A segment is a decision, not a demographic

Most segmentation decks start with who people are. Age band, city, income. Those cuts are cheap to field and easy to chart. They rarely tell a team what to do differently on Monday.

A segment earns its place when the people in it would get a different offer, a different message, or a different product. If two groups would hear the same recommendation, they are one segment with two labels.

Before the questionnaire is written, name the decision the segment has to support. Then ask only what separates people who would take different paths. The crosstab can wait.