Survey questions are created in the Survey Questions step of the creation workflow. To create a new Survey question you can click the “Add survey questions” drop down menu (where you will select the question type) or click the “Select template” option if you want to add a templated question saved on your account. Click here to learn more about Survey Question templates.To learn more about the different question types, please review the sections below.

Once you have chosen a question type you can enter your question on the line labelled “Your question goes here.” Questions can contain up to 200 characters. Response options are entered in the boxes below the question. To add a new option click the plus sign to the right of the text box. To remove an option click the minus sign. To re-order your options click and drag on the icon that looks like six dots to the left of the text box. Response options can include up to 120 characters. To delete a question click the Remove button on the bottom right corner of the question box.

Note: The functionality described above may vary by question type. Review the sections below about each question type to learn more.

If you begin working on a different question, your previous questions will convert to a read-only format. To edit any question displayed in this way, click the pencil icon to the left of the question number. You can expand or contract these static questions usin the arrow icon in the top right corner of the question box, or you can expand all questions using the “Expand all” option above and to the right of the first question. To re-order your questions click and drag on the icon that looks like six dots to the left of the question number.

You can save your questions by clicking the “Save as draft” or “Save & Next” buttons at the button of the screen or by clicking the “Preview” button at the top of the page.

Note: Once you save a survey question, if you decide to change its question type you will be limited to other types that support the answers you've provided (ex. A multiple choice question can be turned into a checkbox or dropdown style question, but not a satisfaction score question).

How it works

Multiple choice questions are the most basic type of Survey Question. Leaders can pose a question with up to 100 possible answers, from which participants choose one. These questions can also include an “Other (please specify)” option wherein participants can write an answer up to 120 characters long.

We’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.

When to use it

Multiple choice questions are a great option when presenting participants with a short list of possible responses. Keep in mind that participants can only choose a single response, so frame your questions accordingly. If you would like participants to be able to select multiple answers, the Checkbox style question is what you need.

Example questions taken from an HR survey

• What is your current job title? (entry-level employee, manager, senior manager, executive, etc.)
• How long have you been with the company? (less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years, more than 10 years)
• What is your gender? (male, female, non-binary, prefer not to say)
• What is your age range? (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+)
• What is your race/ethnicity? (White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, etc.)

Example questions taken from a school survey

• What is your role in the school? (student, parent, staff member)
• What grade is your child in? (K-5, 6-8, 9-12)
• How long have you been associated with the school? (less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years, more than 10 years)
• What is your race/ethnicity? (White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, etc.)
• What is your primary language spoken at home? (English, Spanish, Mandarin, etc.)

How it works

Checkbox questions allow participants to select more than one response from a list of up to 100 options provided by the Exchange leader. These questions can also include an “Other (please specify)” option wherein participants can write an answer up to 120 characters long.

We’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.

When to use it

Use a Checkbox style question when more than one of the responses you’ve provided could apply to a single participant (ex. “Which of the following professional development opportunities have you taken advantage of in the past year?”)

Examples taken from an HR survey

• What languages do you speak fluently? (English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, etc.)
• What are your areas of expertise or certifications? (Project management, Six Sigma, Scrum, Human Resources, ITIL, etc.)
• What are your preferred work schedule? (Full-time, Part-time, Flexible hours, Remote work, Shift work)

Examples taken from a school survey

• What are your children's grade levels in this school? (Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc.)
• What are the subjects you teach? (Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Physical Education, Music, etc.)
• What are your primary ways of staying informed about the school? (Email, Website, Parent-teacher meetings, Newsletters, Social media, etc.)

How it works

Dropdown questions are the best option when your Multiple Choice question has too many options to display conveniently for your participants. These questions work just like Multiple Choice questions. Participants must choose a single answer from a list of up to 100, but the options appear in a dropdown format.

Since these questions are geared to handle long lists of responses, we’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.

Note: The ‘Bulk answers’ upload option is only available when questions are first created. Once the Exchange has been saved or launched, this option is no longer available.

When to use it

Fairly straightforward: use this question option whenever you would use a Multiple Choice question if you feel the list of responses would be a bit too much to display all at once on a participant’s screen.

Examples 

• Which country were you born in? 
• What is your primary language?
• What is your job title?

How it works

Satisfaction score questions are standardized questions used to get a high-level view of participants’ overall satisfaction and always have a 0-10 point scale. Leaders can customize the question and response labels but can’t add or subtract options. Responses are grouped into categories and an overall score is calculated (learn more here).

When to use it

We recommend only one or two satisfaction score questions per Exchange. Ask your participants this type of question to measure satisfaction with your organization, experience, or service. We'll calculate your score automatically when you analyze your results. 

This question type is most valuable when paired with Likert Scale questions. First, ask a Satisfaction Score question to obtain an overall score or grade on your performance (the output). Second, use Likert Scale questions to better understand the participant’s opinion on themes that influence participant satisfaction (inputs). Of course, the analysis of thought rating patterns for each score is another highly effective way to understand each group’s opinions.

