Introduction to Qualtrics

The Survey flow section of Qualtrics allows you to view the block or blocks of questions in your survey and add other elements. If your survey only has one block of questions, you probably will not need to use this section. However, for surveys with more than one block you can rearrange the blocks and customise the survey flow, for example by using branch logic.

To access the survey flow section of Qualtrics, select the ‘Survey flow’ icon in the navigation menu on the far left of the screen:

An icon featuring two blue rectangles and a blue line.

This page explains some of the key features available in this section of Qualtrics.

In brief, it covers how to:

Editing the survey flow

In the survey flow section of Qualtrics you will see the question blocks that are currently included in your survey. You can add new blocks, move blocks, duplicate blocks and delete blocks as needed. You can also add other elements by selecting Add Below or + Add a New Element Here. Both options will display a list of elements you can add:

A box which says What do you want to add? The options for adding are Block, Branch, Embedded Data, Randomizer, Web Service, Group, Authenticator, End of Survey and Table of Contents.

Apart from blocks, the most commonly used elements are typically Branch and Embedded Data. These are explained in the following sections. To learn more about the other elements, select the relevant link below to view information on the Qualtrics support site:

Branch logic

Branch logic is used to display blocks of questions, or other survey elements, only when specified conditions are met. These conditions can be based on information such as question responses. This allows you to customise the flow of your survey to suit the respondent.

You can add branch logic in the Survey flow section of Qualtrics. Select Add Below or + Add a New Element Here, then select Branch. Select Add a Condition and specify a condition based on a question, embedded data or another option. You can then add or move other blocks or elements below the branch so that participants only reach them if the specified condition is met. Before leaving the Survey flow section, select Apply to save your changes.

Example

Let’s customise the Test survey by asking whether the participant has previously visited their chosen holiday destination. We will then direct them to different blocks of questions based on their answer.

First, return to the survey Builder and add a new Multiple choice question to the ‘Travel Choices’ block. Ask the participant whether they have visited their chosen holiday destination before. Use piped text, as explained on the Survey builder page, to include the name of the destination in the question.

Include Yes and No response options. If you want to make sure the participant follows one of the branching options, force a response to this question by turning on Add requirements and keeping Force response selected in the Edit question menu on the left of the screen. Alternatively, if you do not force a response and the participant does not answer the question, they will be taken to the next block after the branching blocks, or to the end of the survey if there are no other blocks.

Next, add a new block below the ‘Travel Choices’ block by selecting Add Block, then rename it Visited Before. Add at least one Multiple choice question with relevant answer options to this block. For example, you could ask how many times the participant has been to their selected holiday destination and how long ago they last visited. Use piped text again to display the name of the destination in the questions.

Similarly, add another block below this one and name it Haven’t Visited Before. Add some Multiple choice questions with relevant answer options. For example, you could ask whether the participant knows anyone who has been to their selected holiday destination and whether they plan to visit there in the next year. If you wish, you can renumber all questions at this point by selecting the Tools drop-down menu at the top of the survey, choosing Auto-number questions and selecting the type of numbering you want to use.

Next, go to Survey flow and add a branch below the ‘Travel Choices’ block by selecting Add Below and then Branch. Repeat this process to add another branch directly above the first one.

Select Add a Condition on the top branch. Set up the required condition by selecting the question asking whether the participant has visited the destination before, then select Yes and Is Selected. Select OK, then select Move on the ‘Visited Before’ block and drag the block so that it sits below the top branch.

Finally, select Add a Condition on the bottom branch. Set up the required condition by selecting the question asking whether the participant has visited the destination before, then select No and Is Selected. Select OK, then select Move on the ‘Haven’t Visited Before’ block and drag the block so that it sits below the bottom branch.

Select Apply to save the changes. The survey flow should look like the following:

An image of the survey flow. The first block in the survey is called Demographics, while the second block is called Travel Choices. Underneath that is a branching element, which says to branch if yes is selected for the relevant question. This branch leads to a block called Visited Before. Another branching element sits below, outside of this branch (i.e. it also branches from the Travel Choices block), which says to branch if no is selected for the relevant question. This branch leads to a block called Haven't Visited Before.

Return to the survey builder and preview the survey to check that it works as expected.

Note that further information can also be found on the Branch Logic page of the Qualtrics support site if required.

Embedded data

Embedded data allows you to record extra information in your survey in addition to the participant’s responses. For example, you could use embedded data to store information saved in a contact list or to record a participant’s score (for more information about contact lists, see the Distributing your survey page of this module).

You can add embedded data in the Survey flow section of Qualtrics. Select Add Below or + Add a New Element Here, then select Embedded Data.

You then need to give the embedded data both a name (referred to as a field) and a value. To give it a name, select Create New Field or Choose From Dropdown…, then either choose a name from the drop-down menu or type your chosen name in the box. To set the value, select the blue Set a Value Now text. You can then either enter a custom value or select Insert piped text from the drop-down menu and choose where to pipe the value from.

Once you have added embedded data to your survey, you can use it in several ways, including as piped text or as part of branch logic or display logic. For an example of creating embedded data to record a participant’s score and then using it as part of display logic, see the Scoring section of the Survey options page of this module.

Note that further information can also be found on the Embedded Data page of the Qualtrics support site if required.