Add and Edit Multiple Choice Questions in Engagement Questionnaires

Create structured feedback opportunities for residents by adding customizable multiple choice questions to your engagement questionnaires. Multiple choice questions provide clear, quantifiable response options that make it easy for residents to share their preferences and opinions on community topics.

Quick Steps

1. Navigate to Ask > Surveys > Build select your survey
   
   
2. Drag "Multiple Choice" from the Content sidebar under "SELECTS"
3. Drop the question into your desired position in the questionnaire
4. Configure question text, support text, and answer options in the modal that opens automatically
   
   
5. Click "Save" to apply changes and see the in-builder preview

In-Depth Guide

Adding a New Multiple Choice Question

Access the Questionnaire Builder Navigate to the Engage section and go to the Activities listing screen. Find your engagement questionnaire and select "Edit" to open the Questionnaire Builder interface.

Add the Multiple Choice Question From the Content sidebar on the right, locate "Multiple Choice" under the "SELECTS" section. Drag the Multiple Choice element and drop it into your questionnaire at the desired position.

The questionnaire builder will display a drop zone where you can position your new question. Release the Multiple Choice element when the drop zone appears in your preferred location.

Configure Question Settings Once you drop the Multiple Choice element into your questionnaire, the configuration modal automatically opens. Enter your question text in the main question field. Write clear, specific questions with distinct answer options. For example, "Which transportation improvement would have the greatest impact on your daily commute?" provides clearer guidance than "What do you think about transportation?"

Add Support Text (Optional) Use the Support Text field to provide additional context, instructions, or clarification to help respondents understand the question or response options. This text appears below the main question and can explain terms or provide helpful examples.

Create Answer Options In the "Options" section, enter your answer choices in the provided fields. Each option should be:

• Clear and distinct from other choices
• Comprehensive enough to cover likely responses
• Concise to avoid overwhelming respondents

Use the "Add Option" button to include additional answer choices as needed. You can also use "Bulk Add" to enter multiple options quickly by typing them on separate lines.

Configure Advanced Settings Several toggle options allow you to customize the question behavior:

• Use Suggested: Enable to access pre-built option sets for common municipal topics
• Include "Other..." Option: Adds an open-text field allowing respondents to specify alternatives not listed
• Allow Multiple Selections: Converts the question to a checkbox format where respondents can select multiple answers instead of just one
• Randomize Options: Presents answer choices in random order to each respondent to reduce order bias

Mark as Required (Optional) Toggle the Required Question setting to make the multiple choice question mandatory for questionnaire submission. Required questions must be answered before respondents can proceed or submit their responses.

Save Your Configuration After configuring all settings, click "Save" to apply your changes. The modal will close and you'll see an in-builder preview of your multiple choice question within the questionnaire.

Editing Existing Multiple Choice Questions

Locate and Select the Question In the Questionnaire Builder, find the multiple choice question you want to modify. Click on the edit icon on the question block to open the configuration modal and access all editing options.

Modify Question Content Update the question text, support text, or answer options as needed. You can add, remove, or reorder options by using the provided controls. Click "Save" to apply your changes and close the configuration modal. Once saved, you'll see an in-builder preview of your updated question.

Adjust Response Settings Modify advanced settings like multiple selections, randomization, or special options ("Other") based on how you want respondents to interact with the question. Consider how these changes might affect data analysis and response patterns.

Reorder Questions Reposition multiple choice questions within your questionnaire flow using two methods:

• Drag-and-drop: Click and hold the question block, then drag it to a new position. The questionnaire will show drop zones indicating valid placement locations.
• Toolbar: Use the reordering options available in the question's toolbar for precise positioning.

Remove Questions To delete a multiple choice question, use the delete option in the question's toolbar. The question will be removed immediately without a confirmation prompt.

Question Design Best Practices

Create Comprehensive Option Sets Ensure your answer choices cover the full range of likely responses. Consider including "Other" options when you might not anticipate all possible answers.

Keep Options Balanced Avoid leading or biased answer choices. Present options neutrally and ensure they're mutually exclusive unless you're specifically allowing multiple selections.

Consider Questionnaire Flow Place multiple choice questions strategically within your engagement questionnaire. They work well early in questionnaires to engage respondents and can provide context for more detailed questions that follow.

Use Randomization Thoughtfully Enable randomization for questions where order might influence responses, such as candidate preferences or service priorities. Keep logical order for questions with natural sequences (like satisfaction scales).

Methodology

Response Collection Multiple choice responses are recorded exactly as selected by respondents. When multiple selections are allowed, all chosen options are captured and can be analyzed individually or in combination.

Option Randomization When randomization is enabled, each respondent sees answer choices in a different random order. The original option text and meaning remain unchanged, only the presentation order varies.

Special Options Processing

• "Other" responses: Text entered in "Other" fields is collected separately and can be analyzed as open-ended feedback alongside the structured options

Language Support Multiple choice questions support multi-language engagement questionnaires when configured. All question text, support text, and answer options are translated consistently across supported languages.

Edge Cases, Exceptions & Known Issues

Drag and Drop Functionality

• Questions must be dropped in valid drop zones within the questionnaire area
• Dropping questions outside the builder area will not add them to your questionnaire

Option Management

• Deleting answer options after responses have been collected may affect data integrity
• Very long option text may not display optimally on mobile devices
• Empty or duplicate options will trigger validation errors when saving

Multiple Selections Behavior

• Converting from single to multiple selection after data collection begins may confuse respondents who already completed the questionnaire
• Multiple selection questions require different analysis approaches compared to single-choice questions

Randomization Considerations

• Randomization applies to answer options only; question text and support text remain static
• Some logical sequences (like rating scales) should not be randomized as this affects response validity
• Randomization settings cannot be changed after significant data collection without potentially affecting response patterns

Questionnaire Flow Considerations

• Questions with many options (10+) may require scrolling on mobile devices
• "Other" text fields may not be visible initially on smaller screens, requiring user interaction to access

Data Export Limitations

• "Other" responses export as separate fields and may require additional processing for analysis
• Very long option text might be truncated in certain export formats