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How to Use Skip Logic in Online Surveys? & Why?

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How to use skip logic in online surveys? How to use skip logic
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Skip logic permits you to send respondents to a future point in the survey because of how they answer an inquiry. It ensures that you ask the right question to your respondents and do not overwhelm them with irrelevant questions. 

This article discusses how to use skip logic in your online surveys and why you should start using them.

How does a Skip Logic Survey Differ from a Standard Survey?

How to use skip logic in online surveys? How to use skip logic

Let’s look at the difference between standard surveys and surveys with skip logic applied.

Standard survey sequence

In a standard survey, the respondent will finish every one of the questions posed in the series in which they are introduced. Respondents will be shown questions irrelevant to their experience because the survey questions are designed in a standard way.

Skip Logic Sequence

In contrast, when skip logic is introduced in a survey, the respondent is shown question that is relevant to their previous answer. 

For example, if the respondent says “no” to the question “Are you a college student?” with skip logic, the respondent will not be asked, “Which college do you study at?”.

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How to use Skip Logic?

Skip Logic reroutes the survey stream because of specific measures. But how to use skip logic can be tricky. 

You can characterize standards based on conditions like a reaction to an inquiry, contact data, survey share channel, or custom param. When the standards have been met, you can –

  • Branch to a later question in the survey because of past info – You can skip at least one inquiry in light of the reaction to the current or past inquiries.
  • Branch respondents to Thank you, Page, and complete the reaction – The survey reaction can be finished assuming the reaction meets the predefined models.

[Related read: 5 Things You Need to Conduct Effective Online Surveys]

Example of How to Use Skip Logic

For example, you should ask members in various age groups one or two inquiries on a research survey. Moreover, your survey members should be all north of 18. 

When the objective of the survey is to qualify respondents between 18 and 24, you can add a primary question that asks participants to select their age group. The Skip logic added to the primary question will take those choosing “under 18” to the end of the survey, 18-24 to an objective inquiry, direct 25-34 olds to different research, etc. 

What happens if Skip Logic is ignored?

Let’s say you ask your respondents how they might rate Game of Thrones? Initially, there doesn’t appear to be anything amiss with the question. It’s straightforward, yet it just works in context. 

Now, consider the possibility that the respondent hasn’t watched the show? Your complete survey result may get skewed. 

So, how does using skip logic make a difference? 

With a skip logic in place, you can verify your respondents to ensure that only those who have watched the show are allowed to take the survey. This way, anyone who hasn’t watched the show will be disqualified which will protect the survey’s integrity. 

Applications of Skip Logic

Now that we know why your surveys need skip logic, let’s address the real question – how to use skip logic in your survey questions? Let’s see some of the applications of skip logic. 

  1. Question: Display a question given that the respondent picked a specific reaction to a past question. This is the principal decision reasonable inside the page, showing logic. 
  2. Embedded Data: Use any information you have taken care of the respondent to set show conditions. 

For example, just feature a request to the people who have an introduced data field for Age, comparable to 25. 

While putting together logic concerning embedded information, verify that the embedded information is set in the survey stream before the respondent experiences the logic.

  1. Quota: Once a Quota has been made, set a condition considering whether the conditions have are fulfiled. 

For example, a survey can be conditioned to ensure respondents would satisfy the following quota:

  • Female
  • 25-35
  • Married 
  • Employed

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Conditional and Unconditional Skip Logic

When it comes to deciding how to use skip logic in surveys, you have to understand there are two types of skip logic: conditional and unconditional. 

Conditional Skip logic moves members to an objective inquiry because of their reaction to a past inquiry. 

Unconditional Skip logic moves all members to the objective, regardless of their reaction. It can be utilized to move members around a bunch of inquiries expected for the individuals who chose an alternate response decision.

How to use skip logic in online surveys? How to use skip logic

Let’s consider that your survey has four questions. Without skip logic the survey would move members straight from page two to page three and then page four. You add restrictive logic to a different decision question on the main page to move a few members to the inquiries on page two, while others jump to inquiries on page three.

Regardless of their reactions, all survey takers must address the questions on page four. To get members from page two to page four, add unconditional Skip logic to the last inquiry so that all members will continue toward page four.

[Related read: Key Features of Online Survey Tools]

How to use Skip Logic to Design a Survey?

Now that we have learned about the two types of skip logic you can use in your survey to ensure that you gather valuable responses, let’s move on to see how to use skip logic while you are designing your survey. 

1: Choose Survey Questions 

The foundation of a survey is established by the primary questions you include in it. The questions you pick will ensure that the feedback you gather from the respondents is meaningful. Your questions ought to be direct, concise, and easy to understand.

2: Map out the Routes for Each Question 

It’s better to map out all the possible logic flow to ensure that the survey follows the sequence when you launch it. Draw a visual portrayal of the courses that branch out of each question in the survey.

You can add conditional and unconditional branching as per the requirement. Mapping the sequence from the beginning will help you to check if the logic flow makes sense. You can change or alter the question and their flow so the survey feels customized and all-around intended for every one of the respondents.

3: Make Sure That the Survey Is Linear 

When you decide how to use skip logic in your online surveys, it’s important to remember that it works just with linear surveys.

Linear surveys are the ones that generally push ahead. It means the survey flow will still follow even if they skip questions that don’t matter to them. 

In non-linear surveys, the respondents can respond to any question they want. A lack of an answering sequence makes designing a survey with skip logic difficult because you don’t know which question the respondent will answer first. 

4: Design Your Survey 

Now that you have mapped out how to use skip logic for your online surveys, it’s time to put it into motion. The simple way is to initially add all the questions in your survey and then add the skip logic as per the response to each question. 

A good survey software offers capabilities like skip logic & branching. All you have to do is create your survey, mention the question you want to show your respondent after their response, test the logic flow, & launch it. 

5: Test the Survey 

Testing is essential when deciding how to use skip logic in your surveys. Testing your surveys will assist you in uncovering any inconsistency or broken route within the survey flow. 

Send your survey to various groups to test it out. Make the changes before launching it. 

6: Deploy the Survey 

Now, you are set to deploy your survey. Use a survey software to send your online survey via email, social media, website, or SMS. 

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Conclusion

The main obstacle in an online survey is planning how to use skip logic to ensure that your survey does not send the respondents into a circle.  

Assuming you are new to surveys, you can choose a survey software that offers pre-made templates to learn how to use skip logic. 

This summarizes everything you need to know when using skip logic in your online surveys. Now you can simply map out your survey questions the logic it should flow and start gating customer insights right away.

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