they could include information about usability, features, accessories, color, reliability, and popularity, on top of price.
Now, if your problem is actually focused on pricing, you could ask a question like “What price (or price range) would make you consider purchasing this product?” This question would provide a lot of different measurable responses.
What is an example of a closed-ended question?
Were you satisfied with the customer trial?
This is a closed-ended question because it doesn’t encourage people to expand on their answer. It is really easy for them to give one-word responses that aren’t very informative.
A better question might be, “What did you learn about customer experience from the trial.” This encourages people to provide more detail besides “It went well.”
