How to Write Good Open-Ended Questions (With Examples)

Open-ended questions, when done well, can provide valuable insights that you can’t get any other way.

But how do you know whether the questions you’re asking are good questions?

In this article, we break down exactly how to write good open-ended questions, give you lots of examples of great questions you can copy, and talk about why these are great questions. Let’s dive in!
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What Are Open-Ended Questions?

Open-ended questions are questions that give respondents a chance to write as much detail as they would like.

The nice thing about open-ended questions is that they encourage deeper thought and enable the discovery of new ideas that closed-ended questions can’t easily achieve.

For example:

• Closed-ended: "Do you like working here?" (Yes/No)
• Open-ended: "What do you enjoy most about working here?"

Read More: Open-Ended Vs. Closed-Ended Questions in Market Research

Why Are Open-Ended Questions Important?

Open-ended questions (open-ends) are goldmines of valuable information for market researchers and business owners. They encourage meaningful insights from customers and survey respondents.

Using open-ends allows you to gather richer insights in surveys and customer research, like:

• Customer motivations (i.e. why they buy)
• Customer language (the actual words and phrases they use, which helps brands craft more effective messaging and marketing copy)
• Unmet needs and pain points (helping companies improve products, services, and overall customer experience)
• Improved customer segmentation (patterns in open-ended responses can reveal distinct customer groups based on needs, attitudes, and behaviors)
• Enhanced qualitative analysis (market researchers use open-ended responses for sentiment analysis, verbatim coding, and thematic research to draw qualitative insights)

For example, our client Generosity X used open-ended questions like 'How would you describe your motivation to donate?' to craft effective donor messaging and personalized communications for their customers.

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How to Write a Good Open-Ended Question

Good open-ended questions are easy to understand, encourage in-depth responses, and provide useful and relevant data.

Here are a few tips for writing effective questions:

Start with “What,” “How,” or “Why”

What, why, and how questions invite deeper thought and prevent simple "yes" or "no" answers.

• Closed: "Did you have a good experience?"
• Open: "What did you like about your experience?"

Structuring questions this way encourages respondents to share more of their thoughts and feelings.

Avoid Leading Questions

Leading questions can bias responses by suggesting a preferred answer. Instead, use neutral wording to encourage genuine feedback.

• Leading: "Don't you think our product is great?"
• Neutral: "How would you describe your experience with our product?"

By removing assumptions from the question, you ensure that respondents feel comfortable sharing honest and unbiased opinions.

Keep It Clear and Specific

Vague questions can confuse respondents and lead to unclear or incomplete answers. Instead, be precise about what information you want.

• Too vague: "What do you think?"
• Clear and specific: "What do you think about the recent update to our app?"

A well-defined question helps respondents focus on relevant details, making their answers more useful for analysis.

Encourage Storytelling or Explanation

Asking respondents to share stories or explain their experiences results in richer responses. This helps you understand not just what they think, but why they think it.

• Closed: "Did you like the event?"
• Open: "What was the most memorable part of the event for you?"

Encouraging storytelling allows you to uncover emotional connections, user behaviors, and key moments that shaped their opinions.

Use Probing Follow-ups

Sometimes, an initial response may lack depth. Using probing follow-ups invites respondents to elaborate and provide more context.

• "Can you tell us more about that?"
• "What do you mean by that?"
• "Can you give us an example?"

This can be helpful following a closed-ended yes or no question to extract more data and make the previous question more useful.

Ask The Reader to Elaborate 

Encouraging respondents to expand on their answers ensures you receive more detailed and meaningful insights. A well-phrased question can prompt richer responses by inviting reflection, explanation, or personal anecdotes. Here’s how to do it effectively:

Use Follow-Up Prompts

A simple nudge can encourage deeper responses.

• "Can you explain why that was your favorite feature?"
• "What led you to that conclusion?"

Ask for Specific Examples

Encourage respondents to provide real-life instances rather than general statements.

• "Can you describe a time when our product solved a problem for you?"
• "What specific feature made the biggest impact on your workflow?"

Invite Comparisons and Alternatives

Asking about comparisons can reveal preferences and frustrations.

