Post-Experiment Questionnaires

Post-experiment questionnaires allow you to collect additional data from participants after they complete your experiment. This powerful feature supports demographics collection, feedback gathering, manipulation checks, and validated psychometric measures.

Overview

The questionnaire system provides a flexible, multi-page survey interface that appears after participants complete all experiment states and before the final completion screen.

Key Features:

Multiple pages for organized question groups
Seven question types (text, multiple choice, Likert, VAS, ranking, rapid rate, audio)
Drag-and-drop question reordering
Required vs. optional questions
Auto-save responses as participants answer
Back navigation control
Rich configuration options per question type

When to Use Questionnaires:

✅ Collect demographic information
✅ Gather post-experiment feedback
✅ Administer manipulation checks
✅ Measure individual differences (personality, attitudes)
✅ Assess participant experience
✅ Collect qualitative data
❌ Time-sensitive measurements during experiment (use components instead)

Accessing the Questionnaire Editor

Navigate to your experiment in the Experiment Designer:

Click on the Questionnaire tab in the top navigation
Enable the questionnaire with the toggle switch
Configure general settings (required, back navigation)
Add pages and questions

General Settings

Enable Questionnaire

Toggle to show/hide the questionnaire in your experiment.

Enabled:

Questionnaire appears after experiment completion
Participants must complete before final redirect
Data collected and stored

Disabled:

Questionnaire skipped entirely
Participants proceed directly to completion screen

Require Completion

Determines whether participants must finish the questionnaire.

Required (Default):

Participants cannot proceed without completing all required questions
"Next" and "Complete" buttons disabled until page is valid
Provides complete data for all participants

Not Required:

Participants can skip pages or questions
Useful for optional feedback
May result in incomplete data

Controls whether participants can navigate to previous pages.

Allowed (Default):

Participants can use "← Back" button
Can review and change previous answers
Better user experience

Not Allowed:

Back button is hidden
Prevents answer revision
Use for time-sensitive measures or when order matters

Pages

Questionnaires are organized into pages that group related questions together.

Creating Pages

Click + Add Page button
Enter page title (e.g., "Demographics", "Feedback", "Personality Measures")
Optionally add page description using Markdown
Add questions to the page

Page Organization

Best Practices:

3-7 questions per page (avoid overwhelming participants)
Group related questions on same page
Place demographics at beginning or end
Order pages logically (e.g., demographics → experience → feedback)

Reordering Pages

Use drag-and-drop to reorder pages:

Click and hold the page drag handle (⋮⋮)
Drag to new position
Release to drop

Page Content (Markdown Support)

Add instructional text at the top of each page using Markdown:

## About You

Please answer the following demographic questions.
This information helps us understand our participant pool.

**All responses are confidential.**

Markdown features supported:

Headers (#, ##, ###)
Bold and italic text
Lists (bulleted and numbered)
Links [text](url)
Line breaks

Question Types

1. Text Input

Free-text responses from participants.

Subtypes:

Short Text: Single line (e.g., age, occupation)
Long Text: Multi-line textarea (e.g., feedback, explanations)

Configuration:

Question Text: The prompt participants see
Placeholder: Hint text in empty field (optional)
Min Length: Minimum character count (optional)
Max Length: Maximum character count (optional)
Required: Whether response is mandatory

Example Use Cases:

Age: "What is your age in years?"
Occupation: "What is your current occupation?"
Feedback: "Please describe your experience with the task."
Open-ended: "What strategies did you use during the experiment?"

Best Practices:

Use short text for brief responses (name, age, single words)
Use long text for detailed feedback
Set max length to prevent overly long responses
Provide clear placeholder examples
Only require text input when necessary

2. Multiple Choice

Select one or more options from a list.

