> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.talentmap.com/knowledge-base/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.talentmap.com/knowledge-base/survey-design-and-deployment/creating-surveys-quick-start/survey-designer-complete-guide.md).

# Survey Designer - Complete Guide

## What is the Survey Designer?

The Survey Designer is your workspace for creating and editing surveys. It provides a visual designer where you can add questions, customize appearance, organize content into pages, and preview the participant experience before launching.

**Key capabilities:**

* Copy/paste for bulk content entry
* Real-time preview on multiple devices
* Auto-save functionality
* Page-based organization
* Question-level customization
* Questionnaire templates for reusable survey structures

***

### Getting Started

#### Creating a New Survey

From the Surveys page:

1. Click **New Survey** button
2. Enter an **internal title** for your survey
   * This is for your team's reference only
   * Participants won't see this title
   * Example: "Q1 2026 Engagement Survey - Engineering"
3. **Choose how to start:**
   * **From a template:** Browse and select a questionnaire template, then click **OK** — your survey is created with all the template's questions pre-loaded
   * **From scratch:** Click the **CREATE NEW** button, then click **OK** — your survey is created with an empty questionnaire

> 📋 **Naming Convention Tip:** Use descriptive internal titles that include the survey type, time period, and target audience. This helps with organization as your survey library grows.

#### Using Questionnaire Templates

When you click **New Survey**, a dialog opens with template selection. Templates are pre-built questionnaire structures that save you from building common surveys from scratch.

**Browsing Templates**

Templates are organized into three tabs:

* **TALENTMAP TEMPLATES** — Best-practice questionnaires designed by TalentMap's consulting team. Available to all users.
* **MY TEMPLATES** — Templates you've personally saved. Only visible to you.
* **SHARED TEMPLATES** — Templates shared by others in your organization.

Each template card shows the template name, number of pages, and number of questions. Use the **search field** above the tabs to filter templates by name within the current tab.

**Creating a Survey from a Template**

1. Enter your survey title
2. Browse or search for a template
3. Click a template card to select it — it highlights with an orange border
4. Click **OK**
5. You land on the Design Survey page with all questions from the template already in place
6. Customize as needed — add, remove, or edit any questions

> 💡 **Tip:** Templates are a starting point, not a constraint. Once created, the survey is fully independent — you can change anything without affecting the original template.

**Saving a Questionnaire as a Template**

Built a questionnaire you want to reuse? Save it as a template:

1. Open a survey and go to the **Design Survey** page
2. Make sure the questionnaire has at least one question
3. Click **"SAVE AS TEMPLATE"** in the toolbar
4. A dialog opens with the name pre-filled as "\[Survey Name] Template" — edit if desired
5. Choose a category:
   * **My template** — Only you can see and use it (default)
   * **Shared templates (visible in your organization)** — Everyone in your organization can see and use it
   * **TalentMap templates** — Available to all Compass users (TalentMap Admin only)
6. Click **OK**

The template stores a copy of the questionnaire. Your original survey is not modified.

**Managing Templates**

**Deleting a template:**

1. Open the New Survey dialog
2. Navigate to the tab containing the template
3. Click the **trash icon** on the template card (only visible on templates you have permission to delete)
4. Confirm the deletion

{% hint style="info" %} **Important:** Deleting a template does NOT affect surveys already created from it. Templates are a copy source — once a survey exists, it's independent. {% endhint %}

**Editing a template:** Templates cannot be edited directly. To update one, delete the existing template and save a new version from an updated questionnaire.

