Survey question types
The question type decides what you get back: an opinion or a priority, a fact or a feeling. Here are all the types the ready-made templates are built from, with a note on when to reach for each.
38 types in this reference
The question type decides what comes back: a number you can compute with, a pick from your list, or the respondent’s own words. No amount of analysis fixes the wrong type afterwards. Ask «what matters to you?» with checkboxes and there will be no priority in the data, however many charts you draw.
Survey methodology splits questions into open-ended (people answer in their own words), closed-ended (they pick from options) and semi-closed (options plus a box for their own answer). Rating scales such as the Likert scale, the semantic differential and NPS measure attitude and its strength. Research methods form their own group: ranking, pairwise comparison, constant sum and card sorting. You need them when order or weight matters, not just a list of ticks.
Below are the types from the Askyo builder palette, grouped by the job they do. Each has its own page with a definition, example questions, how to analyse the answers and what the block lets you configure. The number on a card shows how many ready-made templates already use the type.
Attitudes and opinions
A Likert scale measures agreement with a statement; a semantic differential shows how people perceive something. A matrix packs several of these ratings into one table.
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Likert scale
An agreement scale for a statement, from «strongly disagree» to «strongly agree», usually five points.
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Semantic differential scale
A bipolar scale: the person moves between two opposite descriptions rather than between numbers.
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Matrix questions
A table: subjects down the side, one shared scale across the top. Several identical questions collapse into a single screen.
Priorities and weight
For when «everything matters» is not an answer. Ranking gives an order, pairwise comparison an honest order for long lists, constant sum the weight of each option, card sorting the structure as people see it.
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Ranking questions
A list dragged into order with a mouse or a finger. There are no ties: the person has to commit to a sequence.
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Pairwise comparison
Options are shown two at a time and the person picks one each round. The overall order emerges from the series of choices.
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Constant sum scale
A hundred points to distribute between the options. The total is fixed, so «all of it equally» is not available.
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Card sorting
Cards the respondent groups themselves. The classic method from UX research.
Ratings and loyalty metrics
NPS, stars for CSAT, emoji and a slider. One number per answer, easy to track from wave to wave.
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Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A zero to ten scale with labelled ends and a built-in split into promoters, passives and detractors.
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CSAT and star ratings
Five stars, familiar from any marketplace. They need no explanation and take a second to answer.
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Emoji rating scale
A scale of emoji instead of numbers. Reads faster than a numeric scale and feels lighter in short pulse surveys.
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Slider question
A slider with a defined step. Answered in one movement, with no aiming at small radio buttons.
Closed-ended questions
Single answer, multiple answers, yes or no, a dropdown, cards and pictures. Fastest for respondents and simplest to count.
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Closed-ended questions
Classic radio buttons: exactly one option from the list. The most predictable type and the most common one in forms.
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Multiple choice questions (select all that apply)
Checkboxes: tick as many as you like. Shows the set, but never shows which of the ticked items matters more.
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Dichotomous questions (yes / no)
Two buttons. The fastest question in the palette, answered without thinking.
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Dropdown question
A collapsed list of options. It takes one line no matter how many items sit inside.
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Card choice question
The same single choice, but as cards with a subtitle: every option has room for an explanation.
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Image choice question
A choice made from pictures rather than text. Options are shown as images with captions.
Open-ended questions and input fields
The respondent’s own words and the data they type in: long and short answers, numbers, email, phone, links.
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Open-ended questions
A multi-line free text field. The only type that brings back the respondent’s own wording instead of the options you wrote.
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Short answer question
A single-line field. Name, city, job title, company: anything a person writes in one line without thinking.
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Numeric question
A numeric field with bounds. You get a number you can compute with, not the text «about two hundred».
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Email question in a form
A field with live format validation: a typo shows up before submission rather than when the reply bounces.
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Phone number field
A phone field with a mask and validation. Numbers arrive in one format, so the export needs no manual cleaning.
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Link (URL) question
A link field with format validation. A portfolio, a website, a profile, the page where the problem lives.
Dates and times
A calendar instead of free-form text: a single date, a date with a time, or a period of two dates.
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Date picker question
A calendar with minimum and maximum bounds. The answer arrives as a date, not as a string in whatever format.
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Date and time question
A date and a time in one field. A separate type because booking nine in the morning and nine at night are different things.
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Date range question
Two dates in one question, start and end, with a check that the end is not before the start.
Files, voice, video, signature
Answers you cannot type. They open on paid plans: uploads and recordings from Pro, signature from Team.
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File upload question
An upload for any file: a CV, a document, logs, a screen recording.
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Image upload question
An image upload with a preview. A screenshot explains a problem better than three paragraphs of description.
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Voice answers in surveys
A voice answer recorded in the browser. People say out loud what they would never type.
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Video answer question
A video answer from the device camera. It carries tone and reaction, which neither text nor a rating can.
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Signature field in a form
A signature drawn with a finger or a mouse inside the form. It is stored with the response.
Location
A pin on a map, coordinates from the device and a region from a reference list. All three open on the Pro plan.
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Map location question
A point on a map: the address is picked visually instead of typed with typos.
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GPS location capture in a form
Coordinates from the respondent’s device at the moment of answering. Not an address in words, a point with a timestamp.
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Region picker question
A region picker backed by a reference list, with an optional city. You do not maintain the list yourself.
Structural blocks
Parts of a form that take no real answer: a text screen, a section break, a consent box and a captcha.
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Text screen (statement block)
A screen with no input: a heading and some text underneath. There is nothing to answer, it explains why the survey exists and what comes next.
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Section break in a survey
A section break with a heading and a subtitle: it splits a long form into named parts.
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Consent checkbox
A dedicated consent block with a checkbox and a link to your privacy policy. Not decoration, it is the legal part of the form.
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CAPTCHA block for survey forms
A Yandex SmartCaptcha block inside the survey itself. It drops in like an ordinary question, with no separate integration.
Question types: common questions
How many question types does Askyo have?
The builder palette holds 43 types: choice, scales, text, dates, media answers and structural blocks such as a section break and a consent box. This reference covers the ones that appear in ready-made templates, so every entry has a live example.
Which question type should I use for a rating?
It depends on what you are rating. One whole thing gets stars or an emoji scale, several parameters at once get a matrix, loyalty gets the NPS scale, and agreement with a statement gets a Likert scale.
Why is ranking better than a multi-select?
A multi-select shows what a person likes but never what they value more: asked to tick what matters, people tick almost everything. Ranking forces an order, and a constant sum adds the weight of each option on top.
Are all types available on the free plan?
Nearly all. Paid plans unlock media answers (file, image, voice, video), captcha, the region picker, geolocation and signature. The research methods, including matrix, ranking, pairwise comparison and card sorting, work on the free plan.
Survey question types
The question type decides what you get back: an opinion or a priority, a fact or a feeling. Here are all the types the ready-made templates are built from, with a note on when to reach for each.