• SurveyTools

1. Introduction

This page contains a comparison two tools to build and run on-line survey tools. Currently, only LimeSurvey and QuestionPro have been review, but this page could grow in the future.

2. Tables

The tables in this page have been used as inspiration for the JiscProjectReviewTemplate. Likewise, the review of JISC projects that took place from 6 March to 1 April 2007 helped to create these tables.

The explanation of each table entry is in the next section.

2.1. Project Info

2.2. Product Info

2.3. Survey Design

2.4. Survey Running Time

2.5. Question types

3. Key to tables

3.1. Project info

See JiscProjectReviewTemplate.

3.2. Product info (Software application)

See JiscProjectReviewTemplate.

3.3. Survey design

Categories specific about the design of surveys, data export, etc.

• Local installation: whether the software is installed "locally" (in the survey designer's server)

• Survey design format: how surveys are designed (for instance, Menus + Text means that clickable menus are used, and text entered with the keyboard, while HTML + Text means that the survey is designed by writing HTML and plain text)

• Survey saving format: file format the survey design can be saved to

• Survey editor: editor used to create/edit surveys

  • Web: the application provides a web interface to create/edit surveys

  • Text: surveys can be created/edited with any simple text editor

• Layout design format: format used by the application to create/edit the visual presentation (layout) of the survey

  • PSTPL: a format used by PHPSurveyor/LimeSurvey that basically consists of HTML/CSS plus some global variables to use in the PHP scripts

• Layout editor: editor used to create/edit survey layouts

  • Web: the application provides a web interface to create/edit surveys

  • Text: surveys can be created/edited with any simple text editor

• Logo/Marketing: whether surveys contain logos or marketing, e.g. adverts

  • Fixed: logos or marketing are provided by the survey and cannot be removed/edited

  • Edit: logos or marketing can be added by the designer

  • None: it is not possible to add logos or marketing to the survey

• Layout templates: the application provides pre-designed templates for surveys

• Multi-language: surveys can be designed in different languages, for the user to select

• Assessment: it is possible to design an assessment method for the survey, so that when it is finished some evaluation of the results is presented to the user, e.g. "Your answers show that you are in a high risk group of cardiac disease and you should eat less doughnuts".

• Responses export format: responses to the survey can be saved to these formats

• Responses import format: responses to the survey can be loaded from these formats. This is generally used in the following way: Responses are exported to a file, some manual corrections made (for example with an spreadsheet application or using a script), and then imported to the active survey again

• Survey export format: the survey design can be saved to this format

• Survey import format: survey designs with this format can be imported

• Question import format: questions in this format can be imported

• Questions all in one go: the survey can be presented with all questions in a single page

• Questions one-by-one: the survey can be presented with one question per page

• Questions by groups: the survey can be presented with one group of questions per page

• Page breaks: you can include page breaks between questions

• Anonymize respondents: the link between a respondent and his responses can be deleted

• Context info in questions: it is possible to include information in the questions depending on the respondent, e.g. his name

• Print: it is possible to generate a version of the survey ready to be printed

• Quota control: If too many replies are given, then redirect to an error page

3.4. Survey running time

• Email notifications: the application can generate email notifications

  • Invitation: to invite respondents

  • Public registration: if a respondent registers himself, to welcome him

  • Reminder: a reminder for respondents who have not completed the survey yet

  • Completion: after completion of the survey

  • Admin compl. simple: for the administrator of the survey, when a respondent completed the survey

  • Admin compl. all data: id., but also sending the answers of the respondent

• Back button: the survey has a back button so that respondents can go back to previous answers (Y/N for the existence of the button, Edit if answers can be edited)

• Save/Resume: respondents can save the survey midway, and go load it later to complete it

• Subscription: ways in which respondents can register to complete the survey

  • Public: anybody can visit the survey webpage and register himself

  • Public with tokens: anybody can register, but a token is generated per respondent to keep track of them

  • Private with tokens: a table of tokens is created by the survey administrator, and only respondents who are sent a token can complete the survey

• Multiple entry control: systems to monitor respondents completing the survey more than once

  • Cookies: a cookie is sent to the respondent's computer (low security level, as it's easy to delete the cookie)

  • Tokens: a unique token is generated for and sent to each respondent; the survey can be completed only if you own a token

• Response datestamp: a stamp with the date and time can be added to responses

• Expiry date: it is possible to set a expiry date for the survey, so that no responses are accepted afterwards

• End URL: it is possible to add an URL that is opened when the respondent completes the survey

3.5. Question types

There are many types of questions in surveys. This section presents a (hopefully) comprehensive list and explains each type with an example.