• "How does this experience compare to similar products you've used?"
• "If you could improve one thing about our service, what would it be and why?"

Encourage Reflection

Prompting respondents to think deeper about their experiences can uncover insights they might not have initially considered.

• "Looking back, what was the most surprising aspect of using our service?"
• "How has your perception of our brand changed over time?"

These techniques can help you guide respondents to provide richer, more valuable feedback that enhances your market research efforts.

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48 Open-Ended Question Examples

Crafting the right open-ended questions can help market researchers and business owners gather deep, qualitative insights that drive business decisions. 

Here are 48 examples of effective open-ended questions tailored for different areas of market research:

Customer Experience & Satisfaction

Understanding customer experience is crucial for improving products and services. These questions help uncover what customers love, what frustrates them, and how they feel about their overall experience.

• What was the most enjoyable part of your experience with our product/service?
• How would you describe your overall satisfaction with our brand, and why?
• What challenges have you faced while using our product, and how did you overcome them?
• If you could change one thing about your experience, what would it be and why?
• What was your first impression when using our product/service, and how has that changed over time?
• Can you describe a situation where our customer service team helped (or didn’t help) you effectively?

When to use these questions: These are ideal for post-purchase surveys, user experience interviews, and voice-of-customer analysis. They help businesses identify strengths and weaknesses in their offerings.

Product & Service Feedback

Gathering feedback on products or services ensures that companies can innovate and meet customer needs more effectively. These questions dig into how users interact with a product and what improvements they would like to see.

• What features do you use most often, and why?
• How does our product compare to others you’ve tried in the past?
• What’s missing from our product that would make it more useful for you?
• Can you describe a time when our product exceeded or fell short of your expectations?
• What was your biggest concern before purchasing, and did our product meet your expectations?
• If you could design the perfect version of our product, what features would it include?

When to use these questions: These work well in product beta testing, usability testing, and ongoing customer feedback loops. They help prioritize development efforts based on real user needs and are used in customer feedback analysis.

Brand Perception & Loyalty

A strong brand presence keeps customers engaged and builds long-term relationships. These questions help businesses understand how customers perceive their brand and what drives loyalty.

• What words come to mind when you think of our brand?
• How has your perception of our company changed over time?
• What initially attracted you to our brand, and what keeps you coming back (or not)?
• Can you share a story about a time when you felt especially valued as our customer?
• If our brand disappeared tomorrow, how would you feel and why?
• What makes you trust (or distrust) a brand like ours?

When to use these questions: These are valuable in brand audits, loyalty program assessments, and brand positioning studies. They help shape marketing strategies and customer engagement initiatives.

Competitor Analysis

Understanding how customers perceive competitors can reveal gaps in your own offerings and highlight opportunities for differentiation.

• What made you choose our product over a competitor’s?
• If you’ve used similar products before, what did you like or dislike about them?
• What’s one thing a competitor does better than us, and why do you think that is?
• What factors would make you switch to another provider?
• What features or services have you seen elsewhere that you wish we offered?
• How do we compare to other brands in terms of price, quality, and customer service?

When to use these questions: These are particularly useful in competitive research, customer retention studies, and when preparing to launch a new product or service.

Buying Decision & Behavior

To improve marketing and sales efforts, businesses need to understand what influences a customer’s decision to buy.

• What problem were you trying to solve when you decided to purchase our product?
• How did you first hear about us, and what convinced you to buy?
• Can you walk us through your decision-making process when choosing a product like ours?
• What other brands or solutions did you consider before making your decision?
• How long did you take to decide, and what factors influenced your choice?
• What would have made your buying experience easier or more enjoyable?

When to use these questions: These are useful in pre- and post-purchase surveys, focus groups, and customer journey analysis to improve conversion rates and customer acquisition strategies.

Advertising & Marketing Insights

To refine marketing campaigns, it's essential to know what messaging resonates most with customers and how they interact with ads.

• What made you click on our ad or open our email?
• How do you typically research products like ours before making a purchase?
• What kind of messaging resonates most with you when considering a new product?
• What’s one thing we could do differently to improve how we communicate with customers?
• What type of content (videos, blogs, reviews) do you find most helpful when researching a product?
• What was the last ad you saw that really caught your attention, and why?

