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Introduction-to-Qualtrics-printable-guide-UniSkills.pdf

Introduction to Qualtrics

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the Introduction to Qualtrics module. This module provides an introduction to creating and distributing a survey using the online tool Qualtrics. It covers the key features of the software and uses the example of a travel preferences survey to demonstrate concepts. You may wish to work through the entire module and to create this survey, or you may prefer to work through some or all of the sections as needed to create and customise your own survey.

Your feedback on this module is very welcome and can be provided at any time on the feedback page, or alternatively for any questions about the module please contact Library-UniSkills@curtin.edu.au

Note: if you are having issues with the software itself, such as a problem with accessing surveys or your account, please contact DTS for assistance. </div>

What you will learn

You will need to access Qualtrics differently depending on your role and how you intend to use it.

Academic staff and Students
If you are conducting academic surveys, access Qualtrics via the Academic Users page and select “Curtin Academic Users” from the sign-in selection screen:

A menu with two options: Curtin Academic Users and Qualtrics sign in page

Non‑academic staff
If you are conducting non‑academic surveys (for example marketing, events, engagement, or operational surveys), access Qualtrics via the Non-Academic Users page and select “Qualtrics” from the sign-in selection screen:

A menu with two options: Qualtrics and Research Hub

If you are unsure which category your survey falls under, please log a request with DTS for assessment and guidance.

Once you have logged into your account you can get started working on a survey, as detailed in this page.

In brief, it covers the following:

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Creating a new survey

To create a new project, select the Create a new project button on the bottom-left corner of the screen. You will then see several options, including:

To create a new survey from scratch, select Survey under From scratch, then select Get started in the bottom-right corner. You will be asked to give your survey a name and to select the folder where you want to store it, if relevant. You can also choose how you would like to start your survey. The options include:

Example To create a test survey to use with this module, name the survey Test survey. Save it in the default Projects and Programs folder, or choose another folder if you wish. Then choose Create a blank survey project and select Create project.

Collaborating on a survey

Another option is to work on a survey that someone else has already created. To do this, they will need to add you as a collaborator. Once they have added you, the survey should appear in your list of projects. If you need to find a project that has been shared with you, open the Projects page and select Shared with me from the left-hand menu. Select the project to open it and begin working on it.

Alternatively, you can share one of your projects with someone else. First, find the project in your list of projects. Select the three dots to the right of the project name and choose Collaborate, then search for the person using their name or staff or student ID. Once you have found them, select Add Selected and then Invite. You can also add an optional custom message before sending the invitation.

Survey builder

The survey Builder opens automatically when you create a new project or select an existing one. You can use the Builder to create and edit your survey. If you leave this section, you can return to it by selecting the top icon in the menu on the left. This icon looks like a clipboard: An icon showing a clipboard.

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

In brief, it covers how to:

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Adding survey questions

Each blank survey starts with a blank Multiple choice question in the Default question block (see Question blocks for more information on these). You can change the type of this question by selecting it and choosing from the available options in the Question type drop down list in the Edit question menu on the left of the screen: The title option question type above a drop down menu with the multiple choice option on show.

When you select Add new question you can also choose from the available question types, and again you can change this later if needed. The Curtin Qualtrics licence provides a large range of question types, as listed below. To learn more about a particular question type, select its name:

Example

Change the blank Multiple choice question in the Test survey to the Text/Graphic question type using the Question type drop-down list in the Edit question menu. Then write a brief introduction to the survey, which could look like the following:

An image of the first question. This states 'Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, which should take approximately 10 minutes. Please click below when you are ready to proceed.'

Next, add a couple of demographic questions. First, select Add new question below the introductory text and choose the Text entry question type. Then write a question asking for the participant’s postcode. If you like, you can adjust the size of the text box by hovering over the right-hand side of the box and clicking and dragging the edge to make it smaller. Another option is to use the Form field question type, however, this question type is usually used when more than one text box is required - for example, to collect information for different parts of a participant’s address.

