Qualtrics - How to Edit Surveys
Qualtrics is a simple to use web-based survey tool to conduct survey research, evaluations and other data collection activities. Anyone can use this research suite to build surveys, send surveys and analyze responses.
Getting Started
Surveys are simple-to-use but powerful tools for conducting research. You can use the survey builder to craft the information you want to gather, decide when certain questions appear, and customize the appearance.
Once you have logged in and selected the project you are working on, you will now be able to begin adding questions and features to your survey.
Adding Questions
- On the left-hand side, under 'Question Type' select which type of question you want to use. The most common choices are multiple choice, and Text/Graphic which doesn't require any input from the user. This allows you to provide instructions, clarify any questions, or add links. The question type you select will affect the options you are provided on the left-hand side menu.
- You can do further text editing by using the 'Rich Content Editor' button that appears if you click on the questions you are editing. Here you can change the color, size, format, and font of your text as well as add images, files, or even videos.
- Once you have created a question you may want to add a page break to help break up content and allow respondents to complete section of surveys in chunks. To create one, simply select the three dots on the right-hand corner of your selected question and click on 'add page break.'
- To add a new question, click on 'Add new question.'
- To add a block of questions, click on 'Add Block'
Other Options in the 'Edit Question' Area
- Under response requirements, you can click on the slider next to 'Add requirements.' Doing so will allow you to either request a response (alert the respondent to continue the survey) or force a response (require the respondent to answer the question before they can continue with the survey).
- Under response requirements, you can click on the slides next to 'Add validation.' Doing so will allow you to force a certain response or type of response based on the different validation options available. When any of the validation options are enabled, an asterisk icon will appear in the top right corner of that question.
- Under Question behavior, you can enable behavior to enhance your survey design.
- The 'display logic' option allows you to show your question conditionally based on previous information.
- The 'skip logic' option allows you to send respondents to a future point in the survey based on how they answer the selected question.
- The 'carry forward choices' allows you to copy specific answer choices from one question and bring them into a future question.
- The 'choice randomization' option allows you to set your choices to display in a random order.
The 'recode values' option allows you to change the default numeric values or variable names for your answer choices, but not all question types can be recoded.
- The 'default choices' option allows you to pre-populate answer choices within a question when the respondent opens the survey.
- The 'JavaScript' option allows you to add JavaScript to the selected question.
- If you scroll down to the bottom of your survey you can add an end of survey message to personalize the survey taking experience.
Survey Flow
On the left-hand side, you will see a second icon of four that when selected, will open up 'Survey Flow' options. This is where you customize the order in which respondents experience the elements of your survey.
- To add a new element, click on 'Add a New Element Here.'
- Now, you can select on what you want to add. This includes:
- A block, which shows a block of questions.
- A branch, which display blocks and other elements based on the conditions that survey respondents meet.
- The embedded data option, which allows you to add any extra information you want to include in the survey data such as contact data or other variables.
- The randomizer option allows you to randomly present question blocks and other elements.
- The web service option allows you to integrate API calls and web services into your survey.
- The group option allows you to group survey flow elements together.
- The authenticator, which will verify respondents' identities before they take the survey.
- The end of survey option to terminate respondents at various locations.
Look and Feel
On the left-hand side, you will see a third icon of four that when selected, will open up the 'Look and Feel' menu. Here you can change how your survey looks to respondents when they take your survey.
- You can change the survey theme by choosing from preconfigured settings in the 'Theme' tab.
- You can change the question layout by choosing from the three different question layouts in the 'Layout' tab.
- You can customize the next and back button text, header, questions per page, and progress bar in the 'General' tab.
- In the 'Style' tab you can change the colors of your survey, change the font of your entire survey, add custom CSS to further customization options, and more.
- In the 'Motion' tab you can determine how your survey moves by setting a page transition animation, enabling survey auto advance, and setting your survey to auto-focus on a select question.
- There is also a 'Logo' tab to brand your survey.
- In the 'Background' tab you can change the background type and so on.
Options
On the left-hand side, you will see a fourth icon of four that when selected, will open up the 'Options' menu.
- The 'general' tab contains survey options related to the survey's default language, the title and description displayed in search results, question numbering, and Expert Review.
- The 'responses' tab contains settings related to how respondents can change their answers during a survey session, the error messages they receive, what to do within complete responses, and more.
- The 'security' tab contains options that can increase your survey's security and protect it from unwanted responses.
- The 'post-survey' tab contains options that concern what happens after a survey ends, including end-of-survey messaging, thank-you emails, and so on.
- In the following' advanced' section you can find some additional settings that can enhance your survey. These include options related to scoring (assigning point values to answer choices to use your survey as a test), and quotas (creating and monitoring quotas).
Translations
On the left-hand side, you will see a fifth and final icon that allows you to translate your survey into multiple languages and allows respondents to choose which language to view the survey in.
- In the table presented, the base language of the survey will appear, as well as other information that may be relevant, like if the language visible to survey takers. Information pertaining to translation progress for any survey translations started is also provided, such as how many questions have been translated out of the entire survey, and if the survey name and description have been translated.
- Changing the base language using the drop-down menu associated with it will change the way the survey editor displays the survey questions to respondents.
- To manually add a survey translation, navigate to the Add Language button and select the language(s) you'd like to add. You can then type the translated content in the Translation language box on the right-hand side of the survey builder. Although not recommended because of inaccuracy concerns, users can also select the three dots at the corner to Translate with Google Translate.