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Overview of different question types

Here is an overview of different question types you can use to make your survey entertaining and interactive and also some best practices you can follow to increase your response rate.

You'll need this:
  • One of these Pointerpro plans:

  Professional           Enterprise           ReportR           DistributR   


To add a new inquiry go at the Questions tab and click the button ? Questions.

question types overview

NOTE

Question types are included in all plans unless indicated otherwise.

On this help guide page:
  1. Text Choice
  2. Open-Ended
  3. Image Choice
  4. Radio Button Rating
  5. Rating
  6. Text Only
  7. Form
  8. Ranking
  9. NPS
  10. Image Upload
  11. Slider (Numbers)
  12. Slider (Text)
  13. Scratch Card
  14. Continuous Sum
  15. Slot Machine
  16. Typeahead Autosuggest
  17. Typeahead Form
  18. Interactive Image
  19. File Upload
  20. XY Drag and Drop
  21. Signature
  22. Stripe Payment Processing


1. Text Choice

Text Choice is the most popular question type. You can ask almost everything with this type of inquiry. It consists of an inquiry and some preset answers from which respondents can choose from. You can allow respondents to choose more than one answer and turn it to a multiple choice or turn it to a quiz inquiry.

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Text Choice might be an easy choice, but don't use it throughout your entire survey because your respondents might get bored with the same view. Switch between question types to keep the survey interesting. The respondent will have to push different buttons to answer the questions, which will keep them attentive and enthusiastic, lowering drop-out rate.

text choice example

2. Open-Ended

Open-Ended is the second most used inquiry. It's used to get unbiased answers since respondents are not bound by preset answers.

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Switch between Ratings and open-ended inquiries to quantify the open responses and to get the best view on the feedback of your respondents.

Open ended question example

3. Image Choice

Image Choice works the same way as a Text Choice, only you have the advantage of adding images to the answers. This way you can clarify the options by adding an image or example. It also makes the survey or quiz more entertaining. You can add JPEG, PNG, or even GIFs.

Overview of Different Question Types - image choice

 

4. Radio Button Rating

Use a Radio Button Rating to give respondents radio buttons between 0 and 10 to rate a product or service.

Overview of Different Question Types - radio button rating

5. Rating

You can use Rating and choose which answer icon you want, either stars, smileys, or emojis. Let's see when you might want to use each type of icon.

Star rating is a playful way to obtain a score for a certain subject such as service, customer satisfaction, etc.

 Overview of Different Question Types - rating

The smiley and emoji rating is mostly used to get a feeling of what the respondent thinks or feels concerning a certain subject.  Choose the icons that best suit your design.

Overview of Different Question Types - smiley rating

6. Text Only

Text Only is not used to ask something, but to add a content box with extra information. Enter text and an image to announce a new chapter or to give extra information to a question or case.

Overview of Different Question Types - text only

7. Form

Form is used to collect data. The different form fields make it easy and clear for the respondent what they need to fill in. 

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If you want to view these results at a glance in the Results by Respondents table, it's best to use Intro Fields.

Overview of Different Question Types - form

These are the different form field options available:

  • Text - Single Line: A small text box where the respondent can only type a single line of text. Mostly used for a name, company name, job title, etc.
  • Email: The respondent will have to fill in his or her email address. The address has a validation check on the '@' and the extension.
  • Date: To make sure everyone writes the date in the same way, you can use a Date Field. This field allows the respondent to choose a date from a calendar.
  • Number: In this box, the respondent will only be able to fill in numbers. Mostly used for phone numbers or age.
  • Dropdown: A list of preset items. These can be names, countries, cities, etc. If you have a large list, you can use a Typeahead.
  • Text Area: This field gives the respondent a large area to fill in the answer or specifics you asked for.
  • Opt-in: A box with preset text that the respondent can choose to check or leave unchecked. Mostly used for newsletter subscriptions and agreements with terms of use.

8. Ranking

Ranking is mostly used to ask for preferences (What movie did you like best?) or knowledge (Order the presidents of the US). The answers you insert will appear in boxes that the respondent can drag and drop where they feel it belongs.

