Knowledge base

Question Types

Single Answer

Single answer questions are for when you want respondents to choose a single response from either a list of options or a survey scale.

You can use this for a scaled response such as likability or for when you need to force an answer from a choice of options (like preference, for example).

Multiple Choice

Multiple choice questions are best used when respondents could give more than one answer for the same thing.

They are ideal for when you have a selection of possible answers (for example, to determine brand awareness) where consumers tend to know more than just one brand. Or they can be used for disguising your intended subject in order to prevent bias.

Open Answer (Short)

These are what we call open-ended questions. Without any restrictions, respondents can give whatever answer comes to their mind. Therefore the data is displayed differently, it is shown with a word cloud and you can also download the verbatims from the data file.

Coding is done automatically, so we recommend you to check the verbatims as, for instance, if a word is misspelled, it might be coded differently. Coding is done by word counts, not grouping concepts or ideas.

Open Answer (Long)

These are quantitative questions with a qualitative feel. They allow respondents to respond in their own words, with no limitations. They can provide rich context into how they think or feel about a subject, sharing personal experiences or opinions.

Coding is done automatically, so we recommend you to check verbatims as, for instance, if a word is misspelled, it might be coded differently. Coding is done by word counts, not grouping concepts or ideas.

Numeric

These questions allow respondents to give a numeric response, such as price or quantity.

Range of values, decimals and units of measurement: there are some handy options for guiding respondents to give specific measurement answers that are specific to Numeric questions.

– Set range of values: as the answer is numeric, you can set a maximum and minimum depending on what is acceptable for the subject matter.

– Number of decimals: depending on the question, you may want to include a couple of decimal points based on how likely it is for a respondent to answer with that much detail.

– Add unit of measure: this clarifies what you want the respondent to use as their unit of measurement i.e. in the UK there is a mix of pounds (lbs) and kilos (kg) used for measuring weight so this encourages consistency.

Yes/No

Sometimes a simple question requires a simple answer, and that’s where this question comes into play. Easy, straight-forward and direct to the point.

Ideal for when you have a simple do or don’t question, such as owning an item or partaking in a specific activity.

Ranking

These questions force respondents to order their answers based on your questions’ needs. You can choose how many options you want to include.

Ideal when you want respondents to answer in order of most liked or most important, such as to get feedback for product features or the prioritisation of tasks.

This is specific to the ranking question because you can give 10 options but you may not want respondents to rank every single one.

Number of responses to order: in ranking questions you have this option so you can tailor how many answers you want your respondents to order. For example, you may give respondents 10 options of most appealing product features but only want them to prioritise the 3 they consider most appealing. This helps respondents focus as ranking 10 options can sometimes be quite difficult.

Score (Single)

A score allows respondents to give answers based on a personal rating.

This can be used for a numeric scale response such as rating the experience of a service from 0 to 10.

Score (Multiple)

These questions allow respondents to rate more than one option.

They are ideal for when you have more than one option with a scaled response, such as the rating of different countries, respondents’ desirability to travel to them or even top sweet flavours.

Numbered Scale: multiple score questions allow you to apply numbered scales to additional sub questions like in the example below. You can also choose to show images instead.

Use image as a question: this option allows you to use an image as a sub question i.e. your overall question might be ‘on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like this design?’. You can then show several designs as questions and the scale as the answer.

Scale: for scale based questions you can choose what scale you would like to set, considering the possible variation within respondents’ answers and whether you need a simple scale with a midway point such as 1-5 where 3 is neutral.

Matrix

A matrix allows you to maximise questionnaire length by combining several questions in one. You could create a brand consideration study for example, by displaying 10 brands and associating a 5 point scale to each one.

It allows you to merge multiple questions into one to maximise the efficiency of the questionnaire. For example, you can get a scaled response of desirability for different product features or ask awareness and usage questions for a set of brands.