**Permissions:**

| Action                    | Regular User | TalentMap Admin |
| ------------------------- | ------------ | --------------- |
| View TalentMap Templates  | ✅            | ✅               |
| Create TalentMap Template | ❌            | ✅               |
| Delete TalentMap Template | ❌            | ✅               |
| View/Create My Templates  | ✅ (own only) | ✅ (own only)    |
| Delete My Templates       | ✅ (own only) | ✅ (own only)    |
| View Shared Templates     | ✅ (own org)  | ✅ (own org)     |
| Create Shared Template    | ✅            | ✅               |
| Delete Shared Template    | ✅ (own only) | ✅ (own only)    |

***

You'll arrive at the **Survey Designer:**

* **Left sidebar:** Page navigation and question list
* **Center panel:** Question designer workspace
* **Right toolbar:** Question type selector and settings
* **Top bar:** Save, Preview, and settings options

#### Understanding the Interface

**Designer Tab:**

* Where you build and edit your survey
* Add questions, configure settings, arrange pages
* Make all content and design changes here

**Preview Tab:**

* See exactly what participants will experience
* Test on different device sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile)
* Complete the survey to test flow and logic
* No data is saved during preview

**Top Bar Options:**

* **Save:** Manual save (survey auto-saves as you work)
* **Settings Icon:** Survey-level settings
* **Preview Device Selector:** Switch between device views
* **Back Arrow:** Return to Surveys list

***

### Survey Settings

#### Basic Survey Information

**Survey Title (Participant-Facing):**

* Click into the title field at the top of the designer
* This is what participants see when taking the survey
* Keep it clear and concise
* Example: "Employee Engagement Survey"

**Survey Description:**

* (Optional) Appears below the title
* Explains the survey purpose and sets expectations
* Can include timing estimates and confidentiality statements
* Example: "This 10-minute survey helps us understand your experience and improve our workplace. All responses are confidential."

**Logo:**

* (Optional) Click Add Logo to upload
* Appears at the top of the survey
* Recommended size: 200px wide, 60-80px tall
* Accepts PNG, JPG, SVG formats

#### General Settings

Access from the settings icon:

**Page Numbers:**

* Toggle on to show participants their progress (e.g., "Page 1 of 5")
* Helps participants understand survey length
* Recommended for surveys with 3+ pages

**Required Questions:**

* Set individual questions as required
* Participants cannot proceed without answering
* Use sparingly — forced responses can reduce quality

**Survey Completion:**

* Customize completion message
* Add redirect URL after completion (optional)
* Set up thank you page content

***

### Building Your Survey

#### Adding Questions

To add a question:

1. Click **Add Question** button (appears between questions or at page bottom)
2. Select question type from the menu
3. Question appears in the designer

**Question types available:**

* Checkboxes
* Radio Button Group
* Dropdown
* Long Text
* Single-Line Input
* Text / Instruction
* Single-Select Matrix

***

#### Question Types — Detailed Guide

**Single-Select Matrix**

**Best for:** Multiple related questions using the same scale

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Single-Select Matrix**
2. **Question Title:** Enter the instructions participants will see\
   Example: "Please rate your agreement with the following statements"
3. **Add row items** (the questions):
   * **Best Practice:** Copy from your source document
   * Click the first row field
   * Paste all items at once (they'll populate automatically)
   * OR click **Add Row** to add one at a time
4. **Add column headers** (the scale):
   * Click the **Columns** section on the right panel
   * **Best Practice:** Copy entire scale and paste
   * OR click **Add Column** to add one at a time

**Example setup:**

```
Question Title: "Rate your agreement with these statements:"

Rows (copied from document):
- I am proud to tell others I work for TalentMap
- I am optimistic about the future of TalentMap
- I would recommend TalentMap as a great place to work

Columns (copied as a set):
- Strongly Disagree
- Disagree
- Neither Agree nor Disagree
- Agree
- Strongly Agree
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Required:** Make participants answer all rows
* **Row/Column Order:** Drag to reorder or randomize
* **Description:** Add clarifying text below the title
* **Delete Rows/Columns:** Click X icon on each item

> ⚡ **Speed Tip:** Prepare matrix questions in Excel with rows in one column and scale items in another. Copy each section and paste into the builder for instant population.

**Radio Button Group**

**Best for:** Single choice from 3-7 options

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Radio Button Group**
2. **Question Text:** Enter your question
3. **Add options:**
   * **Best Practice:** Copy all options from your document
   * Click first option field
   * Paste (all options populate)
   * OR click **Add Item** for individual entry

**Example setup:**

```
Question: "How often do you receive feedback from your manager?"

