Deciding whether is a survey qualitative or quantitative shapes the success of your event feedback surveys—especially for online workshops. This choice influences the depth and type of attendee insights you’ll collect. And with AI, qualitative analysis is now easier than ever.
Understanding qualitative vs quantitative event feedback surveys
Let’s break down the two key approaches:
Qualitative surveys focus on open-ended questions, capturing attendee experiences, emotions, and nuanced feedback in their own words. These are ideal for exploring “how” and “why” people think or behave in a certain way. [1]
Quantitative surveys rely on numerical data—ratings, satisfaction scores, and checkbox-style questions. They deliver measurable, structured insights. [1]
For online workshop feedback, I find both types valuable. Qualitative insights capture attendee stories, while quantitative scores show trends at a glance. A well-designed survey often blends the two to deliver a richer picture of event success. [1]
Dimension | Qualitative | Quantitative |
|---|---|---|
Question style | Open-ended, conversational (“What did you enjoy the most?”) | Closed, numeric (“Rate the workshop on a scale of 1-10”) |
Data type | Stories, quotes, testimonials | Numbers, percentages, averages |
Main value | Deep insights—the “why” behind feedback | Benchmarks—track progress at scale |
Conversational surveys—like the ones you’ll find on Specific—naturally excel at gathering qualitative feedback. They invite detailed attendee input while still allowing for quick rating questions.
When qualitative surveys shine for online workshop feedback
I reach for qualitative surveys whenever I want to understand attendee motivations and the story behind their experience. They’re crucial for situations like these:
Pinpointing the reasons for engagement drops during a session
Discovering unexpected learning moments or memorable takeaways
Capturing testimonials for future event promotion
Modern AI survey builders now make it effortless to generate insightful, open-ended questions. You don’t need to be a research expert to craft a survey that digs deep—just describe your goals and AI will generate probing, conversational prompts on your behalf. [1]
Follow-up questions are what make qualitative surveys truly conversational. The AI steps in to ask clarifying or probing questions in real time, giving you richer, more actionable feedback. [1]
Conversational surveys feel like a friendly chat, not just a boring form. They nudge attendees to share freely and honestly.
By tracking what people actually say, qualitative event feedback helps you improve future workshop content, adjust delivery styles, and keep engagement high. [1]
When to choose quantitative event attendee surveys
If your main goal is to benchmark, compare scores, or measure progress over time, quantitative surveys are your go-to. I like these for questions like:
Net Promoter Score (NPS): “How likely are you to recommend this workshop to a friend?”
Session ratings: “How would you rate the ‘AI for Teams’ session?”
Learning metrics: “Did you meet your learning goals? Yes/No”
Organizers rely on these numbers for quick performance dashboards and to spot trends over time. [1] They’re great for seeing what happened, but rarely tell you why attendees loved (or struggled with) certain segments, and what’s behind satisfaction shifts. [1]
That’s why the smartest event feedback approaches combine quantitative scores with qualitative follow-up prompts. After a low rating, the AI can instantly prompt, “Can you tell us what would have made this session better?” This creates a feedback cycle that’s both scalable and personal. Find out how automatic AI follow-up questions make this seamless.
How AI makes qualitative event feedback analysis effortless
The traditional challenge: If you’ve ever tried to read through a pile of handwritten or typed open-ended survey comments, you know it’s slow and exhausting. Manual analysis can take days. [1]
Now, AI survey response analysis changes everything for workshop organizers. AI reads through every response, summarizes key points, and uncovers recurring themes in minutes—not weeks. [1]
Here’s how I use AI to unlock qualitative data from event surveys:
Finding improvement areas
“What are the top three common complaints attendees had about the online workshop?”
Extracting powerful testimonials
“Can you pull out the most enthusiastic attendee quotes for our website?”
Understanding engagement patterns
“Were there any engagement drops identified from attendee comments? What reasons did people mention?”
You can chat with AI about your responses just like having a skilled research assistant beside you—try it directly with Specific’s analysis chat. [1]
Creating the perfect event feedback survey with AI
The best event surveys combine both qualitative and quantitative questions so you get metrics for benchmarking and stories for actionable insight. [1] Here’s a simple flow I suggest for online workshop feedback:
Start with a few closed, quantitative questions (e.g. “Rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1-10”)
Immediately follow with open-ended prompts (“What did you enjoy the most?” or “What would you change for next time?”)
For low scores, set up the AI to probe further on the reasons behind dissatisfaction
With an AI survey editor, you can refine and reword questions just by describing what you want—the AI handles the structure and language instantly. [1] This powerful combination leads to conversational flows like:
"How valuable did you find the workshop on a 1-10 scale?"
"What was the most surprising idea you learned today?"
"If you rated any part below 8, what could we do differently to improve your experience?"
Through these conversational follow-ups, the survey bridges quantitative benchmarks with the qualitative “why,” capturing both numbers and real stories from attendees. [1]
Start gathering deeper event insights today
Choosing between qualitative and quantitative surveys depends on what you want to learn, but with AI there’s no need to compromise. Get to metrics and stories quickly, and let the technology do the heavy lifting—create your own survey and unlock richer, more actionable event feedback.