How to Implement an Advanced Design with Survey Logic

The Pollfish online survey platform is feature-rich, offering various methods of using survey logic in your surveys. Logic directs respondents to relevant questions, assuring you ask the correct follow-up questions based on their answers.

While the Pollfish online survey platform is intuitive, it can be overwhelming to maneuver between the different survey logic options at times.

This article explains the three main types of survey logic functions available on the Pollfish platform and how to use them to remove any ambiguity. 

Understanding Survey Logic

Many providers of automated surveys offer the functionality of survey logic to augment the survey experience by routing respondents to the proper questions.

This is necessary, as not all respondents will respond with the same answers; as such, not all follow-up questions will be relevant to all respondents. Instead, they’ll need to be sent to questions that are logically next in line with the answers that your respondents provided.

That’s where survey logic comes into play. 

The term “survey logic” denotes the mechanisms that change survey behavior, appearance and content based on the answers that respondents give.

Logic instills changes by way of automation, so the researchers don’t need to take action in order for the survey to make a set of certain functions. Instead, it saves the researchers manual labor by automating the survey functions.

Survey logic is mainly concerned with routing respondents to the relevant questions after they answer a question. It works by directing respondents to specific questions based on their answers. 

How to Apply Survey Logic to Single-Selection and Matrix Questions

Understand survey logic by beginning with single-selection and single selection Matrix questions.

1. Go to the Questionnaire section of the survey.
   
2. Have your set of preliminary questions ready so that you are ready to apply logic.
   
3. Choose the Single Select or Matrix Single Select question type(s).
4. Go to the left-side menu panel and select “Apply logic” at the bottom.
   
   1. This is next to the tree branch icon, which also exists at the top left of the panel.
   2. Hence, this is why survey logic is sometimes referred to as “branching.”
5. Add in the rules that will appear in the next interface.
   
   1. They will appear as such: “If the answer at Q1 (Question 1) is A, go to”  “…”
   2. There, you can add where you want to direct the respondents.
   3. You have the option of seeing the logic path on the right side, showing you the flow of questions the respondents will undergo.

How to Apply Survey Logic to Multi-Selection Questions

In multi-selection questions, you cannot apply logic to just one question. Instead, you’ll need to do so in all the questions. This is because each answer is routed to a specific question, and since respondents can select multiple answers, they’ll be led to banks of questions.

1. Have your set of questions ready, with rules established on how respondents are to be routed based on their answers.
   
2. At each question, go to the left-side panel and click on “Apply logic.”
   
   1. This is the tree branch icon, situated right below the pencil icon and to the left of the “Multiple Selection” question type.
3. Add in the rules to your logic based on each answer respondents can provide.
   
   1. For example, if in Q1 (Question 1), the answer choices are  A, B, and C and D and each answer has 2 follow up questions that pertain to that answer choice, you must route the respondents to the proper follow-up questions based on the selections they make in Q1.
   2. Another example, the logic at Q1 is: if the answer is A go to Q2, if B, go to Q4, if C, go to Q6, if D, go to Q8. Those who answer A will answer Qs 2 and 3, B Qs 4 and 5, C Qs 6 and 7, and 8 and 9.
   3. But since it is a multi-select question, you must also apply logic at Q3 that states if B, go to Q4, if C, go to Q6, if D, go to Q8.
   4. Then at Q5, the order will be, if C, go to Q6, if D, go to Q8.
   5. Finally at Q7 should state, if D go to Q8.
4. Apply the logic until the last question.
   
   1. This will create a ladder of logic, with layers in each question.

How to Apply Survey Logic to Reference an Answer from a Previous Question 

You can refer back to an earlier question to determine the path the respondent will take in the survey by applying logic. 

As such, you can use a scenario in which all of your respondents will be directed to a set of questions, for example, questions 1-7. But, you seek to apply logic to only questions 8-11. You can do so when you apply logic.

1. Have your set of questions ready, with rules established on how respondents are to be routed based on their answers.
2. At each question, go to the left-side panel and click on “Apply logic.”
   1. This is the tree branch icon, situated right below the pencil icon and to the left of the question type.
   2. You may not need to apply logic to every question.
3. Take the following example to insert an answer from a previous question. 
4. There is a survey that asks in Q1: “What is your favorite baseball team?” 
   1. Qs 2-5 are universal questions that all respondents can answer and are about baseball in general.
5. On Q’s 6-10, let’s say you want to ask questions specific to those who selected the Yankees in Q1.
   1. As such, in Q5 you would insert logic that dictates the following: if the answer at Q1 was Yankees go to Q6, in any other case, end the survey so only those who chose the Yankees will answer only Qs 6-10.

Designing the Perfect Survey

To design a strong survey, you’ll need to apply survey logic to different kinds of questions. This advanced feature is invaluable but can create roadblocks when applying it to different types of questions. 

You should therefore know how the three main survey logic scenarios differ and how to use this function in all three.

In addition, to adequately run this kind of survey function, you’ll need to use a quality online survey platform, the kind that makes it easy to create and deploy surveys. 

You should also use a mobile-first platform since mobile dominates the digital space and no one wants to take surveys in a mobile environment that’s not adept for mobile devices.  

Your online survey platform should also offer artificial intelligence and machine learning to remove low-quality data, disqualify low-quality data and offer a broad range of survey and question types.

Additionally, it should also allow you to survey anyone. As such, you’ll need a platform with a reach to millions of consumers, along with one that offers the Distribution Link feature. 

With an online survey platform with all of these capabilities, you’ll be able to set up survey logic for all your campaign survey needs.