Options (copied as a set):
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Rarely
- Never
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Required:** Force a selection
* **Allow "Other":** Add text field for custom responses
* **Description:** Add clarifying text

**When to use:**

* Frequency questions
* Single-choice rating scales
* Yes/No/Maybe questions
* Small category selections

**Checkboxes**

**Best for:** Multiple selections allowed

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Checkboxes**
2. **Question Text:** Include "(Select all that apply)" for clarity
3. **Add options:**
   * Same copy/paste process as Radio Button Group
   * Click first field → paste all options

**Example setup:**

```
Question: "Which benefits are most important to you? (Select all that apply)"

Options:
- Health Insurance
- Retirement Matching
- Flexible Work Hours
- Professional Development
- Paid Time Off
- Remote Work Options
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Minimum/Maximum Selections:** Require at least X or limit to Y choices
* **Required:** Participants must select at least one

**When to use:**

* "Select all that apply" questions
* Multi-interest surveys
* Benefit preferences
* Training topic selections

**Dropdown**

**Best for:** Single choice from many options (8+)

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Dropdown**
2. **Question Text:** Enter your question
3. **Add options:**
   * Same copy/paste method
   * Particularly useful for long lists (departments, locations)

**Example setup:**

```
Question: "Which department do you work in?"

Options (20+ items):
- Accounting
- Administration
- Customer Success
- Engineering
- Finance
- Human Resources
- IT
- Legal
- Marketing
- Operations
[... etc.]
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Required:** Force a selection
* **Placeholder Text:** Default text shown (e.g., "Select your department...")

**When to use:**

* Long option lists (departments, locations, job titles)
* Demographic questions with many categories
* Any single-select with 8+ options

> 💡 **Radio vs. Dropdown:** Use radio buttons for 3-7 options (visible at once). Use dropdown for 8+ options (saves screen space).

**Long Text**

**Best for:** Open-ended responses requiring multiple lines

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Long Text**
2. **Question Text:** Enter your question (be specific about what you're asking for)
3. Configure text area size

**Example setup:**

```
Question: "What suggestions do you have for improving employee engagement at TalentMap?"

(Large text area appears for response)
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Required:** Make response mandatory (use carefully — open-ended questions take more effort)
* **Placeholder Text:** Prompt text inside the box (e.g., "Please be specific...")

**When to use:**

* "What suggestions..." questions
* "Describe your experience..." prompts
* Any question needing detailed explanation
* Feedback and comment sections

**Best practices:**

* Be specific in your question to get useful responses
* Don't make too many open-ended questions required
* Place at the end of sections (easier to skip if needed)
* Use character limits only if necessary

**Single-Line Input**

**Best for:** Short text responses (one line)

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Single-Line Input**
2. **Question Text:** Enter your question
3. Configure input field

**Example setup:**

```
Question: "What is your current job title?"

(Single line input field appears)
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Required:** Make response mandatory
* **Placeholder Text:** Example text (e.g., "e.g., Senior Accountant")

**When to use:**

* Job titles
* Employee IDs (if not auto-populated)
* Short numerical answers
* Single-word responses

**Best practices:**

* Use placeholder text to show expected format
* Set input type for automatic validation
* Consider dropdown if responses should be standardized

**Text / Instruction**

**Best for:** Display-only text for section headers and instructions

**How to build:**

1. Add question type: **Text / Instruction**
2. Enter your text: Formatting options available
3. Style as needed

**Example setup:**

```
"Section 2: Leadership and Management

The following questions ask about your experience with your direct manager
and organizational leadership."
```

