Use End Screens Intentionally
End screens define what respondents see when they finish, screen out, hit a quota-full path, or need a debriefing message. In academic survey software, clear endings help protect participant experience and make survey flow easier to audit.
Create separate end screens for different endings instead of reusing one generic thank-you page. The wording should match why the respondent arrived there and what they should do next.
Common End Screen Types
- Completion: thank respondents, give the next step, and include any completion code or redirect instructions.
- Ineligible: politely close the survey after screening without revealing more eligibility detail than the protocol allows.
- Quota full: explain that the study path is closed because the target group has enough responses.
- Debriefing: provide post-study information required by the research protocol, especially after deception or sensitive treatment material.
- Redirect: send respondents to an external completion or panel URL when appropriate, and test the outgoing link before launch.
Flow: Conditions and Routing
Connect End Screens In Flow
Step 1: Add the end blocks. In Block Builder, create separate End Survey blocks for completion, ineligible, quota-full, and debriefing messages.
Step 1: Add end blocks
Step 2: Write path-specific text. Make each message match why the respondent reached that ending and whether they should close the page, copy a code, or follow a redirect.
Step 2: Write path-specific text
Step 3: Open Flow. Use the Flow tab to connect screeners, condition arms, and quota-full paths to the right end screen.
Step 3: Open Flow
Step 4: Check Deploy settings. In Deploy, confirm any quota behavior or public launch settings that can send respondents to an end screen.
Step 4: Check Deploy settings
Step 5: Preview each ending. Test every route that should end differently with Preview before publishing.
Step 5: Preview each ending
Research Design Notes
Debriefing text should match the study protocol. If a survey uses deception, sensitive topics, or treatment materials, confirm what the end screen must disclose before publishing.
- Compensation: include completion codes, course-credit instructions, or panel redirect steps only on the paths where respondents should receive them.
- Screen-outs: avoid promising payment, credit, or eligibility unless the recruitment plan supports it.
- Quota-full paths: make the message distinct from ineligible paths so fielding logs remain interpretable.
- Privacy: include contact information or withdrawal instructions when the consent process requires it.