Modes:

Single Selection: Radio buttons, one answer only
Multiple Selection: Checkboxes, choose any number

Configuration:

Question Text: The prompt
Options: List of choices (add/remove/reorder with drag-drop)
Allow Multiple: Enable checkbox mode
Randomize Options: Present choices in random order (reduces order bias)
Required: Whether selection is mandatory

Example Use Cases:

Single Selection:

Question: "What is your gender?"
Options:
- Male
- Female
- Non-binary
- Prefer not to say

Multiple Selection:

Question: "Which of the following apply to you? (Select all that apply)"
Options:
- Currently employed
- Full-time student
- Part-time student
- Retired
- Stay-at-home parent

Best Practices:

Keep option text concise
Include "Other" or "Prefer not to say" when appropriate
Use randomization to reduce order effects
Limit to 8-10 options maximum
Consider dropdowns for longer lists (use text input with validation)

Adding/Editing Options:

Click "+ Add Option" to add new choice
Click on option text to edit inline
Click ✕ to remove an option
Drag ⋮⋮ handle to reorder

3. Likert Scale

Agreement or rating scales with labeled endpoints.

Configuration:

Question Text: The statement to rate
Scale Points: Number of response options (2-15, typically 5 or 7)
Min Label: Left anchor (e.g., "Strongly Disagree")
Max Label: Right anchor (e.g., "Strongly Agree")
Required: Whether rating is mandatory

Common Scales:

5-Point Agreement:

Question: "I found the task engaging"
Points: 5
Min: "Strongly Disagree"
Max: "Strongly Agree"

7-Point Frequency:

Question: "How often do you use social media?"
Points: 7
Min: "Never"
Max: "Always"

10-Point Satisfaction:

Question: "How satisfied were you with your experience?"
Points: 10
Min: "Not at all satisfied"
Max: "Extremely satisfied"

Best Practices:

Use 5 or 7 points for most applications
Ensure labels match the scale (agreement, frequency, satisfaction, etc.)
Keep question statements clear and unambiguous
Use consistent scale direction across questions
Consider validated measures (SUS, NASA-TLX, etc.)

Visual Presentation: Participants see circles that fill completely when selected, with the scale number and labels clearly displayed.

4. VAS Rating

Visual Analog Scale - continuous slider for precise ratings.

Configuration:

Question Text: The dimension to rate
Min Value: Numerical minimum (typically 0)
Max Value: Numerical maximum (typically 100)
Min Label: Left endpoint label
Max Label: Right endpoint label
Step Size: Increment between values (1 for integers, 0.1 for decimals)
Required: Whether rating is mandatory

Example Use Cases:

Affect Rating:

Question: "How anxious do you feel right now?"
Min: 0, Max: 100
Min Label: "Not at all anxious"
Max Label: "Extremely anxious"
Step: 1

Confidence:

Question: "How confident are you in your previous answer?"
Min: 0, Max: 100
Min Label: "Not confident"
Max Label: "Very confident"
Step: 1

Best Practices:

Use 0-100 scale for percentage-like interpretations
Provide clear endpoint labels
Set appropriate step size (1 for whole numbers, 0.1 for precision)
VAS provides more granular data than Likert scales
Good for continuous constructs (pain, emotion intensity, confidence)

5. Ranking

Order items by preference or importance using drag-and-drop.

Configuration:

Question Text: Instructions for ranking
Items: List of things to rank (add/remove/edit)
Required: Whether ranking must be completed

Example Use Cases:

Preference:

Question: "Rank these activities from most to least enjoyable:"
Items:
- Reading
- Watching TV
- Exercise
- Socializing
- Gaming

Importance:

Question: "Rank these factors by importance in your decision:"
Items:
- Price
- Quality
- Brand reputation
- Customer reviews
- Availability

Best Practices:

Limit to 5-8 items (too many becomes difficult)
Ensure items are mutually exclusive
Provide clear instructions on ordering (most important first, etc.)
Label the top/bottom of the list
Test drag-and-drop on both desktop and mobile

Participant Experience:

Items appear in default order
Drag items up/down to reorder
Clear drag handles on each item
Visual feedback during drag (highlighted drop zone)
Works on touch devices

6. Rapid Rate

Multi-dimensional slider ratings - rate several dimensions simultaneously.

