Achieving Usability in Establishment Surveys Through the Application of Visual Design Principles

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to develop theoretical connections between principles for visual design and principles of cognitive and emotional usability, as a basis for developing rules of construction for improving questionnaire layout and design. The usability principles draw from cognitive psychology research and have been applied previously to the use of physical objects in one's environment. The visual principles rely on gestalt psychology concepts that have been previously applied to questionnaire design. Based upon the resultant theoretical framework, twelve rules for questionnaire construction are developed and applied to revising the Agricultural Resource Management Survey of farm operators conducted annually by the United States Department of Agriculture.