This article guides you on setting up your first survey in Qualtrics, configuring your survey, and managing your results.

To know more about Qualtrics, please read the article "Qualtrics: The University's preferred survey tool"

Setting up your first Survey

1. To begin, sign-in with your university credentials at https://southampton.qualtrics.com/

2. Select "Create a new project" from the bottom left of the screen. 

3. For your first survey, go to the section "From Scratch" and select the button "Survey" 

4. A summary of the project type selected will appear on the right, choose "Get started" to continue. 

5. For now, enter the name of your survey (you can rename it later), then

1. choose "Create a blank survey project" 
2. when you are ready, choose "Create Project". 

6. When you first open Qualtrics you will be in the Survey editor:

Qualtrics has many options and menus making it easy to get lost for new users.

You can always return to the first screen by selecting the "Survey tab" and then the "Builder menu".

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Adding questions: How to implement MS Forms question types in Qualtrics

When you start a new survey, there will be a question already in place.

To change the question type, select it from "Question type" drop-down menu:

 

Adding a question

To add a question, select the "+ Add new question" button in the bottom right. 

You will be asked to choose a question type for the new question but this can be changed later.

 

Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions function the same as in Microsoft Forms. You can select the option Multiple choice from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question: 

From the left-menu Edit Question, you can:

• Allow multiple answers.
• Require a maximum or minimum number of answers.
• Change the questions appearance to be a list, drop down menu or selection box.

 
Please follow this link for further information about Multiple Choice Questions.

 

Text Entry Questions

Text entry questions can accept longer answers than on Microsoft Forms (20,000 characters).

You can select the option Text entry from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question: 

From the left-menu Edit Question, you can:

• Request single line, multiple line, or essay responses.
• Make the text field a password box to prevent unauthorized responders.

 
Please follow this link for further information about Text entry questions.

 

Rating Questions/ Slider Questions

To achieve a star rating question like MS Forms, you will want to use Qualtrics slider question function.  

You can select the option Slider from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question:

From the left-menu Edit Question, you can:

• Choose a slider, bar or star rating question type.
• Have multiple sliders on the same question.
• Choose the size and units of the scale (including whole numbers or decimals)

Please follow this link for further information about Slider questions.

 

Date Questions

Date questions, that provide a pop-up calendar, are not available by default. They can however be added from a library of additional modules.

For instructions, please follow this workaround for Date questions.

 

Rank order Question

Rank order questions function the same as in Microsoft Forms.

You can select the option Rank order from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question:

From the left-menu Edit Question, you can:

• Choose the number of items to rank.
• Choose the format of the question, including radio buttons, drag and drop among others.

Please follow this link for further information about Rank Order questions.

 

Likert Guage Questions

To create a Likert Gauge question, you will need to use the Matrix table question type.

You can select the option Matrix table from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question:

From Edit Question, you can:

• Set the number of scale points on both axes.
• Choose from default scale options.
• Design your gauge from many available presets.

 
Please follow this link for further information about Matrix table questions.

 

File Uploads

Qualtrics can also accept file uploads, however the maximum single file size is 50MB.

You can select the option File upload from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question:

From Edit Question, you can:

• Require a file is uploaded.
• Restrict file size.
• Restrict file type.

 
Please follow this link for further information about File upload questions.

 

Net Promoter Score Questions

Net promoter score questions function the same as in Microsoft Forms.

You can select the option NPS Net Promoter Score from the drop-down menu Question type within the section Edit question:

You can add up to 3 labels within your question:

 
Please follow this link for further information about Net Promoter Score questions.

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Survey flow control: adding skips or alternate question paths to your survey

Section Break

In Qualtrics section breaks are called "Question blocks".

The button to "Add Block" will appear at the bottom of your survey.

 
You can rearrange your blocks by dragging and dropping them into the desired order.

 

Survey Branching

Survey branching can be added from the Edit Question menu using "Display Logic" or "Skip Logic"

  

Display logic can display specific questions depending on user input to return targeted response data:

Skip logic allows you to bypass question blocks or the survey entirely:

 
When a question has logic attached you will see these icons attached to it:

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Configuring your survey: How to configure your survey with features you expect to see

Begin collecting responses

In Qualtrics, to begin collecting responses, select "Publish" in the top right of the editor. You can preview your survey by selecting the button "Preview":

 
Before publishing you will get a confirmation screen:

 
Qualtrics ExpertReview will also automatically rate the survey, like a spellchecker for surveys.

You may find its suggestions useful but can ignore them if they do not suit your needs.