**Configuration options:**

* **Text Formatting:** Bold, italic, lists, headings
* **Styling:** Different text sizes and emphasis
* **Links:** Add hyperlinks if needed

**When to use:**

* Section dividers between question groups
* Additional instructions or clarifications
* Context for upcoming questions
* Confidentiality reminders

**Best practices:**

* Use sparingly — too many instructions slow down completion
* Keep text concise
* Use formatting (bold, larger text) for section headers
* Place before relevant question groups

***

### Copy/Paste Best Practices

#### Why Copy/Paste is Recommended

**Efficiency:**

* 5-10x faster than manual entry
* Populate entire matrices in seconds
* Reduce repetitive typing

**Accuracy:**

* No typos from manual entry
* Consistent wording across questions
* Easier to review before building

**Collaboration:**

* Stakeholders can review Word/Excel version
* Make edits in familiar tools
* Version control outside the platform

#### Preparing Your Content

**Recommended workflow:**

1. Draft all survey content in Word or Excel
2. Organize by sections/pages
3. Format questions and response options clearly
4. Get stakeholder approval
5. Copy into Survey Builder

**Excel/Google Sheets format:**

```
Column A: Question Text
Column B: Option 1
Column C: Option 2
Column D: Option 3
[etc.]

This makes copying scales and options very easy
```

#### Copy/Paste by Question Type

**Single-Select Matrix:**

For row items (questions):

```
Source document (each on a new line):
I feel supported by my manager
I receive regular feedback
I have clear goals

In builder: Click first row → Paste → All rows populate
```

For column headers (scale):

```
Source document (each on a new line or tab-separated):
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree

In builder: Go to Columns panel → Paste → Entire scale populates
```

**Radio Buttons / Checkboxes / Dropdowns:**

```
Source document (each option on a new line):
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4

In builder: Click first option field → Paste → All options appear
```

**Question Text:**

Simply copy and paste into the question field. Works for all question types. Formatting is preserved (bold, italic, etc.)

#### Troubleshooting Copy/Paste

**"My paste isn't working":**

* Check that items are on separate lines in source
* Try copying one at a time first
* Remove special characters or formatting

**"Extra blank rows appeared":**

* Source document had blank lines
* Simply delete the blank rows using the X icon

**"Scale items are out of order":**

* Paste created them in order from source
* Drag and drop to reorder as needed

***

### Pages and Navigation

#### Creating Pages

Pages organize your survey into sections:

* Group related questions together
* Break up long surveys for better completion rates
* Add page-level instructions

**To create a new page:**

1. Click **Add Question** at the bottom of the current page
2. This automatically creates a new page below
3. The new page appears in the left sidebar

**Best practices:**

* 3-7 questions per page (not a hard rule)
* Group questions by topic/theme
* Use Text/Instruction at the top of each page for section headers

#### Page Settings

**Page Description:**

* Click the page settings (gear icon on page card)
* Add a description that appears at the top
* Use for section introductions or special instructions

**Page Visibility:**

* Set conditions for when pages should display (covered in Logic guide)
* Hide irrelevant sections based on previous answers

#### Managing Pages

**Reordering pages:**

* Go to **General** tab in left sidebar
* Find the **Pages** section
* Drag pages to reorder
* Changes take effect immediately

**Deleting pages:**

* From the General tab, click delete icon on page
* ⚠️ Warning: This deletes all questions on that page
* Cannot be undone

**Navigating between pages:**

* Use left sidebar to jump to any page
* Scroll in main designer area
* Page names show in sidebar for quick reference

***

### Question-Level Settings

#### Making Questions Required

To require a response:

1. Select the question
2. Toggle **Required** option in right panel
3. Question shows asterisk (\*) to participants

**Best practices:**

* Don't make too many questions required
* **Always required:** Key demographic data
* **Sometimes required:** Core engagement items
* **Rarely required:** Open-ended feedback questions

> ⚠️ **Caution:** Required questions can reduce completion rates. Use strategically on your most critical questions only.

