> 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/survey-logic-and-display-conditions-quick-start/survey-logic-and-display-conditions-complete-guide.md). # Survey Logic and Display Conditions - Complete Guide ### What are Display Conditions? Display conditions allow you to show or hide questions based on how participants answer previous questions. Instead of showing every question to every participant, you can create more relevant, personalized surveys that adapt to each person's responses. **Benefits:** * Shorter, more relevant surveys for each participant * Higher completion rates * Better quality data * Improved participant experience * Reduced survey fatigue **When to use display conditions:** * Follow-up questions for negative ratings (e.g., ask "Why?" only if dissatisfied) * Role-specific questions (show manager questions only to managers) * Department-specific sections * Demographic-based questions * Optional deep-dive questions based on interest ### How Display Conditions Work #### Basic Concept **Simple example:** ``` Q5: How satisfied are you with professional development? Options: Very Satisfied / Satisfied / Neutral / Dissatisfied / Very Dissatisfied Q6: What improvements would you suggest for professional development? Display Condition: Show only if Q5 is "Dissatisfied" OR "Very Dissatisfied" Result: - Satisfied participants never see Q6 (shorter survey) - Dissatisfied participants see Q6 (opportunity to provide specific feedback) ``` #### The Participant Experience **Without conditions:** * Every participant sees every question * Many questions feel irrelevant * Survey feels longer than necessary **With conditions:** * Participants only see relevant questions * Survey adapts to their situation * Feels personalized and efficient ### Setting Up Display Conditions #### Step 1: Identify Which Questions Need Conditions **Good candidates for conditions:** * Follow-up questions asking "Why?" or "What would improve...?" * Questions only relevant to specific roles (managers, specific departments) * Deep-dive questions for specific response patterns * Optional questions based on previous interest/experience **Questions that should NOT have conditions:** * Core engagement or satisfaction items needed from everyone * Demographic questions used for reporting * Critical data points required for all participants * Questions at the start of the survey (nothing to condition on yet) #### Step 2: Access the Conditions Panel **To add a condition to a question:** 1. Select the question in the designer 2. Look at the right sidebar 3. Find the **"Conditions"** section (orange icon) 4. Click **"Make the question visible if"** with the pencil icon > 💡 The Conditions panel shows the question text you're adding conditions to at the top for easy reference. #### Step 3: Build Your Condition **The condition builder has three parts:** **1. If \[Source Question]** * Click "Select..." to choose which previous question to reference * Dropdown shows all questions that appear before the current one * You can only reference questions that participants have already answered **2. \[Condition Type]** * **Equals:** Show if answer exactly matches a specific value * **Does not equal:** Show if answer is anything except a specific value * **Any of:** Show if answer matches any item in a list (useful for multiple options) * **Empty:** Show if question was left blank/not answered * **Not empty:** Show if question has any answer * **Greater than / Less than:** For numeric comparisons * **Greater than or equal to / Less than or equal to:** For numeric ranges **3. \[Value]** * Select the specific answer(s) that trigger the condition * For "Equals" and "Does not equal": Choose one option * For "Any of": Select multiple options * For numeric conditions: Enter the number to compare against #### Step 4: Apply the Condition 1. After configuring your condition, click **"Apply"** 2. The condition is now active 3. You'll see a summary in the Conditions panel 4. Edit icon allows you to modify the condition anytime ### Common Condition Patterns #### Pattern 1: Show Follow-up for Negative Ratings **Use case:** Ask for details only when someone rates something poorly **Setup:** ``` Q10: How satisfied are you with internal communication? Scale: Very Satisfied to Very Dissatisfied Q11: What would improve communication? Condition: Show if Q10 equals "Dissatisfied" OR Q10 equals "Very Dissatisfied" ``` **Why this works:** * Satisfied people don't need to answer improvement questions * Captures specific feedback from those who need it * Shorter survey for satisfied respondents #### Pattern 2: Role-Based Questions **Use case:** Show different questions to managers vs. individual contributors **Setup:** ``` Q3: Do you manage other employees? Options: Yes / No Q4-Q10: [Manager-specific questions] Condition on each: Show if Q3 equals "Yes" Q11-Q15: [Individual contributor questions] Condition on each: Show if Q3 equals "No" ``` **Why this works:** * Each participant only sees relevant questions * Maintains survey focus for each audience * Prevents frustration from irrelevant questions #### Pattern 3: Department-Specific Sections **Use case:** Ask department-specific questions only to relevant employees **Setup:** ``` Q5: Which department do you work in? Options: Engineering / Sales / Marketing / Operations / Other Q20-Q25: [Engineering-specific questions] Condition on each: Show if Q5 equals "Engineering" Q26-Q30: [Sales-specific questions] Condition on each: Show if Q5 equals "Sales" [And so