Controlling User Typed Responses for Fill-in Questions Topic Description: The Vovici 6 Fill-in question offers a powerful and flexible way to obtain information from survey respondents because any type of information can be entered. However, if a respondent can type any information, how can we make sure they enter the desired input for each field of our Fill-in questions? The Short Answer: The Fill-in Question type offers a wide range of properties that affect both the appearance and quality of respondent input. In this article, we will examine several common data quality problems and explore the Fill-in question properties that can help resolve them. A more detailed answer: The Vovici 6 Fill-in question contains dozens of properties and recent updates to the application have added to an already comprehensive set of question properties and field options. In the scenarios that follow, we will apply Fill-in properties to resolve representative data collection challenges. Prompting for a Phone Number: In addition to the postal code, the phone number remains one of the most challenging pieces of information obtained from a survey respondent, primarily due to the wide variety of accepted formats. Vovici 6 provides selections for the Fill-in field Input Type for US/Canadian Phone Number as well as International Phone Number formats. Just click the Options button for each Phone number field and select the appropriate value for the Input Type option. Phone Number Field Input Type option Once assigned this type, the phone field will expect a combination of numbers and accept any combination of separating characters, including the -, _ and even a space. Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 1
While the Input Type property will suffice for many cases, if the phone number must be formatted in a more specific way you can use the Text Mask option in combination with the Input Type value of Text to define the exact combination of characters and numbers that define the required phone number format. First, select the Text value for the Input Type option. 1. Set Input Type to Text Next, use the Text Mask option to define the exact combination of characters and numbers that are desired for the phone number value. 2. Type the exact input pattern in the Text Mask option The Text Mask option can be applied to any question field that requires a specific combination of text, numbers or special characters. Just use a 9 to represent a number, X for a text character or? for either. As illustrated in this phone number example, special characters such as the space, @ and - may be used in the Text Mask option as is. A better way to Collect Numbers: Prompting survey respondents for numerical information is fraught with challenges depending on the range of acceptable values, and Vovici 6 provides a rich set of Fill-in field options to help us define that range. To use these options, you must first assign the Whole or Real number value in the Input Type option. In simple terms, the Real Number type permits the input of decimal numbers (such as $49.95), while the Whole Number type doesn t. Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 2
Once the field has been set to one of the number types, a set of options become active which may be applied to define the acceptable number range, display a number symbol such as $ or % and manage the value alignment and set the field display size. In the following illustration, a Fill-in question has been formatted to accept a specific value and displays input instructional messages as needed. Ensuring input quality for Number Fields In this example, the following field options were used to allow a whole number between 0 and 500. Also, the fill-in field was adjusted to a width of 8 digits and the $ symbol has been displayed to indicate the type of value expected. The following illustration displays the options and their settings. Fill-in Question Number Field options But wait; there is an even better way! Asking respondents for number input is always a challenge, especially if the survey takes advantage of the other mouse-oriented question types, such as Multiple Choice and Matrix, in that the respondent must release the mouse and use the number keys. Display as Slider is an option that converts the number field input to a mouse- Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 3
oriented type. In the following illustration the same question has been formatted with the Display as Slider option to allow mouse-oriented respondent input. Using the Display as Slider Number option The following illustration shows the Display as Slider option. The Slider Step option becomes active when Display as Slider is checked, and defines the interval between the ticks in the slider. A special feature of the Slider Step is that it sets the allowed number increment between the Minimum and Maximum number range. If the respondent does type a number in the field, it will round to the appropriate increment. When you need to offer more than one input field, you can take advantage of additional Fill-in question properties. The Running Total property will display an updated sum of two or more number fields of a Fill-in question, while the Allocation property sets a required sum. In the following example, these properties have been used in combination with the Slider and Symbol field options. Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 4
The Running Total and Allocation properties are illustrated below. Note that Allocation may be selected from a range of values, or typed directly into the dropdown field. Fill-in Question Properties Running Total / Allocation Asking your Respondents for a Date: Well OK, we re not referring to THAT kind of date, but obtaining an accurate calendar date from a survey respondent can be a challenge due to the wide variety of acceptable formats for display and input of date values. The Fill-in Field Input Type option includes the Month, Day, and Year choice which defines the required input format and treats the respondent value as a Date data type; essential for filtering in reports and response exporting events. A powerful option for this data type is Display as Calendar Pop-up illustrated below. Date properties Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 5
This option presents a calendar icon on the survey questionnaire for use by the respondent in selecting a date for the field. In the following illustration, we see the Calendar Pop-up in action. Date Picker property If the survey respondent is using a web browser that does not support the Calendar Pop-up feature, the Date field can be displayed in a more traditional format where each element of the date is displayed in a separate field. Standard Date Format Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 6
When a Fill-in Question field is too long: When you first create a Fill-in question, each field displays a text input box of 20 characters in length. While the text box width does not affect the amount of text that can be typed, it certainly does imply that you want a certain amount of information from the respondent. It is good practice that each field of a Fill-in question should be just wide enough to display the normal input for a respondent, and that can be accomplished with the Text Box Width option. In the following illustration, a Text Box Width value of 10 characters has been assigned, while the Minimum and Maximum Length options independently define the accepted range of input. Text length and width properties In the following illustration, the complete range of Fill-in field options has been applied to fields of a contact information question. Text Width property in effect Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 7
The Essay question provides a setting for the Text Box Height as well as the Width. In the following illustration, the input box for an essay question has been adjusted to 80 characters in width and 5 lines in height. Essay question properties And here is the resulting input box for that essay question. In the case of essay questions, the size of the input box can influence the amount of information the respondent provides, since a respondent tends to try and fill the available space. When is a Fill-in Question a Choose-One question: Another valuable option of the Fill-in question is the ability to assign a choice list to one or more fields. I this way the respondent can be prompted to pick from a fixed list of choices, just like a Choose-one question. In the following illustration, the Input Type option for a Fill-in field is used to assign the State list from the Auto-dropdowns section. Auto-dropdown lists are created Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 8
by your Vovici Library Manager as a Workgroup resource, which makes the list available for any survey. Fill-in Input Type Auto-dropdown Lists In this illustration, we see the resulting list applied to the Country field of the sample address question. With the Auto-dropdown list, a respondent can only select from choices in the list, ensuring that the field contains desired values from respondents. When a Fill-in Field is a Choose One Question With more than a dozen question properties and field options to select from, the Fill-in question is truly a robust and attractive way to prompt your survey respondents for useful answers to challenging questions. Properties of the Fill-in Question Type Page 9