Configuration:

Prompt: Overall instructions
Dimensions: List of attributes to rate
- Label: Dimension name (e.g., "Excitement")
- Min Label: Left anchor (e.g., "Not exciting")
- Max Label: Right anchor (e.g., "Very exciting")
- Initial Value: Starting slider position (0-100)
- Enable None: Allow "None" option per dimension
Sensitivity: Slider movement speed (0.1-2.0)
Require Click to Activate: Slider only works after clicking

Example Use Cases:

Emotional Response:

Prompt: "Rate your emotional response to the video:"
Dimensions:
- Happy (Not happy → Very happy)
- Sad (Not sad → Very sad)
- Angry (Not angry → Very angry)
- Anxious (Not anxious → Very anxious)

Video Quality:

Prompt: "Rate the following aspects of the video:"
Dimensions:
- Visual Quality (Poor → Excellent)
- Audio Quality (Poor → Excellent)
- Content Interest (Boring → Fascinating)

Best Practices:

Limit to 4-8 dimensions (cognitive load)
Use clear, distinct dimensions
Enable "None" when dimension might not apply
Use consistent anchor labels when possible
Ideal for rating stimuli on multiple attributes

Visual Presentation: Participants see vertical sliders for each dimension with clear labels and optional "None" buttons.

7. Audio Recording

Capture spoken responses from participants.

Configuration:

Question Text: Recording prompt
Max Duration: Maximum recording length in seconds (default: 60)
Min Duration: Minimum recording length in seconds (default: 0)
Allow Review/Re-record: Let participants listen and re-record (recommended)
Show Waveform: Display visual feedback while recording

Example Use Cases:

Qualitative Feedback:

Question: "Please describe your strategy for completing the task."
Max Duration: 120 seconds
Allow Review: Yes

Verbal Responses:

Question: "Say the words you remember from the list."
Max Duration: 60 seconds
Allow Review: Yes

Best Practices:

Always enable "Allow Review" unless methodology requires otherwise
Set realistic maximum durations (60-120 seconds typical)
Provide clear instructions on what to say
Test audio recording in your environment
Inform participants they'll be recorded in consent form
Consider transcription requirements for analysis

Participant Experience:

With Review Enabled (Recommended):
1. Click "Start Recording"
2. Record audio response
3. Click "Stop Recording"
4. Review audio with playback controls
5. Choose "Record Again" or "Submit Recording"
Without Review:
1. Click "Start Recording"
2. Record audio response
3. Auto-submits when stopped

Privacy Considerations:

Audio recordings are uploaded to server
Stored with experiment data
Ensure consent form addresses audio recording
Follow institutional IRB requirements

Question Configuration

Drag-and-Drop Reordering

All questions within a page can be reordered using drag-and-drop:

Hover over question to reveal drag handle (⋮⋮)
Click and hold drag handle
Drag question to new position
Visual indicator shows drop zone
Release to drop in new position

This replaces the previous arrow button system with a more intuitive interface.

Required vs. Optional

Required Questions:

Marked with red asterisk (*)
Must be answered to proceed
"Next" button disabled until complete
Validation message shown if skipped

Optional Questions:

No asterisk
Can be skipped
Participants can proceed immediately
Useful for additional feedback

Setting Required: Check the "Required" box when editing question configuration.

Editing Questions

Click "Edit" button on question card
Modify question text and configuration
Click "Save" or press Enter
Click "Cancel" to discard changes

Deleting Questions

Click "×" button on question card
Confirm deletion (cannot be undone)
Question removed from page

Data Collection & Export

Auto-Save Behavior

Responses are automatically saved as participants answer each question:

No manual save required
Persists across page changes
Recovers if browser refreshes (session-based)
Final submission on questionnaire completion

Event Recording

Each questionnaire interaction generates data events:

Response Events:

{
  "eventType": "questionnaire.response",
  "category": "post_experiment",
  "value": {
    "questionId": "q1_age",
    "questionText": "What is your age?",
    "questionType": "text-short",
    "answer": "28",
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "pageTitle": "Demographics",
    "pageId": "page_1",
    "responseTime": 3245
  }
}

Completion Event:

{
  "eventType": "questionnaire.completed",
  "category": "post_experiment",
  "value": {
    "totalPages": 3,
    "totalQuestions": 12,
    "totalResponseTime": 185000
  }
}

Accessing Response Data

Via API: Use the Data API to retrieve questionnaire responses:

import requests

api_key = "your_api_key"
experiment_id = "your_experiment_id"

response = requests.get(
    f"https://hyperstudy.io/api/v3/data/events/experiment/{experiment_id}",
    headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
    params={
        "category": "post_experiment",
        "limit": 1000
    }
)

data = response.json()

Via Data Management Interface:

Navigate to your experiment
Click "Data" tab
Filter by category: "post_experiment"
Export to CSV/JSON

