Many research participants complete surveys on phones. Mobile-friendly survey design improves completion, accessibility, and data quality, especially for public links, panel recruitment, classroom studies, and community samples where researchers do not control the respondent device.

Design for the smallest reasonable screen before publishing. A survey that works only on a large laptop can create missing data, satisficing, failed validation, or accidental screen-outs for mobile respondents.

1. Step 1: Open the survey. From Surveys, open the draft you want to check.

   Step 1: Open the survey

   Personal Dashboard

   Live dashboard surface from the app shell (ephemeral help scene).

   Surveys

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   Untitled surveyLast Modified

   Policy attitudes pilotLast Modified

2. Step 2: Review compact pages in Block Builder. Split long pages or dense tasks into smaller blocks before testing on a phone.

   Step 2: Review compact pages in Block Builder

   Survey Editor

   No-persist demo using the real builder shell.

   Add a Block

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3. Step 3: Open Preview. Use the Preview tab to complete the survey from start to finish.

   Step 3: Open Preview

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   Preview

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

4. Step 4: Test on real devices. Open the draft or public test link on a phone and tablet when possible.

   Step 4: Test on real devices

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   Deploy

   Configure publishing, links, quotas, and theme from the Deploy tab.

5. Step 5: Re-check after changes. Preview again after editing matrices, rankings, heatmaps, conjoint tables, or theme settings.

   Step 5: Re-check after changes

   Block Builder

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

• Keep pages focused: use page breaks so a respondent can finish one task before starting the next.
• Shorten prompts: keep instructions close to the question and move longer explanations into Content Blocks.
• Limit dense grids: split long Grid Matrix batteries or test whether the mobile layout is readable.
• Test interactive tasks: preview sliders, rankings, heatmaps, and conjoint tables on small screens before fielding.
• Protect tappable choices: avoid answer labels so long that respondents cannot tell which option they selected.
• Use readable themes: confirm contrast, font size, and focus states work in sunlight and low-brightness conditions.

Dropdowns can help with long lists, while large conjoint or matrix tasks may need careful piloting. Heatmaps should be tested on mobile so image coordinates remain meaningful.

• Multiple Choice: best for short visible lists where respondents compare options.
• Dropdown: better for long controlled lists such as locations or institutions.
• Short Answer: test numeric keyboards, validation messages, and whether autocorrect changes entries.
• Ranking: keep the item count modest, since dragging many options is harder on phones.
• Conjoint: pilot whether attributes and levels remain scannable without horizontal strain.

Before publishing, complete the survey on a phone and tablet. Check scroll behavior, page breaks, validation messages, end screens, QR link behavior, and any external redirects. Ask pilot testers whether any task feels hard to complete on mobile, then test the revised version again.

• Accessible Research Surveys
• Grid Matrix Survey Questions
• Conjoint Survey Questions
• Heatmap Survey Questions
• Preview and Pilot Test a Survey