Go through this checklist before you publish the final version of your survey. Once data collection starts, most changes are locked, so it pays to catch problems while the survey is still in test mode. Not sure what changes when you publish? See Test version vs final version.
"You are competing for respondents' time. Make the questionnaire easy to answer."
1. Content: keep it short and clear
- Cut what you don't need. Focus on what you will actually use in your analysis. Can questions be merged? Would another question type work better, for example a multiple choice question instead of an open one? Best practices of questionnaire design
- Reword any jargon. Use the words your respondents use. For English, aim for an 8th or 9th grade reading level.
- Design for phones. Prefer choice questions and sliders over long typed answers, keep one question per screen where you can, and put long texts behind a pop-up window. 5 steps to mobile-friendly surveys
- Make questions mandatory only when you need to. Respondents prefer to choose what to answer. If a question must be answered, explain briefly why, or set a minimum and maximum number of answers.
Want some help? Use Edit with AI. Click Edit with AI in the editor (the sparkle icon, top right) and ask for one change at a time, for example "Shorten the texts on the first page". Check every change before you publish. Edit your survey with AI
2. Maps
- The right map question type. Use map points, lines or areas when respondents add their own places, and a Pop-up map or Select map when they react to places you have prepared. Which map question should I use?
- Pop-ups on map questions, if you want respondents to answer more questions about the places they mark. Map point, line and area questions
- A clear map. Avoid piling up layers. Points are easier to place than lines. Guidelines for building easy and clear map surveys
- Correct layer names in the legend. Change them in Edit legend, and decide whether the legend is visible by default. Manage map layer menu / legend
- Easy navigation. Help respondents find their area with location zoom, and add a Show the map button.
- No information in the background image only. Background images aren't visible on phones. Add important visuals, such as a plan, as an image element instead.
- Final map layers for Pop-up map and Select map questions. These layers and their IDs can't be changed after you publish the final version. GIS data checklist
3. Accessibility
- Alternatives to map questions. Respondents can place points with the keyboard or by searching for an address automatically. For Select map and Pop-up map layers, set a Label key so screen reader users can choose places from a list. If drawn lines or areas are central to your survey, add an open question after the map question for people who can't draw. Essential practices for ensuring accessibility
- Maps that don't rely on color alone. Use borders, line styles, icons or labels, and avoid red–green combinations.
- Mandatory questions are clearly marked, for example with an asterisk. Accessibility and WCAG
4. Privacy and consent
- Your privacy policy is linked and, if needed, Ask for explicit publication consent is on in Settings > Publication. Privacy policy and publication consent settings
- Any other consents you need are asked with a Single checkbox. See also GDPR.
5. Settings
Most of these are in Settings > Publication.
- Public title, description and image are filled in. They show when the link is shared on social media. Promote your survey on social media platforms
- Submit button text and thank you message are what you want. Customize the Submit button and thank you message
- A redirect URL, if respondents should go to, for example, your project page after submitting. Send respondents to another website after finishing
- Allow only one respondent per device+browser is on by default. If respondents will share a device, for example a tablet at an event, turn it off or use a reset link. Otherwise each new person overwrites the previous person's answers. Allow only one respondent per device+browser and reset link
- Bot detection is on, if you're worried about automated spam. Prevent automated spam responses
- Embedding is allowed in Allow embedding into, if you'll show the survey on another website. Embed your survey on an external website
- Moderation is set up, if respondents can see each other's map responses. AI moderation hides inappropriate comments automatically. Public responses and Moderate public responses
6. Translations
- Translations are ready and checked, ideally by a native speaker. Translate last, once the main language version is final. Translate your survey
- Images with text have translated versions, uploaded in the translation tool.
- Translations are published. If the survey is already published, re-publish it to add the translations to the live version.
- The right language opens first. By default, respondents see the language of their browser. To open a specific language first, use a language-specific link. Show your survey in a specific language first
7. Publish for testing and test everything
Go to Publish > Publish for testing. Test publishing is free, and anyone with the link can try the survey without being a team member. Test your survey before launch
- Test every path. Go through the survey in Preview once for each group of respondents to check the branching rules. The navigation tool in the bottom-right corner lets you skip past required questions. What branching logic can and can't do
- Test on a real phone. Scan the QR code in Publish and try the survey on both iPhone and Android, including the maps. Why there's no mobile preview
- Test the details: translations, location zooms, pop-ups, map layers and the thank you message.
- Get feedback. Once the survey is published for testing, anyone with the link can open and answer it, so share the test link with colleagues, clients or a test group. If reviewers prefer to make notes on paper or in a document, you can also download the survey as a Word file in Publish > Export docx. Print or download the survey as a Word file
- Check the test data. Look at the test responses in Analyze and download them from Export. Is the data in a format that's easy to analyze and report? View and explore response data
8. Prepare the link
- Custom link ending. If you want one, set it in Publish > Customize before you share the link or print the QR code. Changing it changes the QR code too. Survey web address (URL) and QR code
- Tracking. To see which channels bring in respondents, add UTM parameters or a panel tracker to the links. UTM tracker and Panel tracker
- Unique links, if you want to track exactly who has answered. Send unique survey links to specific groups
9. Publish the final version
When everything is ready, go to Publish > Publish final version. Publish your survey
- Data collection starts from zero. Test responses are kept in a separate file, so you don't need to remove them yourself.
- One survey is used from your subscription quota.
- The link and QR code stay the same.
- You can still fix typos, change translations and settings, and change the closing date. Changes to questions, answer options, page types and the maps used by Pop-up map or Select map need our help.
- The survey can't be switched back to test mode.
After publishing, open the survey link and check that the live survey looks right. If respondents report a problem, see Respondents report a problem? Common causes and fixes.
If you have any questions, please contact support@maptionnaire.com