From QualtricsWiki

Contents 1 Survey Flow 1.1 Working with Blocks and Branches in the survey flow 1.1.1 Branches 1.1.2 Branch Logic Creation 1.1.3 Additional Clauses of Logic 1.2 Working with Embedded Data in the Survey Flow 1.3 Working with the Block Randomizer in the Survey Flow

[edit] Survey Flow

This tab contains tools for customizing the way a survey is presented to the respondents via complex branching and randomization. These tools are completely behind-the-scenes; survey respondents do not see any of the survey flow elements when they are taking the survey.

• You‘ll see a flow-chart at the bottom of the page. This is a visualization of the way the survey "flows." The survey will follow the main flow line on the left from top to bottom. The lines that branch out to the right of that line are secondary lines that the survey will follow as it moves down the main line. Each of these secondary lines leads to a folder, called an "element."

[edit] Working with Blocks and Branches in the survey flow

There are two MAIN types of elements that you can insert into your survey—"Blocks" (question blocks), and "Branches." These two elements each function differently in the survey flow.

• Blocks: Creating a question block in the Edit Questions screen doesn‘t automatically include that block in your survey. For the block to be included in your survey, it must be inserted into the survey flow. Once a block is inserted, it will appear in the survey flow as an element on its own secondary line (see "2nd Question Block" in the graphic above). For the survey in the graphic above, respondents will see the questions from the Default Question Block, and then those from the 2nd Question Block.

To insert a Block into the survey flow, click on the button "Insert Element" and choose the Block to insert. Choose whether to place it in a Branch or in the Main Flow, and specify the location in that Branch or in the Main Flow.

[edit] Branches

Branches function differently than Blocks. A Branch acts as a filter which, based on answers to previous questions or other information, directs certain people to an element of a survey that others don‘t arrive at.

Setting up a branch requires three steps:

1. First, create your branch by clicking the button "Add Branch." Enter a name to describe your branch, choose whether to place it in the Main Flow of the survey or within another branch (yes, you can branch within a branch), and then choose the location within that branch or Main Flow.
2. Second, you must insert into your branch the element you want to associate with it. This can be a Block, but can also be a less common element such as a conjoint, block randomizer, embedded data, or end survey. If it is a Block, you are setting the survey so that only people who come into the branch will be asked the questions in this block. If it is an end survey, people who enter this branch will be shown an end survey message and their survey will be closed. To insert the desired element into the branch:
   • Click the "Insert Element" button.
   • Choose the element you wish to insert into this branch from the first dropdown list.
   • Choose the branch from the second dropdown list.
   • Choose the location within the branch for the element to be inserted.
3. Third, you must assign the logic to the branch that will tell the system which survey respondents should be routed to it. Without completing this step, the branch will be inactive, and no survey respondents will enter into it.

[edit] Branch Logic Creation

The process of creating branch logic is different for the first clause and subsequent clauses. To assign the first clause of branch logic:

1. Click on the branch name in the survey flow diagram. The folder icon for the branch will turn blue, and a box with the words "Branch Logic" will appear to the right of the diagram.
2. Click "Add" on the Branch Logic box. A window will pop up with several dropdown menus.
3. Choose "IF" from the "Location" dropdown menu (it will be the only option available on the first clause you create).
4. The "Branch Relation" dropdown menu will not function on this first clause. In the "Branch Type" menu, choose the type of reference this branch logic will function with. Will it reference a question response to decide whether or not a respondent will enter the branch? It can also reference other data sources, such as embedded data, a conjoint, or quota. The logical process for each of these will be the same as it is for a question response.
5. Now that you have defined the location and the branch type, you will begin to write your clause, which looks like this:

These are positive conditions you will set here. In other words, this clause will set the criteria for the people who enter the branch, not for those who don‘t—remember that as a default people will NOT enter the branch.

1. For the first box, choose the specific question you‘d like the logic to reference.
2. For the second box, choose the choice for that question that you want the logic to reference.
3. For the third box, choose the type of response to that question choice that you want to reference. In the example above (a multiple choice question), the choice "Post college graduate" must be selected for the person to enter the branch (with this question, I also could have chosen "not selected," "displayed," or "not displayed"). The options available to you in this box differ between question types. For example, if the question referenced in the first box is an open-ended question, the third box will contain different options for you to select than if the question referenced is a matrix table.
4. Your clause should now be a coherent piece of logic. The example clause above reads like this: If the question "What is the highest level of education that you have received?", answer choice "Post College Graduate" is selected, then bring that respondent into this branch.
5. Click "Save Branch Logic". The logic will appear in the Branch Logic box next to the survey flow.

[edit] Additional Clauses of Logic

The process you use to assign a second (and third, fourth, etc.) clause of logic will be slightly different than the process for the first clause.

