Question Randomization

An important SurveyWriter feature for researchers is the ability to randomize the order in which answer labels, rows and columns, and questions are displayed to the respondent. Because many options exist, you may find it daunting to select the correct option for the methodology you would like to apply to your survey. Review the following available randomization tools in order to determine what best suits your needs.

• Randomize Labels
• Randomize Rows or Columns
• Randomize Individual Questions
• Randomize Groups of Questions Without Merge
• Randomize Groups of Questions With Merge
• Randomize Questions On A Merged Page
• Random Value Formula Question
• Random Answer Select Formula Question
• Sort Formula Question

Randomize Labels

Use the following steps to randomize question labels (the list of answer options).

1. Select the question.
2. On the main Question screen, click Modify Options
3. From the Question Options screen, click Randomize Labels.
4. Click Save.

Randomize Rows or Columns

Use the following steps to randomize rows or columns on a row grid question.

1. Select the question.
2. On the main Question screen, click Modify Options
3. From the Question Options screen, click Randomize Grid Row or Randomize Grid Columns.
4. Click Save.

Randomize Individual Questions

Use the following steps to randomize individual questions.

1. Set up your individual questions in order, for example, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.
2. On the Question Options screen for the first question to be randomized, enter 1 in the Random Set Number field, and select 1 as your Keep Together as a Group number.
3. For the second question to be randomized, enter 1 in the Random Set Number field, and select 2 as your Keep Together as a Group number.
4. Repeat these steps for the remaining two questions. Questions should be labeled as follows:

Randomize Groups of Questions Without Merge

The goal of this example is to randomize Q1 and Q2 and then randomize Q3 and Q4. Q1 and Q2 will always appear ahead of Q3 and Q4.

1. Set up your individual questions in order, for example, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.
2. On the Question Options screen in the first question to be randomized, enter 1 in the Random Set Number field, and select 1 as your Keep Together as a Group number.
3. In the second question to be randomized, enter 1 in the Random Set Number field. Select 2 as your Keep Together as a Group number.
4. Repeat these steps for the remaining two questions, and change their Random Set Number field to 2. Questions should be labeled as follows:

Randomize Groups of Questions With Merge 

In this example, we have three questions, each containing three parts: 4a, 4b, 4c; 5a, 5b, 5c; and 6a, 6b, 6c. The goal is to present the questions to each respondent in a different order, for example, 4-5-6, 5-6-4, 6-4-5, etc. Within the rotating pages, the questions will maintain the order in which they are entered, for example, 4a, 4b, 4c, unless you check the Randomize Merged Question Order field (see Randomize Questions on a Merged Page).

To handle the randomization of groups of questions, do the following:

1. Create your questions for 4a, 4b, 4c; 5a, 5b, 5c; and 6a, 6b, 6c.
2. Create a merge question for Q4a, Q4b, Q4c. Do the same for Q5 and Q6. Make sure the merge question follows the questions to merge.
   
   Example: If you gave a Question ID to your merged questions of Q_Merge4, Q_Merge5 and Q_Merge6, your Questions list should look as follows:

Q4a
Q4b
Q4c
Q_Merge4
Q5a
Q5b
Q5c
Q_Merge5
Q6a
Q6b
Q6c
Q_Merge6

3. Click the Modify Option tab for your Merged Questions. Enter the number 1 into the Random Set Number field. Enter this same number for all your merged questions.
4. Enter 1 for the Keep together as a group field for the first merge question.
5. Enter 2 for the Keep together as a group field for the second merge question. Repeat procedure for merge questions 3 and 4. The merge questions should be labeled as follows:
   

   Question ID	Random Set Number	Keep Together as a Group
   Q_Merge4	1	1
   Q_Merge5	1	2
   Q_Merge6	1	3

The pages that the questions are merged to (the merged questions) should appear randomly to each respondent.

Randomize Questions On A Merged Page

To randomize questions on a merged page, check the Randomize Merged Question Order field on the Select Question screen. To access this screen, click Modify Options on the main Question screen of a merged question.

Random Value Formula Question: randomly display three different concepts to respondents 

A random value formula question is used to generate a random number.

The following criteria are true for this example:

• The random number range is between 1 and 3.
• Concepts are displayed in three follow-up questions.
• The three follow-up questions contain a pre-question filter that determines whether the question is shown. For example, if the formula question generates a 1, the concept equal to 1 is shown to the respondent.

In this example, the goal is to randomly display three different concepts to the respondents. 

