How can you use slider questions to make surveys more engaging?

1 Benefits of slider questions

Slider questions can make your surveys more engaging and user-friendly, especially if you use them on mobile devices or online platforms. They can also reduce the cognitive load of your respondents, as they do not have to read and choose from multiple options, but simply slide to the point that reflects their opinion or feeling. Slider questions can also provide more granularity and precision in your data, as you can set the scale range and the increments according to your needs. For example, you can use a 0-100 scale with 1-point increments to measure satisfaction, or a 1-10 scale with 0.5-point increments to measure likelihood.

2 Drawbacks of slider questions

Slider questions are not without flaws, however. They can introduce some biases and errors in your data, depending on how you design and present them. For instance, some respondents may tend to choose the middle or the end points of the scale, regardless of their actual answer, because of anchoring or primacy effects. Some respondents may also have difficulty in dragging the slider accurately, especially if the scale is too small or too sensitive, leading to inaccurate or missing responses. Slider questions can also be less compatible with some analysis tools or methods, as they may require more processing and transformation than other types of questions.

3 Best practices and tips

To use slider questions effectively, there are some best practices and tips to follow. Slider questions should only be used for questions that require a continuous or fine-grained measurement, and not for questions with discrete or categorical options. Additionally, the scale should have clear and consistent labels and units, without using vague or subjective terms. Furthermore, a visual indicator should be used to show the default or neutral position of the slider, and respondents should be able to reset it if needed. The scale range and increment should also be suitable, so as not to confuse or frustrate the respondents. Lastly, the slider questions should be tested on different devices and browsers to ensure they are responsive and easy to use.

4 Alternatives to slider questions

Slider questions are not the only way to measure continuous or fine-grained variables. Numeric input questions can provide more accuracy and flexibility, but they can also increase the response time and the error rate. Star rating questions can be more intuitive and appealing, yet they can be influenced by cultural or personal preferences. Likert scale questions can be more standardized and reliable, yet less sensitive and granular. Each type of question has its own advantages and disadvantages that should be taken into consideration when deciding which one to use.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?