Survey flowchart

To build a survey, you add question objects in sequence to the survey flowchart. Each step in a survey is represented by a different shape, with the survey flowing from top to bottom. Branching logic such as skips and loops is shown by lines, with the arrow marker showing the direction of the survey flow.

In Survey Editor (Legacy), the flowchart is in the Designer Pane. In Survey Editor (Beta), it’s in the Flowchart pane, and each question is a card. See Survey Editor (Beta) for a tour of the new editor.

There’s no limit to the number of question objects you can add to a survey.

Finish action required

All surveys must contain an object (usually placed at the end of the survey) with a “finished successfully” Finish Action set. This ensures that the survey responses are saved as a successfully completed record in the data.

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Open a question’s menu

Most of the actions on this page start from a question’s menu.

Survey Editor (Legacy)

In the flowchart, right-click the object to bring up the Quick Menu.

Survey Editor (Beta)

In the Flowchart pane, click the more icon (⋮) on the question’s card. The menu options are listed alphabetically.

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Add objects to flowchart

Survey Editor (Legacy)

You have three ways to add an object in Survey Editor (Legacy):

1. Drag and drop an object from the Toolbox

1. Select the required question object from the Toolbox and drag and drop it into the Designer Pane
2. In the Quick Update Box, enter the variable name and label, question text, helper text, filter (if required), and answers
3. In the Properties Pane, use the Properties Tab to tailor the question properties, and the Answers Tab to tailor individual answer codes as required

2. Double-click on an object in the Toolbox

1. In the flowchart, click on the object located at the point you want to insert the new object
2. Double-click on the object you want to add in the Toolbox. The new object will be automatically inserted immediately below the selected object in the flowchart.

3. Duplicate an object

See Duplicate an object.

Survey Editor (Beta)

You have three ways to add an object in Survey Editor (Beta):

1. Drag a card from the Add to survey toolbar

1. Drag the question type’s card from the Add to survey toolbar into the Flowchart pane, and drop it where you want the question. A line shows where it will go.
2. Quick Update opens. Enter the variable name and label, question text, helper text, filter (if required), and answers, then click OK.
3. In the Properties pane, use the Question tab to tailor the question properties, and the Answers tab to tailor individual answer codes as required

2. Click a card in the Add to survey toolbar

Click a question type’s card to add the question at the end of the survey. You can then move it if you need to.

3. Duplicate an object

See Duplicate an object.

Don’t want Quick Update to open every time?

Turn off Auto Open Quick Update in More editor actions (⋮) > Preferences. You can still open Quick Update by double-clicking a question’s card.

Can’t add anything?

If the toolbar cards are locked, someone else is editing the survey, or you’re looking at a published version. See One editor at a time, or click Create New Version to edit a published survey.

Duplicate an object

1. Open the menu for the object you want to duplicate
2. Select Duplicate Object
3. Click Yes to confirm

Automatic renaming

The duplicate object will be inserted directly after the original object, and is identical in every way except the variable name (Survey Shaper doesn’t allow duplicate variable names and will automatically rename a duplicated object). Where required, tailor the question and answer properties in the Properties pane.

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Flowchart shapes

The shapes are a visual representation of different Question Types, also known as objects. Most surveys use a range of different objects; very rarely would a survey use only one shape throughout.

The question objects are Instruction, EVE, Single, Multi, Verbatim, Verbatims, Grid, Rank, Skip, Module, Transfer, Sample and Bucket. You can also add a Question Set or Import questions from another survey.

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Choosing the right objects

The object required depends on how you want the question to display on the screen and how you want the data to be captured. For example, if the question has multiple response options but the respondent is only required to select one answer, use a Single Response object. If you want the respondent to be able to select more than one option, use a Multi Response object. To capture an open-ended response, use a Verbatim object.

For further information about the shapes, see Question Types.

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Move objects

You have two ways to move an object:

1. Drag and drop

Drag and drop the object in the flowchart to the new location. This option is recommended if you need to move an object to a nearby position in the flowchart. The placement of the other objects in the survey will be automatically adjusted.

2. Move Object

This option is recommended if you need to move an object to a position in the flowchart that is not visible without scrolling. The placement of the other objects in the survey will be automatically adjusted.

Survey Editor (Legacy)

1. Right-click the object you want to move to bring up the Quick Menu
2. Select Move Object
3. In the Move Object dialog box, select where you want to move the object to
4. If you selected Before Question or After Question, select the question that you want to insert the object before/after
5. Click OK

Survey Editor (Beta)

1. Click the more icon (⋮) on the question’s card
2. Select Move Object
3. In Destination position, choose the position you want the object to move to. Positions are listed by number and variable name (for example, 5: Q4).
4. Click Apply

Advanced: Placement property

It’s also possible to edit the position of an object with the Placement property, in the System section of the Properties pane. This option is useful for troubleshooting a corrupt survey but isn’t recommended as a method for reorganizing the flow of a survey, as the placement of the remaining questions in the survey won’t be updated automatically.