on...] ``` **Why this works:** * Tailored questions for each department * Doesn't overwhelm participants with irrelevant sections * Better quality responses from targeted questions #### Pattern 4: Interest-Based Deep Dives **Use case:** Offer optional detailed questions based on indicated interest **Setup:** ``` Q15: Are you interested in providing more feedback on benefits? Options: Yes / No / Maybe later Q16-Q20: [Detailed benefits questions] Condition on each: Show if Q15 equals "Yes" OR Q15 equals "Maybe later" ``` **Why this works:** * Respects participant time and interest * Gathers rich data from engaged respondents * Keeps survey concise for those not interested #### Pattern 5: Experience-Based Questions **Use case:** Ask questions relevant to tenure or experience level **Setup:** ``` Q7: How long have you worked here? Options: Less than 1 year / 1-2 years / 3-5 years / 5+ years Q8: How was your onboarding experience? Condition: Show if Q7 equals "Less than 1 year" Q9: How supported do you feel in your career growth? Condition: Show if Q7 equals "3-5 years" OR Q7 equals "5+ years" ``` **Why this works:** * Questions match participant's stage in employee lifecycle * Avoids asking about distant past experiences * Focuses on currently relevant topics ### Multiple Conditions #### Adding Multiple Conditions to One Question You can add multiple conditions to make questions show only when several criteria are met. **Click "Add Condition" to add additional rules:** * Each condition is evaluated independently * Question shows when **ANY** condition is true (OR logic) * All conditions appear in the Conditions panel **Example with multiple conditions:** ``` Q25: What additional support would help you succeed? Conditions: 1. Show if Q20 (satisfaction) equals "Dissatisfied" OR 2. Show if Q22 (clarity of expectations) equals "Strongly Disagree" OR 3. Show if Q24 (manager support) equals "Never" Result: Question appears if participant indicated any struggle ``` #### When to Use Multiple Conditions **Good uses:** * Catching multiple types of negative responses * Including multiple demographic groups * Several pathways to the same follow-up question **Example scenarios:** ``` Show training question if: - New employee (< 1 year) OR - Changed roles recently OR - Expressed interest in development Show manager support question if: - Is a manager OR - Has direct reports OR - Leads projects ``` ### Page-Level Display Conditions #### Hiding Entire Pages Instead of adding conditions to individual questions, you can hide entire pages based on responses. **When to use page-level conditions:** * Multiple related questions for a specific segment (5+ questions) * Cleaner than conditioning each question individually * Entire section only relevant to one group **How to set page-level conditions:** 1. Click on the page in the left sidebar (not an individual question) 2. Find the Conditions section in the right panel 3. Add conditions the same way as question-level **Example:** ``` Page 1 - Q5: Are you a people manager? Options: Yes / No Page 3 - "Leadership and Team Management" (10 questions) Page Condition: Show if Q5 equals "Yes" Result: Non-managers never see Page 3 at all ``` **Benefits of page-level conditions:** * Easier to manage than 10 separate question conditions * Clearer intent (this whole section is for managers) * Easier to test (one condition to verify) * Better participant experience (page doesn't appear at all, not even in page count) ### Condition Types Reference #### Equals **When to use:** Most common condition - show question when answer matches exactly one option **Example:** ``` Show if Q5 equals "Dissatisfied" Show if Q3 equals "Manager" Show if Q10 equals "Yes" ``` **Best for:** Radio buttons, dropdowns, single-select questions #### Does Not Equal **When to use:** Show question when answer is anything EXCEPT a specific option **Example:** ``` Show if Q5 does not equal "Very Satisfied" (Shows for Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied) Show if Q3 does not equal "N/A" (Shows for all actual responses, hides for N/A) ``` **Best for:** Excluding one specific option while including all others #### Any Of **When to use:** Show question when answer matches ANY option from a list (multiple possibilities) **Example:** ``` Show if Q5 any of ["Dissatisfied", "Very Dissatisfied"] (Shows if either dissatisfied option is selected) Show if Q8 any of ["Engineering", "Product", "IT"] (Shows for any tech department) ``` **Best for:** * Multiple options that should trigger the same follow-up * Grouping similar responses (all negative ratings, all tech departments) #### Empty / Not Empty **When to use:** Rarely used - typically for optional questions **Empty:** Show if question was not answered at all ``` Show if Q15 is empty (Question Q15 was skipped or left blank) ``` **Not empty:** Show if question has any answer ``` Show if Q15 is not empty (Question Q15 was answered with something) ``` **Best for:** * Prompting participants who skipped important questions * Follow-ups only if someone provided initial information #### Greater Than / Less Than **When to use:** For numeric comparisons (rare in engagement surveys) **Example:** ``` Show if Q7 (years of service) is greater than 5 Show if Q12 (number of direct reports) is less than 3 Show if Q20 (satisfaction score) is greater than or equal to 4 ``` **Best for:** * Tenure-based questions * Team size-based questions * Score threshold questions **Note:** Most engagement surveys use text scales, not numeric, so these conditions are less common. ### Testing Display Conditions #### Preview Testing is Critical **Display conditions only work correctly if thoroughly tested.