When respondents tell you something isn’t working, the cause is usually a survey setting rather than a fault. This table covers the most common problems and how to fix them.
Common problems and fixes
| The problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A respondent says “My earlier answers are still there” or “I can’t answer again” | Allow only one respondent per device+browser is on. Answers are saved as soon as someone answers a question, so returning on the same device and browser opens their earlier answers. Anything they change replaces what they answered before. | Explain that this is how the survey works: they can review and change their answers on the same device and browser. See Allow only one respondent per device+browser. |
| You collected answers from several people on one device, and only the last person’s answers are in the results | With Allow only one respondent per device+browser on, every new person on the same device and browser overwrites the previous person’s answers. The earlier answers are lost. | Before collecting answers on a shared device (for example a tablet at an event, or when entering paper responses), turn the setting off, or open the survey with a reset link (?reset=true) for each new person. |
| A respondent says “I answered but my response is missing” | They answered the test version. Test responses are not carried over to the final version. | Share the link only after you publish the final version. See Test version vs final version. |
| A respondent asks “I didn’t click Submit. Did my answers count?” | Answers are saved as soon as someone answers a question; clicking Submit isn’t required. | No action needed. In the analysis tool you can filter out respondents who didn’t submit. See How many responses did my survey receive? |
| “The map doesn’t load” or “The survey is very slow” | Most often a very large map file (for example a detailed shapefile) or a slow external map server for a WMS or WMTS layer. Images can also make a page heavy if their combined file size is very large. | Simplify or split large map layers, or use a vector tile service for large datasets. If the layer comes from an external server, check that it’s working. Compress large images before uploading them. Using several images on one page is fine, including images as answer options: it’s their combined file size that matters. |
| A respondent says “I can’t see the map on my phone” | On phones the survey content covers the map. The map opens from the map icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, which is always there on mapping pages. | Tell respondents to tap the map icon in the bottom-left corner. To make it more obvious, add a Show the map button to the page from the element library. Pop-up map and Select map elements include one by default, unless you’ve hidden it. See Add a button to display the map. |
| “I can’t see some questions” or “The survey skips a page” | Branching rules show some pages or questions only to people who chose a certain answer. | Check the rules in Settings > Branching logic and go through the survey in Preview. See Show questions based on previous answers (Branching logic). |
| “The survey is in the wrong language” | The survey opens in the language that matches the respondent’s browser settings, if that language is available. | Respondents can change the language from the drop-down on the first page. To open a specific language by default, see Show your survey in a specific language first. |
| “The survey doesn’t work in my browser” | Some less common browsers aren’t supported. | Ask the respondent to try another browser, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge. See Supported operating systems and internet browsers. |
| “The survey is closed” | The closing date has passed. | Extend or reopen the survey by moving the closing date. See Edit, extend, close or reopen a published survey. |
If it still doesn’t work, send us the details
Try the survey yourself on the same kind of device, if you can. Then contact support@maptionnaire.com with:
- the survey link
- which page and question the problem happens on
- the device, operating system and browser the respondent used, with versions if possible (for example “iPhone, iOS 18, Safari”)
- a screenshot or screen recording, if they can send one
- roughly when it happened
These details help us reproduce the problem quickly. Problems that only happen on one device are often caused by the device, the browser or the internet connection.