Skip to content

Form Elements

When creating or updating studies, there are a number of form elements that can be used to achieve the preferred study design. Form elements and suggestions for use are included in this section.

Element Toolbox

The left side of the form design page shows the element toolbox.

 Form Elements

Form Elements

The form elements in the toolbox are described below.

  1. Free Text

    The Free Text element is used when you are looking for a text-based response from your customers. Responses can be text or numeric but the Free Text form element doesn’t support special characters.

    Free Text responses do not appear in the Analytics Overview but do appear in the Submissions section to allow you to view responses.

    The Free Text element should not be used to gather personal information from your customers (and is in breach of the Attitude-X Terms and Conditions).

    Using a Free Text element in a study is ideal when you want open-ended feedback, allowing respondents to share detailed or unique thoughts.

    Here are some examples where a Free Text form element is useful:

    1. When You Want In-Depth Insights

      Use a free text box to let respondents explain their opinions, describe experiences, or provide detailed feedback that structured questions can’t capture.

      Example: “What do you like most about our business?”

    2. When Exploring New Topics

      If you’re researching something new and don’t know all the possible answers, free text elements let respondents express ideas you might not have thought of.

      Example: “What features would you like us to add?”

    3. To Capture Specific or Unique Information

      Free text elements work well for collecting data like personalised responses.

      Example: “Please tell us your favourite holiday destination”

    4. When Looking for Honest Opinions

      Free text elements encourage authenticity, allowing people to provide feedback in their own words without being influenced by pre-set options.

      Example: “How can we improve your experience?”

    5. As a Follow-Up to Closed Questions

      Use them to dig deeper into a response from a multiple-choice question.

      Example: “Could you tell us why you gave your rating for our customer service?”

    6. When You Want Stories or Testimonials

      Free text elements are perfect for capturing customer success stories or reviews that can be used for marketing.

      Example: “Tell us about a time our product made your life easier!”

  2. Number

    Use this element when you want your customers to provide a numeric response. Responses can numeric only ie, no text characters.

    Numeric responses do not appear in the Analytics Overview but do appear in the Submissions section to allow you to view responses.

    A Number element is used in a study when you want respondents to input a precise number rather than selecting from pre-defined options. It’s ideal for collecting quantitative data.

    Here are situations where a Number element is the right choice:

    1. To Collect Exact Values

      When you need specific numerical answers.

      Example: “How many hours do you spend on this activity each week?”

    2. For Financial or Monetary Data

      When asking about prices, budgets, income, or spending.

      Example: “How much did you spend on your last purchase?”

    3. When Asking for Counts

      When you need a count of items, occurrences, or people.

      Example: “How many employees does your business have?”

    4. To gather measurements or sizes

      For data like distances, weights, or dimensions.

      Example: “What is your height in inches or centimeters?”

    5. When Comparing Quantities

      To assess preferences or usage trends numerically.

      Example: “How many cups of coffee do you drink daily?”

    6. For Range-Based Validation

      When responses must fall within a certain numeric range (and you can validate inputs accordingly).

      Example: “How many items are in your order (maximum 50)?”

  3. Radio Button

    Use this element when you want to provide your customers with a set of response options and require the selection of only one of the options.

    Radio Button responses appear in the Analytics Overview and in the Submissions section to allow you to view response data.

    Here are some scenarios where Radio Button form elements are useful:

    1. For Single-Choice Questions

      Use radio buttons when respondents can only select one answer that best represents their opinion or situation.

      Example: “What is your gender?”

    2. When Answers Are Mutually Exclusive

      If the options cannot overlap or be selected together, radio buttons ensure respondents can pick only one.

      Example: “Which of these products have you purchased?” (with options like “Product A,” “Product B,” or “None”)

    3. To Gauge Preferences or Priorities

      Use radio buttons to ask respondents to pick their top preference or the best match.

      Example: “What is your preferred payment method?”

    4. For Yes/No or Binary Questions

      When the response is a clear choice between two options.

      Example: “Do you like our new product?” (Yes/No)

    5. When Collecting Categorical Data

      Use radio buttons to capture responses that fall into distinct categories.

      Example: “What is your age group?” (e.g., 18-24, 25-34, 35-44)

    6. For Quick Decision-Making

      Radio buttons are user-friendly for quick and straightforward responses, making them great for mobile-friendly surveys.

  4. Check Box

    Use this element when you want to provide your customers with a set of response options and require them to select one or more of the options or give the responders more flexibility with their responses.

    Check Box responses appear in the Analytics Overview and in the Submissions section to allow you to view responses.

    See below for examples of the use of Check Box form elements:

    1. When Multiple Answers Are Valid

      Use checkboxes when respondents may identify with more than one option.

      Example: “Which of the following services have you used?”

    2. For Preferences or Interests

      When respondents might prefer or like multiple options simultaneously.

      Example: “What features are most important to you in a product?”

    3. To Capture All That Apply

      Checkboxes are perfect for “select all that apply” questions, allowing respondents to choose everything relevant.

      Example: “Which platforms do you use to shop online?”

    4. When Exploring Behaviors or Actions

      Use checkboxes when you want to understand various behaviors or choices.

      Example: “How do you typically hear about new products?”

    5. When Providing Flexibility

      Give respondents freedom to select more than one answer without limiting their choices unnecessarily.

      Example: “What benefits do you look for in a subscription plan?”

