Turning Curiosity Into Data: My Journey with Surveys

Most of the projects I’ve enjoyed working on started with a single spark of curiosity. Sometimes it was a question that wouldn’t leave me, sometimes an observation I couldn’t shake off. Over time, I realized that curiosity, when structured, can evolve into research, and research, when validated, can yield insights worth building upon.

Recently, my curiosity circled a simple question: Do people still collect things? From childhood, I recall friends trading stamps, cousins hoarding coins, and uncles polishing vintage scooters as if they were prized possessions. Today, however, our worlds feel so digital — playlists instead of CDs, NFTs instead of art, screenshots instead of photo albums. Does collecting still matter in this era, and if yes, what forms has it taken?

That thought became the seed for a project where I’m trying to understand the modern landscape of collectibles and the role they play in people’s lives. From Labubu figurines to old coins, watches, cars, or digital skins in video games — what we hold on to says something about us. And to find patterns beyond my assumptions, I knew I had to design a survey.

👉 Fill the survey here: https://forms.gle/yCvEHAbQ845sYhA46

Why Start With a Survey?

The truth is, assumptions are seductive. I could sit with my notebook and sketch out 10 reasons why collecting is fading, or 10 reasons why it’s booming. But that would only reflect my bubble, my bias.

Surveys break that cycle. They don’t just give us anecdotes; they give us scale. One person saying “I don’t collect” is interesting, but 500 people saying the same thing creates a trend. Numbers allow you to step away from speculation and actually map what’s happening.

For me, this survey is a way to test hypotheses:

• Is technology stealing time away from physical hobbies?

• Or is technology helping new kinds of collections thrive?

• Are younger generations rejecting collectibles, or are they just redefining them?

Without data, all of this remains a guess. With data, patterns emerge.

Building the Questionnaire

Creating a survey is like design in disguise. It follows similar principles — empathy, clarity, and iteration. Here’s how I approached it:

1. Start with the problem statement→ “How do people engage with collecting in 2025?”Every question needed to trace back to this.

2. Include demographics, but lightly→ Age group, location, and background help segment responses. But too much detail turns into noise, so I kept it simple.

3. Stay away from leading questions→ Instead of “Don’t you think collecting is dying?” I framed it neutrally: “Do you currently collect any physical items?”

4. Focus on validation, not solutions→ The goal isn’t to fix collecting habits but to understand them.

5. Set a target→ My aim: 2000 responses. A number that feels ambitious but achievable, and large enough to see patterns beyond coincidence.

👉 Take the survey here: https://forms.gle/yCvEHAbQ845sYhA46

Designing for Engagement

The reality: people don’t love forms. So the challenge became — how do I make it worth their time?

I experimented with:

• Collector Personality Types

  Based on answers, you might end up an Archivist (the one who preserves), a Trend Hopper (always chasing the next hot item), a Memory Keeper (attached to sentimental objects), or a Digital Explorer (living in virtual collections). It’s playful, but it also gives respondents a takeaway.

• Relevant Examples

  For college students, I included things like Labubu or sneaker culture. For professionals, collectibles like vintage watches or vinyl records. The examples ground the form in real life, instead of making it abstract.

• Questions that surprise→

  “Are you unconsciously collecting screenshots on your phone?”→ “If you had to start a collection tomorrow, what would it be?”These small twists invite people to reflect, not just tick boxes.

• Community Angle

  Asking: “Do your friends or family collect anything interesting?” opens doors to unexpected stories and comparisons.

Tips for Anyone Designing Surveys

Over time, I’ve built my own checklist for surveys:

• Keep them short and crisp → 3–5 minutes max.

• Mix quantitative and qualitative questions → Numbers show patterns, open-ended answers reveal motivations.

• Don’t collect data you won’t use → Respect the respondent’s effort.

• Always give something back → A fun result, a reflection, even a quirky thank-you.

• Think of it as a conversation, not an interrogation.

• Connect with me, I will be happy to help.

Where I’m Headed

The project is still unfolding, but with every response, I see threads forming. Some people collect because it anchors them to childhood. Others because it’s an investment.

And some don’t collect at all — yet realize halfway through the form that they might actually be hoarding Spotify playlists, screenshots, or Instagram saves.

My next milestone is to reach 2000 voices. With that scale, I’ll be able to map not just what people collect, but why — and how technology, culture, and identity shape it.

👉 Share your perspective here: https://forms.gle/yCvEHAbQ845sYhA46

👉 Pass it to someone who might be secretly hoarding sneakers, vinyl, or fridge magnets.

Because at the end of the day, collecting is about stories. And the best way to uncover those stories is to turn curiosity into data.