Back to Help
Question Types

Choose Research Survey Question Types

Choose a question type by starting with the variable, the respondent task, the device, and the export.

Start With The Variable

Choosing the right question type is easier when you start with the column you need in the final dataset. Before adding a question, decide whether the answer should become a category, a number, an ordered scale, open text, a visual coordinate, a ranked preference, or an experimental assignment-related field.

In the editor, open the survey, go to Block Builder, select the block where the measure belongs, and use the question type selector in the question card header. If you are still designing the instrument, keep a short note beside each construct that says what the exported value should look like.

Block Builder: Question Type

Block Builder: Question Type

Use the question type selector to switch between multiple choice, slider, grid, ranking, and more.

Closing text
Redirect (optional)

Quick Decision Guide

  • One answer from a visible list: choose Multiple Choice when respondents should compare the options on screen.
  • One answer from a long controlled list: choose Dropdown for country, state, institution, occupation, or other lists that would crowd the page.
  • A typed number or phrase: choose Short Answer, then add validation if the answer must be numeric, bounded, or contain required text.
  • Several items on the same response scale: choose Grid Matrix or review Likert Scale Survey Questions for agreement batteries.
  • Preference order: choose Ranking when the order itself is the answer, not just a top choice.
  • Tradeoff experiment: choose Conjoint when attributes or levels need to vary across respondent tasks.

Choose The Question Type

  1. Step 1: Write the analysis purpose first. Name the construct, the expected variable, and how you will compare or model it. For example, a treatment comprehension item needs a cleaner response field than a reflection prompt.

    Step 1: Block Builder

    Survey Editor

    No-persist demo using the real builder shell.

    Add a Block

    Trash is empty.

  2. Step 2: Match the response shape. Select the question type that produces the fewest cleanup decisions later: categorical lists for categories, numeric short answers for numeric entries, matrix rows for repeated scales, and ranking or conjoint tasks for preference data.

    Step 2: Question Type

    Block Builder: Question Type

    Use the question type selector to switch between multiple choice, slider, grid, ranking, and more.

    Closing text
    Redirect (optional)

  3. Step 3: Check whether the answer drives routing. If the response will be used in Flow, quotas, or condition assignment, prefer stable options with clear labels and recodes.

    Step 3: Flow Canvas

    Block Builder
    Preview
    Deploy

    Flow Canvas

    Interactive routing surface from the app, running in no-persist help mode.

    Consent and Study Intro

    1 question

    Political Knowledge Block

    2 questions

    Control Message

    1 question

    Treatment Message

    1 question

    Outcome Measures

    2 questions

    Survey Ends

    Anchors explicit end of survey

  4. Step 4: Add the question in Block Builder. Select the block, open the question type menu in the card header, and choose the type. Keep instructions in a nearby Content Block if they are longer than the question itself.

    Step 4: Add Question

    Block Builder: Question Type

    Use the question type selector to switch between multiple choice, slider, grid, ranking, and more.

    Closing text
    Redirect (optional)

  5. Step 5: Name and code it immediately. Add a readable variable name and recodes while the construct is fresh, especially for scales, experiments, and exported eligibility fields.

    Step 5: Variable Name

    Block Builder: Question Name

    The export variable label is the column name for this question in downloaded data.

    Closing text
    Redirect (optional)

  6. Step 6: Test the exported shape. Use Preview to submit a realistic answer, then open Export and confirm the column names, values, and missing-data behavior.

    Step 6: Preview

    Block Builder
    Preview
    Deploy

    Preview: Ideology Scale

    The 7-point ideology_7pt scale rendered as respondents see it. Confirm numeric recodes 1–7 appear correctly when you download the test response from Export.

Decision Checks

  • Does the respondent need to compare every option? Keep the choices visible with Multiple Choice instead of hiding them in a dropdown.
  • Does the page feel dense on a phone? Review Mobile-Friendly Research Surveys before using large grids, rankings, heatmaps, or conjoint tasks.
  • Could option order change the answer? Review Randomize Survey Questions and Answer Options before launch.
  • Is the question sensitive? Use optional wording, inclusive labels, or a Prefer not to answer option when required answers would create ethical or data quality problems.
  • Will the answer be merged with outside data? Choose a format with stable codes rather than free text when the variable must join to panel, administrative, or longitudinal records.

Preview: Respondent Experience

Block Builder
Preview
Deploy

Preview

Walk through respondent-facing behavior in the same preview surface.

Related Help