Reference
All 16 question types.
There are 16 question kinds: short text, paragraph, number, email, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, ranking, matrix, rating, linear scale, recommend score (0–10), date, file upload, address and section. The builder palette shows 17 entries because Phone is a short text question with a phone validation preset, not a kind of its own.
The full table
"Palette entry" is what you drag in. "Stored kind" is the value saved on the question and the one you will see in the data. For how these fit with everything else, read the product overview.
| Palette entry | Stored kind | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Short text | short_text |
Single line of typed text. |
| Paragraph | long_text |
Multi-line text, with an optional live character counter. |
| Number | number |
Numeric entry, with optional minimum and maximum. |
| Phone | short_text |
A Short text carrying the phone validation preset. Not a separate kind. |
email |
Validated email address. | |
| Multiple choice | multiple_choice |
Pick one. Bento option tiles by default, plain list optional. |
| Checkboxes | checkboxes |
Pick several. Same tile or list presentation as multiple choice. |
| Dropdown | dropdown |
Select menu. Suits long option lists that would swamp a page as tiles. |
| Ranking | ranking |
Drag options into order. Supports full ranking or top-N. |
| Matrix | matrix |
A grid of rows sharing one scale. Exports as one column per row. |
| Rating | rating |
Star or heart rating, default maximum 5. |
| Linear scale | linear_scale |
1 to n with a label at each end. |
| Recommend score | nps |
0–10 recommendation question. Labelled "Recommend score" in the interface, not "NPS". |
| Date | date |
Calendar date picker. |
| File upload | file_upload |
Document or photo. Stored in a private bucket; reads are org-only via 300-second signed URLs. |
| Address | address |
Street, town and postcode, with the postcode checked. |
| Section | section |
A heading or page break rather than a question. Carries no answer. |
17 rows, 16 kinds — short_text appears twice.
Choosing between the similar ones
Multiple choice, dropdown or ranking?
Multiple choice when the options are few and worth showing at once — as bento tiles they can each carry an image and a description line. Dropdown when the list is long enough that tiles would take over the page, such as a list of every ward in a borough. Ranking when the order is the answer rather than the selection.
Rating, linear scale or recommend score?
Rating is stars or hearts, defaulting to a maximum of five — quick, but
it carries an implied meaning you cannot label. Linear scale is 1 to n
with a label at each end, which is what you want when the ends need
defining ("Not at all confident" to "Very confident"). Recommend score
is the fixed 0–10 question, stored as nps, and it exists
as its own type because the scale should not be tinkered with if you
want the result to be comparable.
Matrix or several separate questions?
Matrix when a set of statements genuinely share one scale, and you want respondents to compare them against each other. Separate questions when the scale differs, or when only some of the rows should appear — conditional logic operates on whole questions, not on individual matrix rows.
Number or short text?
Number, whenever the answer is a quantity. It takes an optional minimum and maximum, and it keeps the value numeric in the export instead of leaving you to clean "about 40" out of a text column later.
Settings that apply across types
Validation
Required, min and max length with a live counter, numeric range, email, phone, URL, UK postcode, and a custom regular expression with your own message.
Question images
Any question takes an image placed top, left, right or bottom, at one of three sizes. Side-placed images match the question's height.
Inline headings
Any question can carry its own heading, so a section header does not have to be a separate card in the flow.
Option extras
Choice options support an image, a description line, and a fixed flag that excludes them from randomisation.
Randomisation
Answer order can be shuffled, seeded per page load so pressing Back does not reshuffle, and skipping any option marked fixed.
Scoring
Per-choice scores and a per-question weight, with an on/off flag. Covered on the scoring page.
How each type reaches your export
Most types produce one column. Two do not, and it is worth knowing before you design the analysis:
- Matrix exports one column per row, so a 6-row grid is six columns rather than one packed cell.
- "Other (please specify)" free text gets a column separate from the choice label, so the choice column stays clean.
Uploaded files are not in the CSV. They sit in a private bucket and are readable only by the owning organisation through short-lived signed URLs — the detail is on the file uploads page. Any individual response, whatever mix of types it contains, can be printed to PDF from the browser; see exports and PDF.
Frequently asked questions
How many question types are there?
There are 16 question kinds. The builder palette shows 17 entries because Phone is a Short text question with a phone validation preset applied, rather than a kind of its own.
Is there a Net Promoter Score question?
There is a 0–10 recommendation question, stored as the kind nps. It is labelled "Recommend score" in the interface rather than "NPS", so that respondents see plain wording.
What is a matrix question?
A matrix is a grid in which several rows share one answer scale, so a respondent rates a list of statements against the same options. On export, each row becomes its own CSV column.
Can respondents rank only their top few options?
Yes. The Ranking question supports a full ranking of every option or a top-N ranking, where the respondent orders only their first few choices.
Can a question capture an "Other" answer?
Yes, on multiple choice and checkbox questions. The typed text is stored separately from the option label and gets its own column in the CSV export. It is kept only while the question is visible and the option is still selected.
Drag one in and try it.
Every kind in the table above is available while you build, carrying the same validation, image and randomisation settings as the rest. Put the questions in first, then add logic and scoring once the survey has a shape.
- 16 kinds, from matrix grids to drag-to-rank
- A matrix exports one column per row
- Ranking can be completed without dragging