Overview of Different Question Types - ranking

9. NPS

Calculate your Net Promoter Score using a 0-10 scale: “How likely is it that you would recommend [brand] to a friend or colleague?”.

In the reports, you'll find the results of the NPS adjusted to indicate the detractors, passives, and promoters.

Overview of Different Question Types - nps

10. Image Upload

Image Upload is used to receive images or photos from your respondents.

You can ask your respondents to show you how they use your product, and the respondent can either upload a picture or take a picture at that moment.

Overview of Different Question Types - image upload

11. Slider (Numbers)

With the Number Slider, you can ask your respondent for a score or rating.

The difference between a Number Slider and Star Rating is that the numbers on a Number Slider are unlimited, whereas the Star Rating can only go to 10.

You can also add labels to the slider, which could be numbers or text labels such as "Not good at all" to "Very good".

Overview of Different Question Types - slider number

12. Slider (Text)

If you want to know a degree of opinion instead of a score, you can use the Text Slider.

The answers you add will appear on the slider from left to right. Add degrees of statements such as "Not good at all" to "very good".

Overview of Different Question Types - slider text

13. Scratch Card

The Scratch Card adds an interactive element to your questionnaire by giving participants the chance to reveal a prize or incentive.

Add as many prizes or outcomes as you'd like, then assign a probability to each one. The percentage you assign determines the likelihood that participants will reveal that outcome.

Overview of Different Question Types - scratch card

14. Continuous Sum

Continuous Sum lets the respondent give a score to options/answers which add up to a total you defined.

This will allow the respondent to add a certain weight to each answer possibility.

Overview of Different Question Types - continuous sum

15. Slot Machine

This feature is only available for paying plans. 

Slot machines let participants spin for a chance to win a prize or incentive, adding an engaging, interactive element to your questionnaire.

Set the probability of winning and determine how many times each participant can play. Offering rewards can help increase participation and reduce drop-off.

Overview of Different Question Types - slot machine

16. Typeahead Autosuggest

This feature is only available for paying plans.

The Typeahead is used for lists of possible answers such as countries or departments. This list is made in Excel or CSV and uploaded into the inquiry. The respondent can scroll down the list or start typing to see the results that correspond with the typed letters.

Overview of Different Question Types - tyepahead autosuggest

17. Typeahead form

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plans only.

The typeahead form is similar to the Typeahead Autosuggest but has an added benefit, as you can upload extra information which will be automatically filled in when the respondent chooses the answer from the first field.

Overview of Different Question Types - tyepahead form

18. Interactive Image

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plans only.

Use an Interactive image to let respondents select a part of an image. Here's another way you can make your survey more interesting than simply selecting a place from a drop-down list, for example.

Overview of Different Question Types - interactive image

19. File Upload

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plans only. 

File Upload is the perfect way to get the extra documents you require from your respondent: a work history, an agenda, the yearly numbers, etc.

Overview of Different Question Types - file upload

20. XY Drag and Drop

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plan on request.

Let your respondents drag and drop items on a XY axis and collect the X, Y coordinates in the results section.

Overview of Different Question Types - xy drag and drop

21. Signature

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plans only.

Collect the respondent's signature as part of the survey. You can use it to gain consent or to fill out a petition.

 Overview of Different Question Types - signature

22. Stripe Payment Processing

This feature is available on the Enterprise and ReportR plans only. Pointerpro has teamed up with Stripe so that you can seamlessly and smoothly charge customers with no need to leave the survey.

Overview of Different Question Types - stripe

What's next?

  • Download your results to see and analyze all the data you collected from your survey. There are different options available, choose either a bulk download of survey results or files relating to individual responses. You can choose between CSV format, Excel format, PDF format, or use Report Scheduler.
  • Use Question grouping & Question blocks: You might want to show more than one inquiry on the screen to make your survey seem shorter. Question grouping is just what you need! You can also activate or deactivate all inquiries in the block with one click of a button.
  • The intro screen is the first screen your respondents will see when they're taking your survey. When you're sending out a survey, you'll want to give your respondents a bit of information before they start. You can do this with the Intro screen.