The Survey Builder provides nine question types that cover the full range of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Each type is optimised for a different kind of respondent interaction, from a quick single-choice answer to an AI-driven conversational follow-up. Choose the type that best matches the data you need, and combine multiple types within a single survey.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smartinterview.ai/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Text questions
- Short text
- Long text
What it is: A single-line text input that accepts a brief free-form answer.When to use it: Collect a name, a short label, a numeric identifier, or any open-ended answer you expect to be one or two sentences at most.How to add it: Click Add question, then select Text from the question type picker. The input renders as a standard single-line field for the respondent.
Choice questions
- Radio group (single select)
- Checkbox group (multi-select)
- Dropdown
What it is: A list of options where the respondent can choose exactly one answer.When to use it: Ask for a single definitive answer — preferred product, age bracket, satisfaction rating as a category, or any situation where picking multiple options would not make sense. Radio group questions can also serve as the basis for quota segmentation.How to add it: Select Radio Group from the question type picker, then add or edit the answer choices in the question editor.
Scale and rating questions
What it is: A numeric slider that lets respondents pick a value along a defined range. The default range is 1–5, but you can adjust the minimum and maximum values in the question editor. When to use it: Collect numeric ratings, satisfaction scores, likelihood-to-recommend questions (NPS-style), or any measurement where position on a scale matters. Scale answers are numeric and can be used in conditions with>, <, >=, and <= operators.
How to add it: Select Slider from the question type picker. Set the minimum and maximum values to match your intended scale.
Vocal questions
What it is: An audio recording input. Respondents record their answer by speaking into their microphone. Smartinterview automatically transcribes the recording using AI. When to use it: Capture richer qualitative data than text allows — tone, spontaneity, and natural language all come through in a spoken answer. Vocal questions work particularly well for exploratory research, brand perception studies, and usability feedback. The AI transcription makes the spoken content searchable and classifiable. Token cost: Transcription consumes 8 tokens per minute of recorded audio. A two-minute answer uses 16 tokens. Monitor your balance in Account → Plans before deploying vocal questions at scale.Smartquestion (AI follow-up)
What it is: An AI-powered question sequence that generates contextual follow-up questions based on the respondent’s vocal answer. After the respondent speaks, the AI analyses their transcription and asks a relevant follow-up — creating a short conversational interview automatically. When to use it: Use a smartquestion when you want to probe deeper into a respondent’s initial answer without pre-scripting every possible path. It is especially effective for brand perception research, customer experience studies, and exploratory qualitative work. How it works:- The respondent records a vocal answer to your initial question.
- Smartinterview sends the transcription to the AI, which generates a follow-up question tailored to what the respondent said.
- The respondent answers the follow-up vocally. This repeats for the configured number of follow-up rounds (default: 2).
The AI generates follow-up questions in the background after each answer is submitted, so respondents see a brief loading state between questions. The full conversation history — original question, transcription, and all follow-ups — is stored and available for analysis.
Image questions
What it is: A way to embed an image directly in a question. You can combine an image with any other question type — for example, show a product photo alongside a rating question or a free-text question. When to use it: Use image questions for concept testing, ad recall studies, packaging evaluation, or any situation where you want the respondent to react to a visual stimulus. The image is displayed as part of the question text using standard Markdown image syntax. How to add it: In the question editor, include an image in your question text using Markdown:. The image renders inline in the question for respondents.
Summary
| Question type | Input format | Best for | Token cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short text | Single-line text | Brief open-ended answers | None |
| Long text | Multi-line text | Detailed open-ended answers | None |
| Radio group | Single select | One-answer categorical questions | None |
| Checkbox group | Multi-select | Multi-answer categorical questions | None |
| Dropdown | Select menu | Long lists of options | None |
| Slider | Numeric range | Rating and scale questions | None |
| Vocal | Audio recording | Spoken qualitative answers | 8 tokens/minute |
| Smartquestion | Vocal + AI | Adaptive interview follow-ups | 1 token/follow-up + transcription |
| Image | Visual display | Concept and stimulus testing | None |