1. From the Question menu, click Select a Question Type>Formula Question>Add a Formula Type Question>Random Value.
2. In the Random Number's Lower Bound field, enter 1.
3. In the Random Number's Upper Bound field, enter 3.
4. Save the question.
5. Create a new question. The following example is an open-end text question that contains a concept and question asking for a text response.

6. For this question, enter a prequestion filter that screens a respondent based on the random number generated in the previous question. In the following example, the respondent will only see the question if the random number generated in the previous question is 1. To enter a prequestion filter, on the Options screen, click Build Pre-Question Filter.
7. Use the Filter Wizard to complete the filter statement.

• Select the previous formula question.
• Enter = as your comparison operator.
• Enter 1 as the value for the question.

8. Save the question.
9. Repeat steps 5 through 8 for the remaining two follow-up questions. The filters for the remaining follow-up questions are as follows:
   
   {Q43a=2}
   
   {Q43a=3}

Random Answer Select Formula Question

A Random Answer Select formula question enables you to take answers from another question and specify that one random answer be returned as the answer to this formula question.

In this example, a parent question is created that allows respondents to select multiple response options. Next, a formula question is created to randomly select one of the answers from the previous question as the result for the formula question. Finally, the result of the formula question is then used in a follow-up question.

Create Parent Question

1. From the Question menu, click Select a Question Type>Standard Question>Multiple Selection Check boxes.
2. Save the Option screen.
3. Create your question text and answer options using Set Question Text and Set Answer Options. Click Add Codes Ascending to assign values to the response options.
4. Save this question.

Create Formula Question

1. From the Question menu, click Select a Question Type>Formula Question>Add a Formula Type Question>Random Answer Select.

2. Click iQ to select the ID of the question from which to draw a random answer, Q61, for example.
3. Save the formula question.

Create Follow-Up Question

This example uses an open-end text question to ask follow-up questions about the information randomly selected in the formula question. 

1. Click Select a Question Type>Standard Question>Open End Text from the Question menu.
2. Click iQ to select the Branch Parent from which to draw customer answers. In this example, the function question that returns a random answer is selected as the branch parent, F62, for example.
3. In the Number of Branches field, enter 1 (only one follow-up question will be asked).
4. Click Last Branch Question to indicate that no additional branching question will be asked.
5. Save the Option screen.
6. Create your question text using Set Question Text.
7. Save the question.

Sort Formula Question

A Sort List formula question enables you to take answers from other questions and put them into a new list (question branching). This list can then be used to specify that a certain number of random answers are returned as the answer to this formula question.

The list is then sorted in either ascending or descending order, according to your preference. This formula question also allows you to select the top n answers (e.g., top three answers numerically) bottom n answers (e.g., bottom three answers numerically), the rank order number (e.g., answer ranked third numerically), or random numbers (e.g., three random answers).

This example uses the Sort question to display three random answers to the respondent in a follow-up branching question.

Create Sort Formula Question

1. Click Insert Answer.
2. Enter 1 as the first answer and enter 1 for the value to generate for this first answer.
3. Repeat step 2 for all desired response options. In this example, seven response options are defined and seven values, 1 through 7, are entered for these options. Because we are not pulling from other questions, just introducing new answer options, we've used 1 through 7 as our answers.

4. For Select Rank, choose Random 3.
5. Save the Sort Question option screen.
6. On the Question screen, click Set Answer Options> Build Answer Options.
7. Enter the options you want to display randomly in your follow-up branching question.

8. Save the question.

Create Follow-Up Branching Question

The example below is an open end question that branches in three random answers options from the Sort formula question.

1. Click Select A Question Type>Standard Question>Open End Text from the Question menu.
2. On the Question Options screen, click Branch Question.

3. Select the formula question you created as your branch parent.
4. Enter 3 as the number branch questions to ask.
5. Click Last Branch Question to indicate that this last branch question to be asked in this series.
6. Save the Question Options screen.
7. Click Question Page Text>Question Text to enter your question. Make sure to put the branch identifier symbol, |, at the spot at which you want the options from your formula question to appear. For example:
   
   What do you like about |?
8. Save the question.

Sort Question - Always Show Question (Exclamation Point Indicator)

The Sort Formula question allows you to sort the values from previous answers and return a specific result. Using a Sort function question, you can create a question that chooses a random three out of five possible concepts and displays them in a follow up question. In some cases, you may also want to select one concept that should always be shown along with your random concepts. To do so, add the exclamation point to end of the value to always generate as follows:

In the example above, SurveyWriter randomly selects 2 of the 5 answers and always selects the answer in row 1 for each respondent if that answer is available.

For more information on how to create a Sort Function question, see the Question Design Guide.