To add another question, select Add new question below the postcode question. This time, choose the Multiple choice question type and write a question asking which gender the participant identifies as. After you add the question, the response options will be populated with suggested choices. You can edit, add or remove these choices, or select a different set of suggested choices, if relevant, from the Edit question menu on the left of the screen. You can also use this menu to turn on suggested choices and select from them if they do not appear automatically.

An image showing the suggested choices toggled on, and with suggested choices of Male, Female and Non-binary.

Importing survey questions

As well as using Add new question, you can select Import from library. This allows you to import a question either from the Qualtrics Library (which contains a range of surveys and questions, including common demographic questions) or from another survey that you have previously created or that has been shared with you. This can save you a lot of time rewriting questions!

An import library option button and an add new question option button.

Editing questions

You can perform various actions using the menu that appears when you select the three dots in the top-right corner of the relevant question. This menu allows you to move the question (which you can also do by dragging and dropping), copy the question, replace it with a question from the library, add a page break, delete the question or preview it to see how it will look to participants. Note that you can also add a page break by hovering below the question and selecting + Add a page break.

You can also edit a question by selecting it and choosing from the options in the Edit question menu on the left of the screen. The available options vary depending on the question type. They may include choosing the text type (for example single or multiple lines), allowing multiple answers, changing the number or formatting of choices, adding requirements (such as forcing or requesting a response), adding validation, and adding question behaviour, as explained below.

Example

In the Test survey, select the three dots to display the menu for the first question, where you have provided the instructions. Then select Add page break to add a page break below the question, so that the instructions appear on their own page.

Next, let’s add some validation to the second question (the postcode question) to make sure the participant enters a valid postcode. To do this, select the question then use the Edit question menu on the left of the screen to turn on Add validation. Change ‘Minimum length’ to Content type using the drop-down menu, then select Postal code from the new Content type drop-down menu and AU from the new Postal code drop-down menu, as shown below:

An image showing 'Add validation' toggled on and 'Content type' selected. In the 'Content type' drop-down box 'Postal code' has been selected, and in the 'Postal code' drop-down box 'AU' has been selected.

So far, the questions in your Test survey might look like the following in the survey builder:

An image showing three questions in a Default Question Block. The first question provides introductory text stating how long the survey will take to complete, the second question asks for the participant's postcode and the third question asks which gender they identify as.

You can also select Preview in the top-right corner to check that the survey will display as you expect for participants.

Renumbering questions

As you add questions, you may notice that they are numbered in the order they were created, rather than the order in which they appear in the survey. This means that if you add and then delete a question, or move questions around, the numbering can become mixed up.

Question numbers are not visible to participants unless you make them visible through the Survey options, so mixed-up numbering will not affect them. However, if you would like the questions to be numbered in the correct order for organisational purposes, you can change a question number by selecting the number and editing it.

Alternatively, you can automatically renumber all questions at any time. To do this, select the Tools drop-down menu at the top of the survey, choose Auto-number questions and select the type of numbering you would like to use.

Question blocks

Qualtrics surveys are organised into ‘blocks’ of questions, and each blank survey starts with one Default Question Block. You can give this block a more meaningful name by selecting its name and typing a new one. Note that block names are not visible to survey participants.

For a simple survey, it is fine to have just one block of questions. However, in a longer survey you may want to group questions into different block to help you organise your survey and to allow participants to view the blocks on separate pages. Another reason to use multiple blocks is to customise the flow of your survey so that different things happen with different blocks of questions. See the Survey flow page of this module for more information.

To add another question block to your survey, select Add Block. You can reorganise blocks by selecting and dragging them to the appropriate place in your survey. Alternatively, you can perform these actions through the block menu, which you can open by selecting the three dots in the top-right corner of the relevant block. This menu also includes Copy, Delete, Collapse questions (so you only see the questions, rather than the answer choices, in the survey builder) and Preview block.
You can also make other changes to a block by selecting the block itself rather than a question within it. You can then choose from the options in the Edit block menu on the left of the screen. These options include Question randomisation and Loop & merge as well as Next/Previous button text.