#### Adding Question Descriptions

To add clarifying text:

1. Select the question
2. Find **Description** field in right panel
3. Add text that appears below the question

**When to use:**

* Complex questions needing clarification
* Examples of what you're asking for
* Confidentiality reminders for sensitive topics

**Example:**

```
Question: "Rate your satisfaction with professional development opportunities"

Description: "This includes training courses, conferences, mentorship programs,
and tuition reimbursement."
```

#### Question Validation

Set rules for acceptable responses:

* For numeric inputs: Min/max values
* For text inputs: Character limits, format requirements
* For matrix questions: Force response to all rows

**Access validation:**

1. Select question
2. Find **Validation** section in right panel
3. Choose validation type and set parameters

***

### Preview and Testing

#### Using Preview Mode

To preview your survey:

1. Click **Preview** tab at the top
2. Survey displays exactly as participants will see it
3. Complete the survey to test the full experience

**What to test:**

* ✅ Question clarity and wording
* ✅ Response options make sense
* ✅ Required questions are marked
* ✅ Page flow and organization
* ✅ Survey completion time
* ✅ Overall participant experience

> 💡 **Pro Tip:** Have a colleague complete the preview and give feedback. They'll catch issues you might miss.

#### Device Preview

Test on different screen sizes:

1. Click device selector in preview mode
2. Choose from: Desktop, Tablet, iPhone, Android
3. Ensure questions display properly on all devices

**What to check:**

* Matrix questions fit on mobile screens
* Text is readable on small screens
* Buttons and selections work on touch screens
* Page transitions are smooth

**Common mobile issues:**

* Small text in descriptions
* Too many options in radio button groups

***

### Saving Your Survey

#### Auto-Save

**How it works:**

* Survey saves automatically as you make changes
* No need to manually save in most cases
* Look for "Saved" indicator in top bar

**When auto-save runs:**

* After adding/editing questions
* When changing settings
* After reordering pages
* Periodically while working

#### Manual Save

**To manually save:**

* Click **Save** button in top bar
* Use keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S)

**When to manually save:**

* Before closing the browser
* After major changes
* Before previewing
* Before stepping away from computer

#### Survey Status

**Draft:**

* Survey is being built
* Not accessible to participants
* Can make unlimited changes

**Active:**

* Survey is live and accepting responses
* See Scheduling Survey Emails to launch
* Can still make limited edits (avoid changing question meaning)

***

### Troubleshooting Common Issues

**"I can't see all my question options"**

* **Likely issue:** Options are there but list is scrollable. Interface only shows visible options.
* **Solution:** Scroll within the options panel on the right, OR expand the question card to see all items.

**"My matrix question looks crowded"**

* **Likely issue:** Too many columns for the screen width. Common with 7+ point scales.
* **Solutions:** Reduce scale to 5 points. Accept that mobile users will scroll horizontally.

**"Copy/paste created duplicate items"**

* **Likely issue:** Source had blank lines or extra returns. Pasted into wrong field.
* **Solution:** Delete duplicates using X icon. Re-copy ensuring no blank lines in source.

**"Question doesn't show in preview"**

* Check if: Question is on a hidden page, display logic is filtering it out (see Logic guide), or question type is Text/Instruction (these don't require responses).

**"I can't delete a question"**

* Check if: Question is being referenced in logic/conditions, or survey is active with responses (limited editing).
* **Solution:** Remove all logic referencing the question first. Then delete the question.

**"Changes aren't saving"**

* Try: Manual save (click Save button). Check internet connection. Refresh page and check if changes persisted. Contact support if issue continues.

**"SAVE AS TEMPLATE button is disabled"**

* **Cause:** The questionnaire has no questions yet.
* **Solution:** Add at least one question to the questionnaire, then the button will become active.

