04. March 2026

How to ask your users ... How to ask your users ...

New Guideline on User Surveys for Core Facilities and Technology Platforms

Understanding the needs and experiences of users is essential for continuously improving services in Core Facilities and technology platforms. User satisfaction is a Key Performance Indicator. Our partner TillerAlpha has recently published a new guideline titled “Towards More Effective User Surveys”, providing practical recommendations for designing and conducting user satisfaction surveys in research infrastructures.

UserSurveys-tilleralpha
UserSurveys-tilleralpha © Elmar Endl, Uni Bonn
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The guideline summarizes best practices from existing surveys and introduces a concise framework for collecting meaningful feedback from facility users. It highlights key dimensions of user satisfaction, including the quality of scientific support, technical infrastructure, access and booking processes, response times, and the reliability of research results. The guide also discusses the use of established survey metrics such as the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES), and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

In addition, the publication provides practical advice on questionnaire design, data protection, and strategies to avoid survey fatigue, helping facilities collect actionable feedback while respecting users’ time and privacy.

The guideline was developed in collaboration with Core Facilities and technology platforms in Germany and Austria and aims to support evidence-based service development across the research community. Thanks to Julia Nagy from the ULM Life Science & Medicine Technology Center (ULMTeC) for initiating the project during the 7th Ulm Workshop „Administrative Herausforderungen in Core Facilities & Technologieplattformen“.

The full guideline is available here or via the link listed below

The document can be shared under a Creative Commons Lizenz.

Gemeinsam zu effektiveren Nutzerbefragungen
Ein Leitfaden für Core Facilities & Technologieplattformen

Katharina C. Cramer, Nicolas V. Rüffin (TILLER ALPHA GmbH)

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