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Question Types Reference

!!! info "TL;DR" Canviq supports 10+ question types: multiple choice, checkboxes, free text, rating scales, NPS, matrix, dropdown, yes/no, and date picker. Each type has specific use cases and configuration options.

Multiple Choice

Single selection from 2-10 options.

Use Cases

  • "Which platform do you use most?" (iOS, Android, Web)
  • "What's your primary use case?" (Personal, Business, Education)

Configuration

{
  "type": "multiple_choice",
  "question": "Which platform do you use most?",
  "options": ["iOS", "Android", "Web"],
  "required": true,
  "randomize": false,
  "allow_other": true
}

Response Format

{
  "answer": "iOS"
}

If "Other" is enabled:

{
  "answer": "Other",
  "other_text": "Linux desktop app"
}

Checkboxes

Multiple selections allowed (0 to all options).

Use Cases

  • "Which features do you use regularly?" (select all that apply)
  • "What topics interest you?" (multiple selections)

Configuration

{
  "type": "checkboxes",
  "question": "Which features do you use regularly?",
  "options": ["Voting", "Commenting", "Roadmap", "Surveys"],
  "required": false,
  "min_selections": 1,
  "max_selections": 3,
  "allow_other": true
}

Response Format

{
  "answers": ["Voting", "Roadmap", "Other"],
  "other_text": "GitHub integration"
}

Free Text (Short)

Single-line text input for brief responses.

Use Cases

  • "What's your job title?"
  • "What's your biggest pain point?" (short answer)

Configuration

{
  "type": "text_short",
  "question": "What's your job title?",
  "placeholder": "e.g., Product Manager",
  "required": true,
  "max_length": 100
}

Response Format

{
  "answer": "Senior Product Manager"
}

Free Text (Long)

Multi-line textarea for detailed responses.

Use Cases

  • "Describe your experience with the app."
  • "What improvements would you like to see?"

Configuration

{
  "type": "text_long",
  "question": "What improvements would you like to see?",
  "placeholder": "Be as detailed as you like...",
  "required": false,
  "max_length": 1000
}

Response Format

{
  "answer": "I'd love to see dark mode, better performance on older devices, and more customization options for notifications."
}

Sentiment Analysis

Free-text responses are automatically analyzed for sentiment via Claude Haiku:

{
  "sentiment": "positive",
  "confidence": 0.87,
  "themes": ["dark mode", "performance", "notifications"]
}

Rating Scale

Numeric rating from 1-5 or 1-10.

Use Cases

  • "How satisfied are you with the app?" (1-5)
  • "How easy was it to complete this task?" (1-10)

Configuration

{
  "type": "rating",
  "question": "How satisfied are you with the app?",
  "scale": 5,
  "labels": {
    "low": "Very dissatisfied",
    "high": "Very satisfied"
  },
  "required": true
}

Response Format

{
  "rating": 4
}

Display Options

  • Stars — 1-5 scale with star icons
  • Numbers — Numeric buttons (1 2 3 4 5)
  • Slider — Continuous slider (useful for 1-10 scales)

NPS (Net Promoter Score)

0-10 scale for "How likely are you to recommend?"

Use Cases

  • Measure product-market fit
  • Track customer loyalty over time

Configuration

{
  "type": "nps",
  "question": "How likely are you to recommend Canviq to a colleague?",
  "required": true
}

Response Format

{
  "score": 9
}

NPS Segmentation

Responses are automatically categorized:

  • Detractors — 0-6 (unhappy customers)
  • Passives — 7-8 (satisfied but unenthusiastic)
  • Promoters — 9-10 (loyal enthusiasts)

NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors

Matrix

Grid of questions with the same response set (e.g., multiple features rated on the same scale).

Use Cases

  • "Rate the following features" (Voting, Commenting, Roadmap) on a 1-5 scale
  • "How important are these improvements?" (same scale for multiple items)

Configuration

{
  "type": "matrix",
  "question": "Rate the following features",
  "rows": ["Voting", "Commenting", "Roadmap", "Surveys"],
  "columns": ["1", "2", "3", "4", "5"],
  "column_labels": {
    "1": "Poor",
    "5": "Excellent"
  },
  "required": true
}

Response Format

{
  "answers": {
    "Voting": "5",
    "Commenting": "4",
    "Roadmap": "5",
    "Surveys": "3"
  }
}

Dropdown selector (useful for long option lists).

Use Cases

  • "What's your country?" (200+ countries)
  • "What's your industry?" (50+ industries)

Configuration

{
  "type": "dropdown",
  "question": "What's your country?",
  "options": ["United States", "Canada", "United Kingdom", "..."],
  "required": true,
  "searchable": true
}

Response Format

{
  "answer": "United States"
}

!!! tip Enable searchable: true for lists with 10+ options. Users can type to filter.

Yes/No

Binary choice (useful for conditional branching).

Use Cases

  • "Do you use the mobile app?" (Yes → ask mobile-specific questions)
  • "Have you used this feature before?" (No → skip detailed questions)

Configuration

{
  "type": "yes_no",
  "question": "Do you use the mobile app?",
  "required": true
}

Response Format

{
  "answer": "yes"
}

Skip Logic Example

If Q1 (yes_no) = "no" → Skip to Q5 (feedback on why not)

Date Picker

Calendar input for date selection.

Use Cases

  • "When did you first start using Canviq?"
  • "What's your preferred launch date?"

Configuration

{
  "type": "date",
  "question": "When did you first start using Canviq?",
  "required": false,
  "min_date": "2024-01-01",
  "max_date": "2024-12-31"
}

Response Format

{
  "date": "2024-02-15"
}

Comparison Table

Type Best For Required Optional
Multiple Choice Single selection from 2-10 ✅ Other, shuffle
Checkboxes Multiple selections ❌ Min/max, other
Text (Short) Brief text (job title, name) ✅ Max length
Text (Long) Detailed feedback ❌ Max length
Rating Satisfaction, ease-of-use ✅ Scale, labels
NPS Likelihood to recommend ✅ Auto-segments
Matrix Multiple items, same scale ✅ Row/col labels
Dropdown Long lists (countries, industries) ✅ Searchable
Yes/No Binary choice, skip logic ✅ N/A
Date Date selection ❌ Min/max date

Best Practices by Type

Multiple Choice

  • Limit to 5-7 options — Too many options overwhelm users
  • Use "Other" — Capture unexpected answers
  • Randomize — Reduce order bias for opinion-based questions

Free Text

  • Ask specific questions — "What's your biggest pain point?" is better than "Any feedback?"
  • Set max length — Prevents essay-length responses (hard to analyze)
  • Use sentiment analysis — Automatically categorize positive/negative feedback

Rating Scales

  • Include neutral — Offer a midpoint (3 on a 1-5 scale)
  • Label endpoints — "Very dissatisfied" to "Very satisfied" clarifies meaning
  • Consistent scales — Don't mix 1-5 and 1-10 in the same survey

Matrix

  • Limit rows — 4-6 rows max (more is exhausting)
  • Same concept — All rows should relate to the same theme (e.g., all features)
  • Consistent scale — Use the same column labels for all rows

Next Steps

Tip: Mix question types to keep surveys engaging. Start with easy multiple choice, then ask open-ended questions for depth.