The Next/Previous button text option allows you to enter the text that will appear on any ‘Next’ or ‘Previous’ buttons in the selected block (to learn how to add a back button to your survey see Survey options). Note that if your survey contains multiple blocks and you would like them all to use the same ‘Next’ and/or ‘Previous’ text, it is recommended that you make the change for all blocks at once as explained on the Look & feel page of this module instead.

Example

Select the name of the block in your Test survey and change it to Demographics.

Next, select the block and then select Next/previous button text from the Edit block menu on the left of the screen. Change the ‘Next/Previous button text’ so that the Next button reads Next for this block, as shown below.

An image showing the Next/Previous Button Text dialog box, with the 'Next Button Text' updated to read 'Next'

Finally, add another block below the ‘Demographics’ block by selecting Add Block. Name the new block Travel Choices.

Question behaviour

You can add different types of behaviour to each question you create in a survey. This is not essential and may not be needed for a simple survey, but adding question behaviour can help you customise and improve your survey. For example, you could use Display logic to display a question only when a certain condition is met, or you could use Skip logic to move the participant to a later point in the survey based on their response to a question.

To edit the Question behaviour of a question, select the question you want to edit. Then choose the behaviour from the bottom of the Edit question menu on the left of the screen.

The following sections provide more information and examples for Display logic and Skip logic. Alternatively, to learn more about other types of question behaviour, select the relevant link below to view information on the Qualtrics support site. Note that not all types of question behaviour are available for every question type:

Display logic

Display logic is used when you only want to display a question, or certain answers to a question, when one or more specified conditions are met. The conditions you set can be based on a number of things, but they most often relate to question responses, embedded data and quotas.

You can use display logic on any number of questions. However, if you want to skip the participant past a series of questions, to the end of a block or to the end of the survey, it is more efficient to use Skip logic instead. Alternatively, if you want to display one or more blocks of questions only when certain conditions are met, it is more efficient to use Branch logic.

To add display logic to a question, select the question you want to apply the logic to. Then choose Display logic from the bottom of the Edit question menu on the left of screen. Alternatively, you can apply display logic to part of a question, such as a choice in a Multiple choice question or a statement in a Matrix table question. To do this, select the relevant part of the question and then use the drop-down menu to select Add Display Logic…

Next, specify what you would like the logic to be based on, for example a Question, Embedded Data or a Quota, then make any further selections as needed. Note you can add multiple conditions by selecting the + sign. You can also choose to display a question on the same page as the previous question or questions by selecting the In Page option.

Further information can be found on the Display Logic page of the Qualtrics support site.

Example

Let’s apply display logic to the Test survey so that a question asking how many of the participant’s children are aged under 18 is only displayed if a certain condition is met. In this case, the question will only display if the participant answers ‘Yes’ to a previous question asking whether they have any children.

First, add a question asking whether the participant has any children. Select Add new question, choose the Multiple choice question type and write the question. The choice options will be populated with suggested choices. Reduce these to Yes and No by changing the Number of choices to 2 in the Edit question menu on the left of the screen. If you prefer, you can also select Reverse order in the Edit question menu so that ‘Yes’ is listed first.

Next, select Add new question again and add another Multiple choice question asking how many of the participant’s children are aged under 18. Enter five choices for this question: 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 or more. This question should only display if the participant has previously indicated that they have children. To set this up, select the question and choose Display logic from the Edit question menu on the left of the screen.

Now specify the condition that must be met for the question to display. Keep the first drop-down box as Question, then select the Do you have any children? question in the second box. In the following boxes, select Yes and Is Selected. Also select the In Page box so that the question appears on the same page as the previous question when the participant views the survey. Finally, select Save. Your ‘Display logic’ options should look like this:

An image showing the Display Logic dialog box, with the 'Do you have any children?' question, 'Yes' and 'Is Selected' all selected, and the 'In Page' box ticked.