Data Structure: Each participant's responses stored separately with:

Participant ID
Question ID and text
Response value
Response timestamp
Response time (milliseconds)
Page context

Common Use Cases

Demographics Questionnaire

Collect basic participant information:

Page 1: Demographics

Age (Text - Short)
Gender (Multiple Choice - Single)
Education Level (Multiple Choice - Single)
Employment Status (Multiple Choice - Multiple)

Example configuration:

Question: "What is your age in years?"
Type: Short Text
Placeholder: "e.g., 25"
Required: Yes

Question: "What is your gender?"
Type: Multiple Choice (Single)
Options: Male, Female, Non-binary, Prefer not to say
Required: Yes

Question: "What is your highest level of education?"
Type: Multiple Choice (Single)
Options: High school, Some college, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate
Required: Yes

Manipulation Check

Verify participants understood experimental manipulation:

Page 1: Attention Check

What color was the button? (Multiple Choice)
How many videos did you watch? (Text - Short, numeric)
What was the main character's name? (Text - Short)

Example:

Question: "In the video you watched, what color shirt was the person wearing?"
Type: Multiple Choice (Single)
Options: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow
Required: Yes

Experience & Feedback

Gather subjective responses about experiment:

Page 1: Your Experience

Task difficulty (Likert Scale)
Engagement level (VAS Rating)
General feedback (Text - Long)

Example:

Question: "The task was difficult"
Type: Likert Scale
Points: 5
Min Label: "Strongly Disagree"
Max Label: "Strongly Agree"
Required: Yes

Question: "How engaged were you during the experiment?"
Type: VAS Rating
Min: 0, Max: 100
Min Label: "Not at all engaged"
Max Label: "Extremely engaged"
Required: Yes

Question: "Please share any additional feedback about your experience:"
Type: Long Text
Max Length: 1000
Required: No

Validated Measures

Implement standardized questionnaires:

System Usability Scale (SUS):

Page: System Usability Scale

Questions (all Likert 5-point, Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree):
1. I think that I would like to use this system frequently
2. I found the system unnecessarily complex
3. I thought the system was easy to use
4. I think that I would need technical support to use this system
5. I found the various functions in this system well integrated
...

Big Five Personality (Short Form):

Page: Personality Questions

Question: "I see myself as someone who..."
Subquestions (all Likert 5-point):
- ...is talkative (Extraversion)
- ...tends to find fault with others (Agreeableness-reversed)
- ...does a thorough job (Conscientiousness)
- ...is depressed, blue (Neuroticism)
- ...is original, comes up with new ideas (Openness)
...

NASA-TLX (Workload):

Page: Task Load

Questions (all VAS 0-100):
Mental Demand (Low → High)
Physical Demand (Low → High)
Temporal Demand (Low → High)
Performance (Perfect → Failure)
Effort (Low → High)
Frustration (Low → High)

Best Practices

Questionnaire Design

Length:

⏱️ Aim for 5-10 minutes completion time
📊 12-20 questions typical
🎯 Prioritize essential questions
⚠️ Consider participant fatigue after main experiment

Organization:

📑 Group related questions on same page
🔢 3-7 questions per page ideal
➡️ Logical flow (demographics → specific → general)
📝 Use page descriptions to provide context

Question Writing:

✍️ Clear, concise, unambiguous wording
🎯 One concept per question
❌ Avoid double-barreled questions
🔄 Reverse code some items (reduces response bias)
📏 Consistent scale direction

Validation:

✅ Required for essential data only
ℹ️ Optional for nice-to-have information
🧪 Include attention checks for online data
🔍 Pilot test before full launch

Accessibility

Text:

Use clear, simple language (8th-grade level)
Avoid jargon unless defined
Short sentences and paragraphs
High contrast text (automatic in HyperStudy)

Navigation:

Keyboard navigation supported
Screen reader compatible
Clear error messages
Progress indication

Mobile:

All question types work on touch devices
Responsive design automatic
Test on mobile before launch

Data Quality

Attention Checks:

Question: "To ensure you're paying attention, please select 'Agree' for this question"
Type: Likert Scale (5-point)
Required: Yes

Comprehension Checks:

Question: "In your own words, what was the main goal of this study?"
Type: Long Text
Required: Yes

