Project your thoughts into the future for a moment. Imagine that you have successfully completed your degree and have begun, or are continuing, employment in your chosen setting. Your supervisor comes to you and mentions that he or she is interested in using a survey to query customers on their level of satisfaction with the services provided by your company. The supervisor would also like to find out how to provide additional services to meet customer desires.
Devise a strategy for addressing your supervisor’s needs. Discuss use of an instrument (either an interview or a survey) as a method for accomplishing the supervisor’s objectives. Briefly outline the steps in the survey development process. Use Perley et al.’s 2007 article, “Conducting User-Centered Information Needs Assessment: The Via Christi Libraries’ Experience,” which you read for this week, as a basis for discussing the role of a needs assessment in this process. Also, discuss the necessity of accurately identifying the target population that will be the focus of the data collection effort.