If you preview the survey, you should see that the question about the number of children only appears when you answer ‘Yes’ to having children.

Skip logic

Skip logic allows you to move a participant to a later part of the survey based on their response to a question. Participants can be skipped ahead to a question in the current block, to the end of the current block, or to the end of the survey. Depending on what you want to do, you may also need to use Branch logic or Display logic after skipping the participant to the end of a block. This can help you direct them to a particular place in the survey.

Further information can be found on the Skip Logic page of the Qualtrics support site.

Example

Suppose you would like to start your Test survey with a question asking whether the participant is willing to provide demographic information. If they are willing, they will proceed to the next question as normal. If they are not, they will be skipped to the end of the ‘Demographics’ block.

First, select Add new question, then choose the Multiple choice question type. Write a question asking whether the participant is happy to answer some demographic questions, with Yes and No as the response options.

Move the question so that it sits below the first question’s page break and above the question asking for the participant’s postcode. You can do this by selecting and dragging the question, or by using Move question from the question menu, which you can open by selecting the three dots in the top-right corner of the question. Then select + Add a page break below the question. If you wish, you can also use Auto-number questions from the Tools drop-down menu at the top of the page to automatically renumber the questions at this point.

To add skip logic to the new question, select the question and choose Skip logic from the Edit question menu on the left of the screen. Next, specify when and where the participant should be skipped. Select End of Block in the first menu, then set the condition to No Is Selected. Select Confirm. Your skip logic should look like this:

An image showing the Skip Logic dialog box, with 'End of Block', 'No' and 'Is Selected' all selected.

If you preview the survey and answer ‘No’ to the question about providing demographic information, you should be skipped to the end of the ‘Demographics’ block. At this point, this is also the end of the survey because there are no further questions.

Piped text

Piped text allows you to customise your survey to include words, phrases or values that have been sourced from various places – such as a participant’s response to a question or their score (see Scoring for information about scoring). To add piped text, select a question as though you were editing its text, then select the Piped Text… tab. You can then choose where you would like to pipe the information from and which text you would like to pipe.

Example

Let’s ask the participant where they would most like to go on holiday, then use their answer in a follow-up question about their choice. First, select Add new question, choose the Text entry question type and write a question asking where the participant would most like to go on holiday. You may want to force a response to make sure you receive an answer. To do this, turn on Add requirements and keep Force response selected in the Edit question menu on the left of the screen.

Next, select Add new question and choose the Text entry question type again. Then select + Add a page break between the two questions.

The second question will ask what appeals to the participant most about their selected holiday destination. Piped text will be used to include the name of the destination they entered in response to the previous question. To do this, type the first part of the question (e.g. ‘What appeals to you most about’). When you reach the point where you want to include the participant’s previous answer, select the Piped Text… tab and choose Survey Question. Navigate to the question asking where they would like to go on holiday, then select that question again. Finally, add a question mark after the piped text to complete the question. The questions in the Travel Choices block should now look like the following (note that the question ID may be different in your piped text):

An image showing the question 'Where would you most like to go on holiday', followed by a page break and the question 'What appeals to you most about'. This question includes a code representing the name of the location previously entered.

Preview the survey to check that the piped text works correctly. Alternatively, you can preview only the ‘Travel Choices’ block by selecting Preview block from the block menu, which you can open by selecting the three dots in the top-right corner of the block.

End of survey message

The default message that participants will see when they finish a survey is as follows:

The end of survey message reads we thank you for your time spent taking this survey. Your response has been recorded.

Sometimes you may want to change this message. You can provide a customised message, redirect participants to a URL, or include a summary of their responses. To do this, select the End of Survey block, then use the Edit end of survey menu on the left of the screen to change the End of survey message from Default. If you choose to add a custom message, you can load a saved message from your message library. Alternatively, scroll past any existing messages and select New Message to create a new one.

If you want to edit a custom message, first choose Library from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen, to the left of the survey title:

Drop down menu of test survey highlighting the options project and library.