1. The graphic above shows a Branch Logic box with multiple clauses. The first difference in adding a second clause is that this time the "Location" box becomes relevant. This box actually lets you decide where this new clause will fit into the chain of logical clauses. For the first clause, the only choice available was "IF". For the second clause, you have two choices: "IF" and "New Or If". Choosing "New Or If" will create a separate section for this clause (the red "OR IF" in the image above).
2. For the third and fourth clauses (and so on), the "Location" box will be populated with the names of the large headings. For example, when creating a new clause for the branch in the image above, the "Location" box would have three choices: "IF", "OR IF", and "New Or If". By choosing "IF", my new clause will be inserted as the last clause under the red "BRANCH IF" heading. If I choose "OR IF", the clause will be inserted in the next section, as the last clause under the "OR IF" heading. If I choose "New Or If", the clause will be inserted under a new "OR IF" heading, a third section.
3. The "Branch Relation" box will have two choices: "AND" and "OR". Your clause will appear underneath the larger "BRANCH IF" or "OR IF" heading you chose, with the "AND" or "OR" as its own header. For an example, see the image above.

Note: Beneath the larger "BRANCH IF" and "OR IF" headings, the "AND" has the higher priority (i.e. with a chain of clauses such as 1 AND 2 AND 3 OR 4, the system will read it as (1 AND 2 AND 3) (OR 4)—meaning IF 1 AND 2 AND 3 are all fulfilled, OR if 4 is fulfilled, then the respondent will be branched.

If you‘re still having trouble understanding this, think back to fourth grade math. If this were a mathematical clause, the AND would be a multiplication sign and the OR would be a plus sign. 1+2X3+4 is grouped like this: 1+(2X3)+4.

[edit] Working with Embedded Data in the Survey Flow

Embedded Data is "behind the scenes" data associated with a respondent. Generally, embedded data will be uploaded with a mailing list (panel). Once this data is uploaded, you can then perform operations such as skipping and branching with the data as your variable. For example, you could upload the person‘s home state as an embedded data field in your mailing list (panel). You can choose to make your branch logic "Specific to an Embedded Data Field" rather than "Specific to a Question Response". Once you have set the logic to reference an embedded data field, you will have to enter (manually, so make sure you enter it right) the name of the embedded data field (tag), the name of the variable you want to reference, and then choose from the dropdown the condition for the variable (is equal to, is not equal to, etc.). Example: "If Embedded Data Tag: Home State Is Equal to Colorado."

1. Entering Branch Logic specific to an embedded data field does not require any embedded data element to be included in the survey flow. However, there are cases in which you may want to insert embedded data into the survey flow:
   • First: Embedded data is not recorded in the survey results, and is therefore not included when you download your survey data. This isn‘t a problem, since you‘re the one who supplied the embedded data in the first place. You should already know it. However, if you would like to have the embedded data included in your data download, insert it into the survey flow. It doesn‘t matter where you insert it.
   • Second: If you want to create embedded data from the responses a respondent enters in this survey, you will need to insert the embedded data into the survey flow.
2. To insert the embedded data into the survey flow, you must create a folder in the flow for embedded data, and then assign the proper piece of embedded data to the folder. To create the folder, use the "Insert Element" button, choose embedded data as the element to insert, and then choose a name to describe the embedded data folder. Choose any name; this element you are inserting is an empty folder, like a new Branch, and this name is only the name of the folder on the survey flow, not the name of the embedded data you want to reference.

Once you have created the Embedded Data folder in the survey flow, you must specify the embedded data field you want to reference. Click on the name of the embedded data folder (the folder should turn blue), and a box titled "Embedded Data" will appear to the right of the flow. Click the "Add" button in that box to open a dialogue window. There are two types of embedded data that you can add to your folder:

1. • User Data Field: Choose this type of embedded data if you to add a piece of embedded data you uploaded with your folder. Type the name of that embedded data field in the white box, and click "OK."
   • Custom: If you wish to create an embedded data field to be added to those who enter this folder in the survey flow, choose this option. You must name the field and value. The value you type here will be what appears in your survey results in the column for this embedded data field.

[edit] Working with the Block Randomizer in the Survey Flow

The block randomizer allows you to randomize the presentation of blocks in your survey. You must have previously created the blocks to be randomized before using the block randomizer.

1. To begin working with the Block Randomizer, insert the element "Block Randomizer" into the survey flow. Do this by clicking on the "Insert Element" button, choosing "Block Randomizer," and then choosing the part of the survey flow you wish to place it in. The randomized blocks will appear in the survey in the place where you insert the block randomizer.
2. Once the Block Randomizer is in the survey flow, click on the name of the folder. The folder will turn blue, and a box titled "Block Randomizer" will appear to the right side of your screen.
3. Click "Add" and choose, one at a time, which blocks to put into the randomizer. Randomized blocks should not appear anywhere else in the survey flow.
4. Once you have added all the blocks to be randomized into the Block Randomizer, make sure the number in the dropdown reflects the number of blocks you want the respondents to see. You may set it to show all of the blocks in the randomizer, or a subset of those blocks (i.e., if you have 5 blocks in the randomizer, and you want each respondent to randomly see two of those blocks, put a "2" in the box