In accordance with the motto "No answers without questions", it is important at the beginning of an empirical study to work out how our clients' interest in knowledge can be operationalized into concrete questions and items - which measure exactly what they are supposed to measure without being ambiguous or misleading. The development and validation of survey instruments is one of our core competencies - especially when it comes to the development of item batteries that are to serve as the basis for specific segmentations or multivariate analyses.
Whether respondents can best be reached online (CAWI - computer assisted web interviews), by telephone (CATI - computer assisted telephone interviews), in person (CAPI - computer assisted personal interviews or PAPI - paper and pencil interviews) or with a hybrid design depends on the intended target group. Besides the correct definition of the target group, it is important to clarify and continuously monitor the necessary sample sizes, quota variables and field control conditions in order to deliver statistically valid results.