Next, choose Messages Library from the tabs at the top of the screen. Select the message you want to edit, select Edit, make the required changes and then select Save. When you have finished, return to the project by selecting Projects from the same drop-down menu at the top of the screen, then choose the appropriate project.

If you want to provide participants with a summary of their responses, select Include response summary from the End of survey message menu instead. Participants can then download their responses as a PDF if they wish.

Example Let’s change the end of survey message in the Test survey to a custom message. Select the End of Survey block and choose Custom message from the End of survey message menu on the left of the screen. Choose My Library from the Load a saved message drop-down box, then select New message. Enter a description, for example ‘Test survey end message’, then type a customised message and select Save.

Survey flow

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:

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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.

Look & feel

The Look and feel section of Qualtrics allows you to customise the appearance of your survey. You can change the theme and adjust the colours, font and background as needed. To access this section of Qualtrics, select the ‘Look and feel’ icon in the navigation menu on the far left of the screen:

A small icon of a blue paint roller.

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

In brief, it covers how to:

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Changing the survey theme

Qualtrics uses survey themes to give each page of a survey a consistent look and feel.

When using a Curtin Qualtrics licence, the default theme is the Curtin University theme. However, you can also select a Blank theme, or choose Presets from the Dynamic Themes drop-down menu and select one of the other available themes. Whichever option you choose, you can customise different aspects of the theme as explained in the sections below.

An image of the themes drop down menu and the Curtin and blank theme previews.

Example

To experiment with different looks for your Test Survey, choose the Blank theme and select Apply.

Other survey look and feel options

You can change the next and previous button text, add a progress bar and/or add a header or footer to the survey by selecting General from the menu on the left.

You can also change the primary survey colour (e.g. the colour of features such as the ‘Next’ buttons), adjust the font style and size, change the question spacing, and add Custom CSS to further customise the look and feel of the survey. These options are available by selecting Style from the menu on the left.

You can change the page transition by selecting Motion from the menu on the left, or add a logo by selecting Logo.

You can change the background colour or add a background image by selecting Background from the menu on the left. To change the background colour, select the Background Color box and either choose a colour manually by dragging the circle, or enter HEX or RGB values. To add a background image, choose Photo from the Background Type drop-down menu, then select Change. You can either select Upload a New Graphic, which allows you to upload a graphic or use one from the web, or choose an image you have previously uploaded. You can then adjust the foreground contrast and add a question container if needed.

Finally, you can automatically enable dark mode by selecting Dark Mode from the menu on the left.

Example

Select General from the menu on the left and change the Next Button Text to Next throughout your Test Survey. Then add a Progress Bar With Verbose Text.

Image of the options available when selecting General from the menu. Underneath the Next Button Text heading the word Next has been entered, and underneath the Progress Bar heading With Verbose Text has been selected.

Experiment with changing the colours, font style and size, and question spacing using the options in the Style menu.

Image of the options available when selecting Style from the menu. Underneath the Primary Color heading colour #ADE581 has been selected. The question spacing has been set to Compact and the Question Text and Answer Text sizes are 22 and 16 respectively.

If you like, you can also experiment with changing the background colour or adding a background image, changing the foreground contrast, and adding question containers using the Background menu.

Image of the options that are available in order to change the background colour. The colour is set to #DDEDF4 and the foreground contrast is High

Make sure you select Apply after making any changes.

Survey options

The Survey options section of Qualtrics allows you to change a range of survey settings, from adding a back button to sending post-survey emails and setting up scoring. To access this section, select the ‘Survey options’ icon in the navigation menu on the far left of the screen. It looks like this:

An icon featuring two horizontal blue lines, one with a small blue circle on the right and one with a small blue circle in the middle.

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

In brief, it covers:

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Standard options

The Survey options section contains five different options. The first four are explained below, while the rest of this page focuses on the ‘advanced’ option, Scoring:

Example

Add a back button to your Test Survey by selecting Responses from the menu on the left, then turning on Back button. You may then want to change the text of this button, either for the whole survey or for specific blocks, as explained on the Look & feel and Survey builder pages respectively.