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Remove objects

You have two ways to remove an object from a survey flowchart:

1. Delete the object

This will permanently remove the object from the survey.

1. Open the menu for the object you want to delete
2. Select Delete Object
3. Click Yes to confirm deletion

2. Disable the object

The object will be physically retained in the survey, however it will be ignored by Survey Shaper’s survey engine. This option is recommended for surveys where the collection of responses has already commenced.

1. Click on the object you want to disable in the flowchart
2. In the Advanced section of the Properties pane, check the Disable box

A disabled question is marked in the flowchart: with a red ‘no’ symbol in Survey Editor (Legacy), or a red block icon on its card in Survey Editor (Beta).

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Change object type

You can change an object type after it’s been inserted into the flowchart, however modifying question types once data collection has commenced is not recommended (see note below).

Survey Editor (Legacy)

1. Right-click the object you want to change to bring up the Quick Menu
2. Select Change Object Type
3. In the Change Object Type dialog box, select the new object type from the dropdown
4. Click OK

Survey Editor (Beta)

1. Click the more icon (⋮) on the question’s card
2. Select Change Object Type
3. In Object type, select the new object type
4. Click Apply
5. If the question’s answers or rows can’t be kept with the new type, you’re asked to confirm. Continue only if you’re happy to lose them.

Change Object Type isn’t offered for EVE questions.

Be careful changing object types

Always exercise caution when changing an object type, particularly when the question being changed has been referred to in skips, action commands, filters, conditional text, etc. Modifying an object type can result in a change in the question’s underlying data structure. For example, if a Single Response question is changed to a Multi Response question, the underlying data will change from a single categorical variable (e.g. Q1) to multiple binary variables (e.g. Q1_1, Q1_2, etc.). Therefore, when a question type is changed, always ensure that any skips, action commands, filters, conditional text, etc. are updated accordingly.

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Default objects

By default, newly created surveys are populated with two Instruction objects:

• Start: as the first thing respondents will see, this can be used to introduce the survey
• End: this can be used to display a closing message at the end of the survey. This question has the Finish Action set to “finished successfully”, so that any respondent who is presented this question will be tagged as a complete record in the data.

The two example objects may be deleted, renamed, or modified in any way. New objects can be added before or after them (that is, the example objects don’t need to be the first and last objects in the survey flowchart).

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Flowchart display options

You can choose which flowchart elements (for example, labels and lines) are shown.

Survey Editor (Legacy)

Click Preferences and check the boxes next to the elements you want to show. To hide an element, uncheck the box.

Survey Editor (Beta)

1. At the top of the Flowchart pane, click the Display options icon
2. Switch elements on or off. Changes apply straight away.
   • Show on flowchart: Variable label, Filter, Scripting notes, Page groups
   • Lines: Connecting lines, Skip lines, Loop lines, Quota lines
3. Click DONE. To go back to the standard settings, click RESET TO DEFAULTS.

Your display options are saved in your browser.

The Flowchart pane also has a search box to show only the questions that match what you type, and a button to Collapse page groups or Expand page groups.

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Download survey as document

Document View is a useful way to convert a survey flowchart into a document that can be shared with other people. Documents can be exported in PDF, MS Word or sent directly to a printer.

Survey Editor (Legacy)

1. In the Preview Pane, select the Document View tab
2. Choose your preferred format:
   • Click Open PDF to download a .pdf file
   • Click Open MS Word to download an editable .doc file
   • Click Print to send the document directly to a printer
3. Click on the Live Preview tab in the Preview Pane to exit Document View

Survey Editor (Beta)

1. In the Views pane, click Document View. It shows the last saved version, so save first to include your latest changes.
2. Click the Download the document icon and choose:
   • Copy to copy the document to your clipboard
   • Print to send the document to a printer
   • Open as PDF to download a .pdf file
   • Open as MS Word to download an editable .doc file
3. Click Respondent View to go back to previewing questions

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Dragging and dropping tips

Survey Editor (Legacy)

The flowchart can be conceptualized as a grid. The first object in the survey occupies the first cell in the grid, the second object occupies the second cell, and so on. To insert an object between the first two objects, you must drag it into the same position as the second object so that it drops into the second cell. The original second object will be moved into the third cell. If you try to insert another object between two existing objects by dragging it onto the line connecting those questions, Survey Shaper doesn’t know which cell to place it in, so it drops it to the next available cell, which is often at the end of the survey.

Survey Editor (Beta)

As you drag a card or question, a line shows where it will be dropped. Release it when the line is where you want the question.