Examples

• On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this company as a great place to work to a friend or colleague? (0 being not at all likely, 10 being extremely likely)
• On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this school to a friend or colleague? (0 being not at all likely, 10 being extremely likely)

How it works

Likert scale questions are a staple of all types of research. They ask respondents to rate a statement on a 5-point scale indicating agreement, likeness, etc. The scale is preset to strongly disagree through to strongly agree, and the leaders can edit the scale options as needed, but responses cannot be added or removed from Likert scale questions. If you would like to ask a Likert-style question with greater or fewer than five responses, use the Multiple Choice question type.

When to use it

Likert scale questions are generally catered towards opinion based questions or statements and work best when assessing responses based on variables, e.g. sentiment, quality, importance, likelihood, etc. They are particularly useful when paired with Satisfaction Score questions, as you can use them to better understand why a certain Satisfaction Score was selected. Learn more here.

Examples taken from an HR survey

• I feel valued and recognized for my contributions at this company. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• I have the resources and support I need to perform my job effectively. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• My manager provides regular and meaningful feedback. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• I have opportunities for growth and development within the company. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• The company fosters a positive and inclusive work culture. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)

Examples taken from a school survey

• I feel safe and secure at this school. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• The school provides a challenging and engaging curriculum. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• Students receive adequate support for their learning needs. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• The school effectively communicates with parents/guardians, students and staff. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
• The school provides a positive and inclusive environment. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)

How it works

Comment box questions allow participants to respond to an open-eneded question in their own words. Responses have a 300-character limit. 

When to use it

Comment box questions are great for when you want to hear from participants in their own words to better understand their perspectives. These types of questions can help in brainstorming solutions to a problem or to evaluate the current understanding of an issue within the community. While similar to the open-ended questions used in Exchanges, comment box survey questions do not allow participants to see and rate the responses of others. 

Example questions taken from an HR survey

• What ideas do you have to improve the facilities in our office?
• What professional development opportunities have you completed in the past year?

Example questions taken from a school survey

• What kinds of electives would you like to see offered next year?
• How would you describe the culture in our schools?
• What can we do to better provide safe spaces for students?

The Power of Survey Questions

Survey Questions are useful in a few different ways. While your engagement is open, they can tell you who has participated and who hasn’t. Keeping an eye on the proportions of participants who have responded in different ways to a question about age or location, for example, can let you know which groups may need a little more encouragement or reminding to participate before the engagement closes.

If you've used survey questions in the context of an Exchange, you can use Survey Questions to dig deeper into your results. Several features of the Discover Dashboard can help you make use of your Survey Questions data:

• Use Heatmaps to see how different groups of participants rated the major themes in your Exchange. 
• Use Differences to see how participants agreed and disagreed on specific thoughts, then use your Survey Questions to learn more about the various interest groups that were formed. 
• You can even filter Thoughts by the manner in which participants responded to Survey Questions.

Note: Survey Questions will not display results for response options with fewer than 5 responses to preserve participant confidentiality.

Types of Questions

The two most common types of Survey Questions are demographic questions and opinion questions.

Demographic questions ask participants to tell you a little more about themselves. Some examples of good demographic questions are:

• Which of the following best describes your role within our organization:
• At which location do you most commonly work?
• How long have you been a part of our organization?

Opinion questions ask for closed-ended feedback to a specific question. These can include yes or no type questions such as:

• Did you attend our all-company meeting last month?

These types of questions could also include a rating scale, such as:

• How strongly do you agree with the top goal outlined in our plan?
• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

If there are common questions that you or other leaders in your organization often use you may also have the option to use a question template for setting up your survey questions, if templates have been created for the room you are working in.

Tips for Writing Good Questions

Be Exhaustive: 

One important consideration when adding Survey Questions to your Exchange is that participants are required to answer them before responding to the main open-ended Exchange question. That means that you will need to include options that apply to all your participants. 

• If you aren’t sure whether or not your response options capture everyone, include an "other" option using the "Add 'other' option" button at the bottom of your survey question response list in the edit screen. 
• If a participant could belong to more than one group, make sure you use the checkbox question type rather than a multiple choice or dropdown style question.
• If a particular question does not apply to some participants, include a “not applicable” option. 
• If your question is potentially sensitive, include a “prefer not to say” option.

Be Focused:

Only ask as many questions as you need. People will only be willing or able to spend a certain amount of time participating, and you want to avoid needless fatigue (especially if you're also asking an open-ended Exchange question). Always ask yourself: “Will this question add value to my results?”.

Your questions also need to be understandable and answerable for all of your participants. Make sure that you don’t ask a double-barrelled question (two ideas in one) like “How satisfied are you with your salary and job conditions?” because participants could feel differently about each idea.

Finally, keep in mind that participants can only choose ONE response unless you've used the checkbox question type. Make sure your questions can be answered simply.

When to Leave them Out

If you are asking an open-ended Exchange question, it's important to think carefully about when to also ask survey questions. Each one you include takes participant time and attention away from your main Exchange question and, in the case of demographic questions, asks participants to give up some of their privacy. Avoid asking survey questions when:

• Your main Exchange question is complex and may require your participants to conduct additional research or read supporting documents,
• They will not add value to the analysis phase,
• Or the number of participants is small enough that the groups will only have a few members each (and you could possibly guess who shared which thought).