**"Template doesn't appear after saving"**

* **Cause:** The template list may need to refresh.
* **Solution:** Close and reopen the New Survey dialog to see the newly saved template.

***

### Frequently Asked Questions

#### Can I edit a survey after it's been sent to participants?

Limited editing allowed:

* ✅ Add new questions at the end
* ✅ Fix obvious typos
* ✅ Add pages
* ❌ Change question wording significantly
* ❌ Delete questions (responses are lost)
* ❌ Change response scale/options

**Best practice:** Thoroughly test before launching.

#### How do I reuse a questionnaire structure across surveys?

**Use Questionnaire Templates (recommended):**

1. Open the survey with the questionnaire you want to reuse
2. Go to Design Survey and click **"SAVE AS TEMPLATE"**
3. Name the template and choose a category
4. When creating a new survey, select the template from the New Survey dialog

Templates are ideal for:

* Standard engagement, exit, pulse, or 360 surveys your organization runs repeatedly
* Sharing best-practice questionnaires across your team (use Shared Templates)
* Ensuring consistency when multiple people create surveys

**Copy an entire survey (alternative):**

* From the Surveys list, find the survey and click the copy icon
* Rename and edit the copied survey as needed
* This is better when you also need to preserve survey settings, branding, and email campaigns — not just the questionnaire

> 💡 **Pro Tip:** At the end of each survey cycle, save the questionnaire as a template before making changes. This preserves a clean version for future reuse without duplicating the entire survey.

#### Can I copy individual questions between surveys?

Not directly, but you have two options:

1. **Templates:** If you want to reuse an entire questionnaire structure, save it as a template (see above)
2. **Copy/paste:** For individual questions, copy the question text and options from one survey into a document, then paste into the new survey using the copy/paste method described above

#### What's the maximum number of questions?

* **Technical limit:** 500 questions per survey
* **Practical limit:** 30-60 questions for optimal completion rates
* **Recommended:** 15-20 for pulse surveys, 30-60 for annual engagement, 5-10 for exit surveys

#### Can I require answers to some but not all questions?

Yes, set **Required** on individual questions.

**Best practice:** Require demographics needed for reporting, make most survey content optional. This maintains high completion rates.

#### How do I preview on my actual phone?

* **Option 1:** Use device preview in Preview mode (simulated)
* **Option 2:** Send test link to yourself — set up email campaign (see Scheduling guide), add your email as a test participant, send now and complete on your device

#### Can participants save and return later?

Yes, if they use the same device and browser:

* Progress is automatically saved
* They can close and return using the same link
* Responses persist until survey completion

**Limitations:**

* Must use same browser/device
* Clearing cookies loses progress
* Different device = starts over

#### How do I make my survey anonymous?

Survey is anonymous by default if:

* You don't ask for identifying information (name, employee ID)
* Demographic questions are optional
* You communicate anonymity to participants

See also: Privacy settings in survey configuration.

#### Can I test the survey without affecting real data?

Yes, use **Preview mode** — no data is saved during preview.

For full testing with a live link: Send a test email from the Schedule survey page.

#### How are question counts calculated on template cards?

Each question type counts as 1 question, except **matrix questions** which count the number of rows (since each row becomes a separate data point in reports). For example, a matrix with 5 rows counts as 5 questions.

#### Can someone in my organization see my personal templates?

No. **My template** is private to you. Only **Shared templates** are visible to other users in your organization. TalentMap templates are visible to all Compass users.

#### What happens if I delete a template?

The template is permanently removed from the template list. However, any surveys that were already created from that template are **completely unaffected**. Templates are a copy source — once a survey is created, it's independent of the template.

#### Can I edit a template after saving it?

Not directly. To update a template, delete the old one and save a new version from an updated questionnaire.


---

# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.talentmap.com/knowledge-base/survey-design-and-deployment/creating-surveys-quick-start/survey-designer-complete-guide.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

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Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.