I have the distinct impression that there is trepidation in some corners of the USTA regarding surveys. In a large organization, any data collection initiative requires extensive legal and policy compliance review. Additionally, USTA originated surveys seem to actively avoid “free form” text comments. Based on my emerging experience conducting surveys, open ended comments are a gold mine for insight into what people really think.
From what I have gathered, one source of reluctance to include “free form” survey responses is because it requires processing by full-time USTA staff. Apparently, rank and file volunteers on teams formed to shape player experience are not authorized to access raw results. Based on the two surveys I have recently conducted, it doesn’t take much time to sort through the data. I haven’t experienced anything remotely controversial either.
Results from the “Three Day Weekend Tournament Survey” are a case in point. The structured survey questions revealed that active USTA tournament players strongly prefer Friday through Sunday scheduling over the Saturday through Monday alternative option. The comments add significant nuance to the collected data.
For example, there were two comments left against a question that required survey respondents to rank order their tournament scheduling preferences. The options were Friday through Sunday, Saturday through Monday, and essentially a combination of those things. Two people expressed the sentiment that if Monday were a holiday then Saturday through Monday scheduling would be preferable. That is illuminating.
I also placed a question at the end of the survey requesting additional comments. One of the responses eloquently outlined how Saturday through Monday scheduling requires fewer aggregate vacation days. Essentially, only the finalists (and in larger tournaments, the semi-finalists) would miss work. It’s a valid point.
However, other responses to that question outlined the logic behind the preference for the Friday start. Some people are already off on Friday, or work abbreviated schedules on that day. Additionally, many people are in employment situations where vacation cannot be taken on short notice and/or without prior approval on a working day. For those players it is more important that vacation be predictable rather than minimized.
One person very helpfully suggested a great topic for a future survey. There is also some debate within the player community in USTA Texas over how matches should be scheduled within the three day tournament window. I plan to pursue that data collection at some point in the future.
In the meantime, I think that the USTA should consider opening the aperture to collect free form comments on the surveys that the organization conducts. It may take marginally more time to process, but the additional insight provides a tremendous return on that investment.