 

Start/End Date

A specific start and expiration date for your survey can be set at:

1. Survey 
2. Survey (Tab)
3. Survey Options (Sidebar on the left) 
4. Responses (Sidebar)
5. Survey Availability: select the option "Set specific start and expiration date"
6. Edit survey availability (button) 

Now you can set up your starting and expiration date / time. Once finished select the button "Save changes" to confirm:

 

Limit Duration

It is not possible to strictly limit the duration of a survey in Qualtrics.

Workarounds exist to add a timer however the survey will not automatically submit when time runs out.

If this is critical for the functioning of your survey it would be best to remain with Microsoft Forms

Otherwise for additional information please find this Qualtrics support page regarding Timing Questions.

 

Shuffle Questions

In Qualtrics, questions that are in the same block  can be shuffled. To do that:

1. Select the block of questions so it highlights bright blue
2. Select Question randomization under Edit block.
   
3. This will then give you a randomization menu with various options:
   

You can see how survey respondents will experience this randomization by choosing Preview.

 

Progress bar

A progress bar can be added from the "Look and feel" settings on the left:

 

Hide Submit another response

In Qualtrics preventing multiple responses uses a mix of the distribution method and security settings.

Security settings

You can access these settings through:

1. Survey options
2. Security

Options available:

• Survey access can stop users without individualised links or an invitation email to access the survey.
• Password protection can be used to guard against unauthorized respondents.
• Add a Referral Website URL specifies that only individuals coming from a specific website can respond.
• Prevent multiple submissions can be used to discourage multiple attempts. This can however be circumvented by savvy respondents if an open delivery method is used.

Distributing your survey through email

Qualtrics recommends pairing security methods with distribution methods that use individualised links.

One such method is distributing the survey via an email by:

1. Selecting the label Distributions
2. Selecting the button Compose Email
   

Now choose the the button Show Advanced options at the bottom and ensure the link type and the expiration settings.

This is an extensive topic and Qualtrics has an advice page here to help Prevent Multiple Submissions.

 

End of survey message

You can customize the end of survey message with the "End of Survey" block at the bottom of the page.

To customize your message, please: 

1. Select the "End survey" block
2. Go to the section "Messaging" on the left
3. Open the drop-down menu. From there you can select whether you want to use the default message, a custom message, or redirect your respondents to a website.
   
4.  To add a new customized message, select "Custom"
5. Open the drop-down menu "Load a saved message"
6. Select the option "My library"
7. Select the option "New message" to create your message or select the messages you have already created

You can also set up the end of survey message to provide a copy of the respondents answers.

 

Response receipts

You can send email receipts to respondents using the settings in

1. "Survey options"
2. "Post survey"

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Styling: Aesthetic configuration, themes and music

Backgrounds

For backgrounds you can choose either a dynamic or custom theme from the Look and feel menu.

Dynamic Themes can be found in the Theme menu and include our branded theme and other presets:

  
Custom themes can use either a flat colour or background image from the Background menu:

 

 

Music

To set up background music you will need to use JavaScript to play audio when the survey begins.

Every time a user progresses the audio will also start again.

A second script is required to save the progress of the audio clip and resume from there on the next page.

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Managing your results

Previewing Results

The Data & Analysis tab will allow you to see survey results and monitor its progress:

The Data tab will provide the most accessible results for quick analysis.

You may choose what data you see using the Column chooser menu on the right:

The Data tab will allow you to see answers to questions to validate the data you are receiving.

You may also pull Survey Metadata including:

• Response Date
• Date the response was started and finished
• Duration or total time spent on the survey
• IP Address
• Language and location of respondent

On individualized surveys you may also pull Contact Fields including:

• Respondent names
• Respondent email address 
• How the respondent accessed the survey

Open in Excel

To open your results in excel use Export Data under Export & Import:

 
It is advisable to download the results using the provided Excel preset.

In case your data set is very large it may be best to use a TSV preset which can be uploaded to Excel:

You can also download responses to file upload questions from User-submitted files.

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Workarounds: instructions to plug functionality gaps

Date questions

1. To add a date question, go to the Import from Library button in the Survey Editor

 
2. From here, choose Qualtrics Library

3.  Demographics

  
4. This will present you with a list of Blocks and Survey templates.

Find Calendar & Date Questions and click on it. This will present the three available question variations.

 
5. Clicking these questions will only show the JavaScript that powers them. Instead choose Insert as copy.

 
6. This will import all 3 types to your survey for you to explore and see which one is the best fit. To test drive each, preview your survey and see how each one works.

Be aware that if you test the questions in the editor then the code is not running to validate your input - as such you could enter February 30th or September 31st.

This is not the case if you use preview (or when sent to respondents) as the code will run.

The questions will validate leap years and month lengths to ensure false dates cannot be input.

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Related content

Qualtrics: The University's preferred survey tool