Linked Alarm survey review - People Bank involvement

Overview

East Sussex County Council installed new ‘linked’ smoke alarms in the homes of 40 clients receiving telecare support. In order to assess the impact the alarms have had for our clients, a survey will be used to gather feedback on their views and experience of them.

In order to ensure the survey is clear, engaging and asking the right questions, we asked a People Bank member to user test this survey.

Our user tester said:

1. Respondents should be given more time to complete the survey.
2. People may be uncomfortable giving their full name.
3. There needs to be a free text box for clients to explain their reasons for being satisfied or dissatisfied with their linked alarms.
4. Should the survey ask about the client’s satisfaction with the actual installation process of the alarm and who did it?
5. Add a prefer not to say tick box option to the question asking about how safe they felt before and after the alarm was installed.

How we responded:

1. We have extended the numbers of weeks respondents have to complete the survey from two to four.
2. Clients are already aware of and agreed to their data being shared for the project. Therefore, we will still ask for their name, but offer to use their initials as an alternative.
3. We have included a free text box for clients to explain their answers.
4. The installation is not a factor we need to assess for the project aims, so we will not ask about it within this survey.
5. It is important to encourage clients to give an answer regarding the alarm’s impact on their feeling of safety. If they wish not to answer they can skip the question, so we won’t add a prefer not to say option.

“The views of the People Bank member testing the survey helped to make it more accessible” – Project Lead.