    6. To Avoid Forcing a Single Choice

      Use checkboxes when multiple responses might accurately reflect the respondent’s situation.

      Example: Instead of forcing respondents to pick one primary reason for shopping online, you could ask: “Why do you shop online? (Select all that apply)”

    7. When Offering an “Other” Option

      Combine checkboxes with an open-text “Other” option to collect additional insights.

      Example: “What factors influenced your purchase? (Check all that apply and specify others)”

  5. Slider Bar

    Use this element when you want to provide your customers with a range of values in a simple, visual way and require response(s) within a range of values.

    In Attitude-X, response data from Slider Bar elements is aggregated in the Analytics view. If multiple Slider Bar elements are added to a form, the data from all Slider Bar elements on a form will be aggregated.

    Slider Bar responses appear in the Analytics Overview and in the Submissions section to allow you to view responses.

    Some examples for the use of the Slider Bar form element are:

    1. To Measure Intensity or Agreement

      Use a slider to capture the degree of opinion, preference, or feeling on a scale.

      Example: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Very likely)”

    2. When Precision Is Key

      When you need a specific numerical value rather than fixed categories, sliders allow users to fine-tune their response.

      Example: “How many hours per week do you spend on this activity? (1–40 hours)”

    3. To Explore Preferences Along a Range

      Sliders are useful for gauging preferences or priorities on a spectrum.

      Example: “Rate how important the following feature is to you. (0 = Not important, 10 = Very important)”

    4. For Ranking Without Fixed Categories

      Sliders work well when fixed choices (like radio buttons) don’t fully capture the variability in responses.

      Example: “Indicate your level of interest in this topic.”

    5. To Make Surveys More Interactive

      Sliders are engaging and can make surveys feel less repetitive, especially for rating questions.

    6. When You Want to Show a Range of Possibilities

      A slider can illustrate the range of options and let respondents visualize their choice.

      Example: “Set the slider to your preferred delivery time (1–7 days).”

  6. Dropdown

    Use this element when you want to provide your customers with a set of response options in a simple, visual way and require the selection of only one of the options. The Dropdown form element is a good choice when you want to conserve space on your form or when you have a large number of elements from which to choose.

    Dropdown responses appear in the Analytics Overview and in the Submissions section to allow you to view responses.

    Here are some examples of how to use the Dropdown form element:

    1. When the List of Options Is Long

      Dropdowns are perfect for presenting many choices without overwhelming respondents.

      Example: “What is your country of residence?” (with a list of 100+ countries)

    2. To Avoid Clutter

      Use dropdowns when displaying all options with radio buttons or checkboxes would take up too much space.

      Example: “What industry do you work in?”

    3. For Mutually Exclusive Responses

      Dropdowns are ideal when only one answer can apply. The dropdown format works better when the list is long.

      Example: “What is your highest level of education?”

    4. When Choices Need to Be Alphabetized or Ordered

      Dropdowns allow for neatly organized options, such as alphabetical or chronological lists.

      Example: “Select your state or province.”

    5. To Standardize Inputs

      Dropdowns ensure uniformity in responses, preventing variations that could occur with free-text inputs.

      Example: “What is your job title?”

    6. When Space is Limited (e.g., Mobile Devices)

      Dropdowns are compact and mobile-friendly, making them ideal for surveys on small screens.

    7. When the Options Are Familiar to Respondents

      Dropdowns work well when respondents can quickly identify the correct answer from a list they understand.

      Example: “What is your preferred language?”

  7. Page Break

    Use this element when you want to improve the user experience or organise questions effectively. Using a multi-page study can help structure the study, reduce cognitive load and prevent responder fatigue. This element will add Next and Previous buttons to the bottom of the published questionnaire pages to assist with navigation.

    Here are some key situations where the Page Break form element can be useful:

    1. To Separate Different Sections or Topics

      Use page breaks to group questions by theme, making the survey feel more organized and easier to follow.

      Example: One page for demographic questions, another for product feedback, and a third for customer satisfaction.

    2. To Avoid Overwhelming Respondents

      If a page has too many questions, it can feel daunting. Breaking the survey into smaller, manageable chunks keeps respondents engaged.

      Example: Split 20 questions across 4 pages with 5 questions per page.

    3. To Create a Logical Flow

      When certain questions build on others, separate them with a page break to make the progression clear.

      Example: After asking about overall satisfaction, move to detailed questions about specific aspects (e.g., pricing, customer service) on the next page.

    4. To Improve Load Time for Long Surveys

      If your survey is lengthy or includes multimedia (images, videos), page breaks can improve load times and performance.

    5. To Use Conditional Logic (Skip Logic)

      Page breaks are essential when applying skip logic, ensuring respondents only see relevant pages based on their earlier answers.

      Example: If someone says they don’t use a product, skip the pages about product usage.

    6. To Maintain Engagement on Mobile Devices

      For mobile-friendly surveys, shorter pages are more readable and easier to navigate. Use page breaks to limit scrolling.

    7. To Add Transitional or Instructional Text

      Page breaks allow you to insert instructions, summaries, or motivational messages between sections.

      Example: “Thanks for your feedback so far! Let’s dive into the next set of questions about your shopping preferences.”

    8. Before Long Open-Ended Questions

      If you have a free-text question that might take time to answer, use a page break beforehand to give it more focus.

    9. At Logical Completion Points

      End one page with a natural stopping point, such as the conclusion of a topic, to make the survey feel less abrupt.

See Also