Add visible question numbers to your Test Survey by selecting General from the menu on the left and turning on Question numbers. Make sure you renumber your questions if needed, as explained on the Survey builder page.

Scoring

You can use scoring to assign point values to certain types of questions in your survey, including Multiple choice, Matrix, Text entry and Slider questions. See the Scoring page of the Qualtrics support site for a complete list of compatible question types. You can also use multiple scoring categories, display scores to respondents in different places and in different ways, and customise the survey based on the respondent’s score or scores.

Calculating and displaying scores

To add scoring to one or more questions, select Scoring from the Survey options section of Qualtrics. By default, there is one scoring category called Score. You can rename this category and/or add new scoring categories by selecting the Score category and then Manage Categories…, or by selecting Scoring Options. To rename a category, select its name, making sure you select the text itself. To add a new scoring category, select New Category….

At this point, you can also choose to display the score at the end of the survey or after each question. You can also decide how to manage empty statistics for scoring categories, which are treated as 0 by default. Once you are happy with your selections, select Save.

Next, scroll through the questions on the Scoring page and assign scores to different questions and response options as needed. If you have more than one scoring category, make sure you have selected the relevant category from the menu at the top. Selecting Auto for a question will automatically score its responses in ascending order, starting at 1.

Once you have finished, select Back to survey builder to return to the survey. You may then want to include a score or scores as part of your survey questions by using piped text, as explained in the Question behaviour section of the Survey builder page. This may be particularly useful if you did not choose to have scores displayed automatically at the end of the survey or after each question.

Example

Let’s add a travel knowledge question to your Test Survey and use it to calculate and display a Travel Readiness score.

First, add a new ‘Travel Readiness’ block to the survey. Then go to the Survey flow section and move the new block so that it sits outside any branches you created previously, if applicable. It should look like this:

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, which says to branch if no is selected for the relevant question. This branch leads to a block called Haven't Visited Before. Underneath this, again outside of this branch, is a block called Travel Readiness.

Next, add a question with options relating to travel readiness. An example is shown below, but you can create a shorter version if you prefer.

An image of the Travel Readiness block, which contains a single question. The question states 'Please read the following list of statements about travel, then select those that apply to you. This will allow us to rate your travel readiness and to provide appropriate information to ensure you get maximum enjoyment out of your travel experience.' The question has six choices, multiple of which can be selected. The first option is 'I am aware of my travel insurance options, and what kind of travel insurance I might require when travelling.' The second option is 'I know where to find information about relevant visas required for travel.' The third option is 'I know where to find information about relevant vaccinations required for travel.' The fourth option is 'I know where to find information about accommodation options'. The fifth option is 'I know where to find information about travel transportation options.' The sixth option is 'I am familiar with the options available for spending money overseas.'

In the Answer type section of the Edit question menu on the left of the screen, make sure you select Allow multiple answers. This allows respondents to select more than one statement. Alternatively, you could create a set of separate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions if you prefer.

To add scoring to this question, go to Survey options and then Scoring. Select the Score category at the top of the page and choose Manage Categories…. Alternatively, you can select Scoring Options.

An image of the Score menu, with Manage Categories... displayed

Next, select Score and rename it Travel Readiness. This is optional, but giving your scoring categories relevant names can be helpful, particularly if you have more than one. Keep both Show Scoring Summary for Category options unselected, as we will use piped text to display the score. Keep the Treat empty statistics for scoring categories as 0 box selected, then select Save.

Next, scroll down to the ‘Travel Readiness’ block on the Scoring page. Assign a value of 1 to each response option by selecting the options in turn. This means that the score will be the number of options selected. Once you have finished, select Back to survey builder to return to the survey.