Timing Checks:

Flag unusually fast completions (< 2 seconds per question)
Available in response time data
Filter during analysis

Ethical Considerations

Privacy:

Only collect necessary demographic data
Provide "Prefer not to say" options
Store responses securely
Follow institutional IRB requirements

Informed Consent:

Disclose questionnaire in consent form
Explain data use
Note if audio recording included
Allow opt-out where possible

Debriefing:

Consider using questionnaire for debriefing
Explain purpose of questions
Provide researcher contact for questions

Troubleshooting

Questionnaire Not Appearing

Problem: Participants don't see questionnaire after experiment

Solutions:

Verify questionnaire is enabled in designer
Check experiment is using latest version (publish changes)
Ensure at least one page with questions exists
Test in preview mode

Responses Not Saving

Problem: Participant answers not recorded

Solutions:

Check participant has internet connection
Verify Firebase permissions configured
Check browser console for errors
Test with different browser

Back Button Not Working

Problem: Cannot navigate to previous pages

Solutions:

Check "Allow Back Navigation" is enabled
Already on first page (no back possible)
Browser back button not supported (use questionnaire back button)

Required Questions Issue

Problem: Can proceed despite required questions

Solutions:

Verify "Required Completion" is enabled globally
Check individual questions are marked required
Refresh page and re-test
Check browser console for validation errors

Advanced Topics

Conditional Logic (Future Feature)

Currently, all questions are shown to all participants. Future versions will support:

Skip logic based on previous answers
Branching paths through questionnaire
Dynamic question visibility

Question Randomization

Currently available:

Multiple choice option randomization

Future support:

Question order randomization within pages
Page order randomization

Custom Validation

Future support for:

Regular expression validation (text input)
Min/max value constraints (numeric)
Custom validation rules
Cross-question validation

Summary Checklist

Before launching with a questionnaire:

Next Steps

Participant Flow - See questionnaires in full participant journey
Experiment Completion - Configure what happens after questionnaire
Data Management - Export and analyze questionnaire data
API Access - Retrieve questionnaire data programmatically

Overview​

Accessing the Questionnaire Editor​

General Settings​

Enable Questionnaire​

Require Completion​

Allow Back Navigation​

Pages​

Creating Pages​

Page Organization​

Reordering Pages​

Page Content (Markdown Support)​

Question Types​

1. Text Input​

2. Multiple Choice​

3. Likert Scale​

4. VAS Rating​

5. Ranking​

6. Rapid Rate​

7. Audio Recording​

Question Configuration​

Drag-and-Drop Reordering​

Required vs. Optional​

Editing Questions​

Deleting Questions​

Data Collection & Export​

Auto-Save Behavior​

Event Recording​

Accessing Response Data​

Common Use Cases​

Demographics Questionnaire​

Manipulation Check​

Experience & Feedback​

Validated Measures​

Best Practices​

Questionnaire Design​

Accessibility​

Data Quality​

Ethical Considerations​

Troubleshooting​

Questionnaire Not Appearing​

Responses Not Saving​

Back Button Not Working​

Required Questions Issue​

Advanced Topics​

Conditional Logic (Future Feature)​

Question Randomization​

Custom Validation​

Summary Checklist​

Next Steps​

Overview

Accessing the Questionnaire Editor

General Settings

Enable Questionnaire

Require Completion

Allow Back Navigation

Pages

Creating Pages

Page Organization

Reordering Pages

Page Content (Markdown Support)

Question Types

1. Text Input

2. Multiple Choice

3. Likert Scale

4. VAS Rating

5. Ranking

6. Rapid Rate

7. Audio Recording

Question Configuration

Drag-and-Drop Reordering

Required vs. Optional

Editing Questions

Deleting Questions

Data Collection & Export

Auto-Save Behavior

Event Recording

Accessing Response Data

Common Use Cases

Demographics Questionnaire

Manipulation Check

Experience & Feedback

Validated Measures

Best Practices

Questionnaire Design

Accessibility

Data Quality

Ethical Considerations

Troubleshooting

Questionnaire Not Appearing

Responses Not Saving

Back Button Not Working

Required Questions Issue

Advanced Topics

Conditional Logic (Future Feature)

Question Randomization

Custom Validation

Summary Checklist

Next Steps