• General

  • With images: it is possible to add images to questions

  • Conditional Logic (Branching): questions can be displayed depending on previous answers

  • Looping: repeat a branch for every reply given to a multi choice question

  • Piping: dynamic replacement of text in questions based on replies to previous questions

  • Mandatory: questions can be made mandatory

  • Non-mandatory: questions can be made optional

  • Text display: a simple text display, not a question

  • Random order for answers: answers to a question can be presented in a random order

  • Random choose question: randomly display one question from a list

• Single choice

  • Yes/No: Answer Yes or No

  • Yes/No/NA: Answer Yes, No or No Answer/Don't know to the question. E.g. Are you a final year student? followed by a list where the user can tick Yes, No or No answer

  • Yes/?/No/NA: Answer Yes, Uncertain, No or No Answer to the question

  • Yes/?/No/NA Array: Yes, Uncertain, No or No Answer to array of questions

  • +/=/-/NA: Answer Increase, Equal, Decrease or No Answer to question

  • +/=/-/NA Array: Answer Increase, Equal, Decrease or No Answer to array of questions

  • Single Choice, Tick: Tick one answer from a list. E.g. What's your favorite pizza topping? followed by a radio button list of pizza toppings

  • SC,T, Column: As Single Choice, Tick, but in columns

  • Single Choice, Drop-down: Select one answer from a drop-down list

• Multiple choice

  • Multiple choice: Choose none, one or many answers. E.g. What sports have you practised? followed by a list of sports

  • MC, Column: As Multiple Choice, but in columns

  • Multiple choice + Other: Like multiple choice, but it is possible to add an "Other" answer where the user can type his own answer

  • MC, Menu: Multiple choice where the answers can be selected on a drop-down menu

• Rating

  • 5+1 Rating: Allows a rating of 1 to 5 to the question, or a "no answer"/"unable to rate"

  • 5+1 Rating Array: Like 5+1 Rating, but allows an array of answers

  • 5+1 RA, side-by-side: Two 5+1 Rating Arrays side by side, i.e. concatenated horizontally

  • N+1 Rating: Allows a rating of 1 to N to the question, or a "no answer"/"unable to rate"

  • Semantic Differential: The designer can add text to the left and to the right of the array. E.g. the question can be How do you find OSS Watch? with a row in the array with two labels: Friendly and Unfriendly, and a rating of +2 to -2 between them

  • Likert scale: Like Semantic Differential, but the labels in the scale can be text instead of numbers

  • Thermometer: The user can click on a continuous bar (like a thermometer), and the program converts that click to a numerical value

• Misc

  • Ranking: Presents a list of answers that the user has to sort in his preferred order. E.g. Choose your preference for Prime Minister followed by a list with Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Menzies Campbell, and 3 fields where the user can place them in his preferred order

  • Numerical input: For answers that can be only numbers. E.g. What's your age? followed by a field to type your age

  • Date: Enter a date, e.g. with the format DD-MM-YYYY

  • Gender: Enter participant's gender

  • Short Free Text: A field where the user can type his own short answer

  • Long Free Text: A field where the user can type his own long answer

  • Huge Free Text: A field where the user can type his own huge answer

  • Multiple Short Text: The question has a list of fields where the user can type a short text, each field with a title. E.g. Cinema favorites followed by 3 fields with the titles Film, Actor, Actress

• Extras

  • + Comment: The user can type a comment to his answer

  • + Flex Labs: Flexible Labels, the designer can add his own labels for rating

  • + Cols: The array can be organized by columns instead of by rows

  • + Val: text answers can be compared to a regexp to validate their format

  • Constant sum: distribute a number of points between the possible answers

  • Lookup table: the answer is organized in hierarchical menus

  • Attach/Upload file: the answer can be given as a file that the respondent uploads to the survey

4. Links

• LimeSurveyInUbuntu

• JiscProjectReviewTemplate

The content of this wiki is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales Licence.

OSS Watch is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and is situated within the Research Technologies Service (RTS) of the University of Oxford.