To display the score to the respondent in context on the next page of the survey, add a Text/Graphic question below the travel statement question and add a page break between the two questions. Next, use piped text, as explained in the Piped text section of the Survey builder page, to include the score in a sentence. For the piped text, select Scoring, Travel Readiness and Score. You may also like to add /6 after the piped text so that the respondent sees the result as a score out of 6. Your question should look something like the following (note that the score ID may be different in your piped text):

An image of the question, which reads 'Based on your responses, your travel readiness score is', followed by the piped score ID and '/6'.

Using logic with scoring

You can include information in one question that tells respondents what to do for different scores. However, you may want to customise your survey further so that respondents receive different information based on their score.

One way to do this is to use branch logic. In particular, you can use branch logic if you want to display a different end of survey message depending on the respondent’s score. For instructions, see the Qualtrics support page on displaying messages based on scoring.

Another option is to use display logic, as explained in the Question behaviour section of the Survey builder page. This allows you to display a different response (i.e. survey question) depending on the respondent’s score.

To do this, you need to add an Embedded Data element, as explained in the Embedded data section of the Survey flow page. In the survey flow, the embedded data needs to sit below the block where the score is calculated and above the block where you want to use the data. You can then use the embedded data as part of the display logic for a particular question or questions.

Example

Let’s use display logic to provide different feedback depending on the Travel Readiness score generated in your Test Survey. First, move the results question you created earlier, which uses piped text to display the score, to a new block called ‘Travel Readiness Results’. This block should sit below the ‘Travel Readiness’ block.

Next, change the text of the question so that it is suitable for respondents who received a score between 0 and 2. Then add two similar questions that provide feedback for respondents who received a good score and a perfect score respectively. The result should look something like this:

An image of the Travel Readiness Results block. It contains three questions. The first question states the score and highly recommends the participant review travel resources. The second question states the score and suggests that the participant may like to read through travel resources. The third question states the score and that the participant is ready to travel.

To add display logic to these questions based on the score, you first need to add an Embedded Data element to the survey flow. This needs to sit below the ‘Travel Readiness’ block, where the score is calculated, and above the ‘Travel Readiness Results’ block, where the data will be used.

Enter a name for the embedded data in the box, for example Travel Readiness. Next, set the value of the embedded data to the ‘Travel Readiness’ score. Select the blue Set a Value Now text, then choose Insert piped text, Scoring, Travel Readiness and Score. It should look something like this (note that your score ID may be different):

An image of the survey flow with embedded data element. This sits between the Travel Readiness and Travel Readiness Results blocks. The name of the embedded data is Travel Readiness, and this is set equal to the Score ID for the Travel Readiness score.

Make sure you select Apply, then return to the survey Builder section.

You can now use the embedded data as part of the display logic. For example, go to the response for respondents who scored between 0 and 2, then add display logic by choosing Display logic from the menu on the left. Select Embedded Data, Travel Readiness (or the name you gave the embedded data), Is Less Than and 3. To enter 3, select Value and type 3 into the box. The options should look like this:

An image of the display logic. It reads 'Display this Question only if the following condition is met: Embedded Data, Travel Readiness, Is Less Than, 3'

Do the same for the remaining two questions. For the second question, you will need to add two rows of display logic to specify that the score must be both greater than 2 and less than 6. Alternatively, you can specify that the score must be greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 5. To add another row of display logic, select the green + symbol on the right.

Preview the survey to check that the display logic works as intended. Quotas

The Quotas section of Qualtrics allows you to count how many respondents have met one or more conditions in your survey and control what happens when the quota is met. To access this section, select the ‘Quotas’ icon in the navigation menu on the far left of the screen. It looks like this:

A small icon of a measurement gauge.

Creating a quota

The conditions used for quotas can be based on survey questions, embedded data or other quotas. You can also choose from a range of actions that happen when a quota is met. For example, if a survey quota has already been filled, you could end the survey for the respondent or hide a question or block. You could also use branch logic, skip logic or display logic to customise what happens. For example, display logic could be used to hide a particular choice or choices for a question if the quota has been met.

You can also use a quota to limit the total number of people who take your survey. For information about the different ways you can use quotas, see the Qualtrics support page on quotas.

