Add and Edit Slider Questions in Engagement Questionnaires

Collect interactive numerical feedback from residents by adding slider questions to your engagement questionnaires. Slider questions allow respondents to select values along a visual scale by dragging a slider control, providing an intuitive way to gather ratings, preferences, or quantities within a defined range.

Quick Steps

1. Navigate to Ask > Surveys > Build select your survey
   
   
2. Drag "Slider" from the Content sidebar under "NUMERIC"
3. Drop the question into your desired position in the questionnaire
4. Configure question text, value range, and slider settings in the modal that opens automatically
   
   
5. Click "Save" to apply changes and see the in-builder preview

In-Depth Guide

Adding a New Slider 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 Slider Question From the Content sidebar on the right, locate "Slider" under the "NUMERIC" section. Drag the Slider 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 Slider element when the drop zone appears in your preferred location.

Configure Question Settings Once you drop the Slider element into your questionnaire, the configuration modal automatically opens. Enter your question text in the main question field. Write clear questions that work well with slider interaction. For example, "How important is expanding public transit to you?" or "What percentage of the city budget should go toward parks and recreation?"

Add Support Text (Optional) Use the Support Text field to provide additional context, instructions, or clarification about the slider scale or what respondents should consider. This text appears below the main question and can explain the scale endpoints, provide examples, or clarify the measurement context.

Set Unit Label (Optional) Use the Unit Label field to specify the unit of measurement or context for the slider values. This label appears with the slider to provide context for respondents. Examples include "$", "Miles", "Minutes", "Percent", or other relevant units.

Configure Value Range Set the numerical boundaries for your slider:

• Min Value: Enter the lowest value on the slider scale (required)
• Max Value: Enter the highest value on the slider scale (required)

These values determine the range that respondents can select from using the slider control.

Configure Slider Behavior Customize how the slider functions and appears:

• Start Position: Choose where the slider begins when the question loads:
  • Left: Slider starts at the minimum value
  • Center: Slider starts at the midpoint between min and max values
  • Right: Slider starts at the maximum value
• Step Size: Enter the increment amount for slider movement. This determines how precisely respondents can adjust the slider (e.g., step size of 1 for whole numbers, 0.5 for half-unit increments).

Mark as Required (Optional) Toggle the Required Question setting to make the slider 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 slider question within the questionnaire.

Editing Existing Slider Questions

Locate and Select the Question In the Questionnaire Builder, find the slider 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 unit label as needed. Ensure your question clearly communicates what aspect should be rated or measured. 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 Slider Settings Modify the min/max values, start position, step size, or unit label based on the type of data you need to collect. Consider how these changes might affect the user experience and response precision.

Reorder Questions Reposition slider 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 slider question, use the delete option in the question's toolbar. The question will be removed immediately without a confirmation prompt.

Question Design Best Practices

Choose Appropriate Value Ranges Set min and max values that reflect realistic ranges for your question context. Avoid ranges that are too narrow (limiting meaningful choice) or too broad (making precise selection difficult).

Select Meaningful Step Sizes Use step sizes that provide appropriate precision without overwhelming respondents. Whole number steps (1) work well for most rating scales, while smaller steps (0.1, 0.5) may be useful for precise measurements.

Consider Start Positions Strategically

• Use Left when you want to avoid bias toward higher values
• Use Center for neutral starting points or when the midpoint represents a meaningful baseline
• Use Right when appropriate for reverse-scaled questions

Provide Clear Scale Context Use unit labels and support text to clarify what the slider values represent. Unclear scales can lead to inconsistent interpretations across respondents.

Test Slider Usability Ensure your value range and step size combination creates a slider that's easy to use on both desktop and mobile devices.

Methodology

Slider Value Capture Slider responses are captured as numerical values corresponding to the exact position selected by respondents. The system maintains precision based on the configured step size.

Interactive Selection Respondents can adjust slider values by clicking/tapping on the slider track or dragging the slider handle to their desired position. The current value updates in real-time as the slider moves.

Start Position Processing The initial slider position is calculated based on the selected start position setting:

• Left: Min Value
• Center: (Min Value + Max Value) / 2
• Right: Max Value

Step Size Enforcement The slider enforces the configured step size, ensuring that only valid incremental values within the range can be selected.

Unit Label Display Unit labels appear alongside the slider value to provide immediate context for the numerical scale or measurement system.

Language Support Slider questions support multi-language engagement questionnaires when configured. Question text, support text, and unit labels are translated, while numerical values and ranges remain consistent.

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

Value Range Configuration

• Very large ranges with small step sizes may create sliders with too many possible positions

Step Size Considerations

• Very small step sizes may be difficult to control precisely on mobile devices

Start Position Behavior

• Starting positions may influence response patterns if respondents don't adjust from the default
• Required sliders starting at minimum may bias responses toward lower values

Questionnaire Flow Considerations

• Multiple consecutive slider questions may create repetitive interaction patterns
• Slider precision requirements should match the importance of exact values in your analysis

Data Precision Implications

• Step size settings directly affect the precision of collected data
• Consider whether your analysis requires the precision that slider questions provide