A Look under the Hood: How We Handle Your Data from GALA Surveys

At GALA, we conduct periodic surveys to gather information for all sorts of purposes: To find out more about your needs and opinions, to discover how industry professionals are shaping the future, and to stay current with how GALA experts are advancing our sector.

So, what goes on “under the hood” in conducting a GALA survey? And why should you take time to answer a GALA questionnaire, in any case? Let’s take a look.

First, we design the survey:

• We determine the information we want to collect—what question are we asking you to answer?
• We ensure replicability and the ability to measure information year-over-year—both are key factors.
• We give you time, usually 2 weeks, and incentive to respond such as a free conference registration or industry insight.

Second, we make sure the results are statistically significant:

• We decide if the number of responses are good enough to publish.

Third, we normalize and clean the data:

• We tag unstructured data by applying distinct categories – this is helpful for seeing trends in open-ended questions.
• We anonymize the data to be published – as a reminder, GALA will never give away your personal information.

Fourth, we analyze the results:

• We make the data readable. Especially when looking at trends over time, a good visualization—either an Excel pivot or a fancier tool—can help.
• We segment the data based on demographics we’ve collected, metadata, or types of questions.
• We double-check the responses and match the data, being careful that no errors were introduced during processing.
• We draw the key conclusions and question the results. (People tend to represent a different view of reality when answering a survey compared to their actual behavior.)

Finally, we translate and publish the information:

• We publish content in the form of a blog or article accompanied by visualizations and infographics.
• We make the information understandable and transparent.

We couldn’t do all this without your help; the information you give us forms the building blocks of our work. So, next time you receive one of our surveys, please consider taking a few minutes to share your expertise and insights.

Thank you!