When to use these questions: These are useful for marketing campaign assessments, ad performance reviews, and content strategy planning to ensure effective audience engagement.

Pricing & Value Perception

Pricing is a major factor in purchasing decisions, and understanding how customers perceive your product’s value can help optimize pricing strategies.

• How do you feel about the price of our product/service compared to its value?
• What pricing model would work best for you (one-time payment, subscription, etc.)?
• Have you ever hesitated to buy because of the price? If so, why?
• What would make our product feel like a better value for the price?
• If we offered different pricing tiers, what features would make you choose a higher/lower tier?
• What is the most important factor when deciding if something is worth the price?

When to use these questions: These are helpful in pricing research, customer retention studies, and market segmentation to align pricing with customer expectations.

Customer Support & Service

A good customer service experience can significantly impact loyalty and retention. These questions help evaluate the effectiveness of customer support teams.

• Can you describe a time when our support team helped you effectively?
• What was the biggest challenge you faced when reaching out for support?
• How would you rate our response time, and what could we do to improve it?
• If you could change one thing about our customer service, what would it be?
• What’s the best customer service experience you’ve ever had, and what made it great?
• How do you prefer to contact customer support, and why?

When to use these questions: These are ideal for post-support surveys, customer retention efforts, and improving overall service quality.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Open-Ended Questions

While open-ended questions are powerful tools for gathering qualitative insights, poorly written questions can lead to unclear or biased responses. 

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when crafting your questions.

1. Using Double-Barreled Questions

A double-barreled question asks two things at once, making it difficult for respondents to answer clearly.

• Problematic: "How do you feel about our pricing and customer support?"
• Better: "How do you feel about our pricing?" and "How do you feel about our customer support?"

By separating the topics, you get more precise insights rather than a mixed response. It will also be easier to analyze.

2. Making the Question Too Broad or Vague

Overly broad questions can confuse respondents or lead to generic answers that lack actionable detail.

• Problematic: "What do you think about our product?"
• Better: "What’s the most useful feature of our product, and why?"

A specific question provides clearer direction, leading to richer responses.

3. Asking Leading Questions That Bias the Response

Leading questions subtly push respondents toward a particular answer, making the feedback unreliable.

• Problematic: "Why do you love our product?" (assumes the respondent loves it)
• Better: "How would you describe your experience with our product?"

Keeping the question neutral ensures respondents feel comfortable sharing honest feedback.

4. Overcomplicating the Wording

A question that is too complex or uses industry jargon can confuse respondents, leading to unclear or incomplete answers.

• Problematic: "How has the new UX/UI update impacted your engagement with our platform in terms of usability and accessibility?"
• Better: "How has the recent update changed how you use our platform?"

Simple, clear wording makes it easier for respondents to provide meaningful answers.

5. Mixing Sentiments in One Question‍

Asking for both positive and negative feedback in a single question can make it harder to analyze responses effectively.

• Problematic: "What did you think about our new product?"
• Better: "What did you like most about our new product?" and "What could be improved?"

Separating sentiment-based questions allows for a more structured analysis of feedback.

6. Avoiding Open-Ended Questions or Ignoring Responses

Some researchers shy away from open-ended questions because they are harder to analyze than multiple-choice answers. However, failing to include or properly analyze them means missing out on valuable insights.

• Problematic: Only using multiple-choice questions and ignoring qualitative feedback.
• Better: Balancing structured questions with well-crafted open-ended ones and using text analysis tools to identify key themes.

By avoiding these common mistakes, market researchers can ensure they collect high-quality, insightful responses that drive better business decisions

Conclusion

Open-ended questions provide deeper insights into customer needs, brand perception, and product satisfaction. They allow businesses to uncover valuable feedback beyond simple yes-or-no answers.

However, collecting responses isn’t enough—you have to analyze them for true insights. 

You can use Blix to automate the open ends coding process, identifying key themes and sentiment patterns. Click here to book a demo of Blix and see how it may help you.

To learn more about coding and analyzing survey responses, check out this article on survey coding.