Example

Let’s use a quota to limit the number of people who take your Test Survey to 50. Select the Quotas icon and then Add a quota. Choose Simple Logic Quota and select Create quota. Select the name of the quota, currently ‘New Quota’ in the top-left of the screen, and change it to something more descriptive, such as Response Limit. Then change the quota from 100 to 50 using the box in the top-right of the screen.

Next, set the condition that will increase the quota count. In this example, you want every survey respondent to be counted as part of the quota, so keep Question selected and choose a question that everyone will see, such as the first question containing the survey introduction. Select Select Choice, choose the question again and keep Is Displayed selected.

Finally, scroll down and choose what you want to happen when the quota has been met. Select Quota options to expand this section if needed. In this case, the best choice is Prevent all new survey sessions. You can then choose to show a custom inactive survey message, which you can create in a similar way to an end of survey message, as explained in the End of survey message section of the Survey builder page. You can also choose to Keep & record or Delete responses that are over the quota. In this example, this would only be relevant if two people submitted their surveys at the same time.

To test that your quota works as expected, you can increase the quota count to its maximum value. Select the 0 in 0/50 in the top-right of the screen, change the quota count to 50, then select Save and Confirm. If you preview the survey, you should see your inactive survey message.

Once you have checked that the quota is working correctly, return to Quotas and reset the quota count to 0. You can do this in the same way that you previously changed it to 50. Alternatively, select the quota name from the menu on the left (Response Limit for this example), select the three dots to display the menu, then select Reset quota and Confirm.Translations

The Translations section of Qualtrics allows you to add multiple language options to your survey. To access this section, select the ‘Translations’ icon in the navigation menu on the far left of the screen. It looks like this:

A small icon of the letter A and a language character.

Adding translations

In the Translations section, you can select a Base language for your survey. This is the language in which you wrote the survey and the language in which you would like your data to be displayed. You can then add one or more additional language options.

You will need to translate each survey question into the additional language or languages you have selected. You can do this manually if you are familiar with the language, or use the auto-translate feature, which uses Google Translate. However, it is highly recommended that you have someone check the translation and edit it as needed. Participants can then choose to view the survey in a language other than the base language when they begin the survey, if they wish.

There are also other ways to decide which language is displayed to participants, for example by using query strings. For more information, see the Qualtrics support page on translations.

Example

Let’s add a language option of your choice to your Test Survey. Select the Translations icon and then select Add language from the menu on the left. Next, either select the name of the language from the list on the left, or select the three dots next to the language on the right and choose View incomplete translations.

For each question in the survey, either type the translation in the box on the right if you are familiar with the language, or select the three dots in the top-right corner of the question and choose Auto-translate. Once you have translated some or all of the questions, preview the survey to see the different language options. Distributing your survey

Once you have added all the elements to your survey and adjusted the look and feel as needed, preview the survey again to check that it works and looks as you want it to. Make any necessary changes before you publish it.

When you are ready, select Publish. At this point, you may want to use the Expert Review by selecting View recommendations. This provides suggestions for improving the survey. Once you have made any further changes, select Publish, then select Publish again.

Distributing a survey

Once your survey is published, you will be provided with an anonymous link that you can use to distribute it. You can also find several other ways to share your survey in the Distributions section of Qualtrics. These distribution methods are listed below. Select a method to learn more:

If you know who you want to send your survey to in advance, you can also create a contact list to distribute your survey invitations. The list should include participants’ names, email addresses and any other relevant information, and can be created manually or by importing contact details. You do not have to create a contact list, but it can make survey distribution easier. It also allows information to be added to a participant’s responses as embedded data. For information on creating a contact list, see the contacts page on the Qualtrics support site.

Once you have distributed your survey and received all your responses, you will need to analyse your data. This is not covered in detail here, but you can either analyse your data in Qualtrics or export it to another program for analysis. Exporting the data is usually required for more in-depth analysis. To export your data, go to the Data & Analysis tab, select Export & Import, choose Export… and then select your preferred file format. Feedback

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