** A broken condition means participants either see irrelevant questions or miss important ones. **To test your conditions:** 1. Click **Preview** tab 2. Complete the survey multiple times with different answer patterns 3. Verify questions appear and hide correctly 4. Test every condition you created #### Creating Test Scenarios **Before testing, document what should happen:** **Example test plan:** ``` Scenario 1: Manager in Engineering - Q3: "Yes" (manager) - Q5: "Engineering" Expected: See Q10-Q20 (manager questions), Q25-Q30 (engineering questions) Scenario 2: Individual Contributor in Sales - Q3: "No" (not a manager) - Q5: "Sales" Expected: Skip Q10-Q20, see Q31-Q35 (sales questions) Scenario 3: Dissatisfied with Communication - Q15: "Very Dissatisfied" Expected: See Q16 (what would improve communication) Scenario 4: Satisfied with Everything - All ratings: "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied" Expected: Skip all improvement questions, shorter survey ``` #### What to Verify During Testing **For each condition:** * ✅ Question appears when it should * ✅ Question is hidden when it should be * ✅ Condition triggers on the correct answer(s) * ✅ Multiple conditions work together correctly * ✅ Page-level conditions hide entire sections **Common test cases:** ``` □ Positive ratings → Skip improvement questions □ Negative ratings → Show improvement questions □ Manager role → Show manager section □ Non-manager → Skip manager section □ Each department → See their specific questions □ All combinations of Yes/No questions ``` #### Testing Tips **Test extreme cases:** * All positive responses (shortest possible survey) * All negative responses (longest possible survey) * Mixed responses (typical participant experience) **Test multiple times:** * First pass: Follow your own expected path * Second pass: Choose opposite answers * Third pass: Mix it up randomly * Ask a colleague to test without seeing your test plan **Document results:** ``` Test Run 1: Manager Path ✓ Q10-Q20 appeared correctly ✓ Q31-Q40 hidden correctly ✗ Q25 appeared when it shouldn't (BUG - fixed) Test Run 2: IC Path ✓ Q10-Q20 hidden correctly ✓ Q31-Q40 appeared correctly ✓ All conditions working as expected ``` ### Troubleshooting Common Issues #### "Question isn't showing when it should" **Checklist:** 1. ☐ Is there a condition on the question? (Check Conditions panel) 2. ☐ Is the condition referencing the correct source question? 3. ☐ Is the condition set to the correct answer value? 4. ☐ Did I test with the exact answer that should trigger it? 5. ☐ Is the page also hidden by a page-level condition? 6. ☐ Is the source question appearing and being answered? **Debug process:** 1. Remove the condition temporarily 2. Verify question appears without condition 3. Re-add condition step by step 4. Test after each change **Example fix:** ``` Problem: Q20 should show when Q15 is "Dissatisfied" but it's not appearing Check: Q15 condition Found: Condition says Q15 equals "Very Dissatisfied" (wrong value) Fix: Change condition to Q15 equals "Dissatisfied" Test: Works correctly now ``` #### "Question is showing when it shouldn't" **Checklist:** 1. ☐ Is there a condition on the question at all? 2. ☐ Is the condition using "equals" when it should use "does not equal"? 3. ☐ Is there a second condition that's triggering it? 4. ☐ Is the condition value typed exactly as it appears in the source question? **Common mistakes:** ``` Condition says: Q5 equals "Yes" Source question has: "yes" (lowercase) Result: Condition never matches due to case sensitivity Fix: Match exact text including capitalization ``` #### "Multiple conditions aren't working together" **Remember: Multiple conditions use OR logic** * Question shows if **ANY** condition is true * Not ALL conditions need to be true **Example:** ``` Q20 conditions: 1. Show if Q10 equals "Dissatisfied" 2. Show if Q15 equals "No" Result: Q20 shows if EITHER condition is true ``` **If you need AND logic (all must be true):** * This requires more complex setup * Contact support for assistance * Often better to restructure survey to avoid needing AND logic #### "Condition is set correctly but still not working" **Check these details:** 1. **Exact text matching:** * "Yes" ≠ "yes" ≠ "YES" * Extra spaces matter: "Satisfied" ≠ "Satisfied " * Special characters matter: "5+" ≠ "5" 2. **Source question accessibility:** * Is source question appearing in the survey? * Can source question be answered (not hidden itself)? * Is source question required (if not, might be skipped)? 3. **Timing:** * Condition references question that comes before, not after * Can't reference a question on a later page **Solution steps:** 1. Copy the exact text from the source question options 2. Paste into condition value (ensures exact match) 3. Test in preview mode 4. Verify source question was answered before conditional question #### "Page condition isn't hiding the page" **Check:** 1. ☐ Is condition on the page itself (not questions within)? 2. ☐ Is condition set correctly? 3. ☐ Did you test with the specific answer that should hide it? **Verify:** * Go to page settings (click page in left sidebar) * Look at Conditions panel * Confirm condition exists and is accurate ### Best Practices for Display Conditions #### Keep It Simple **Do's:** * ✅ Use conditions for clear, obvious scenarios * ✅ Limit to 1-2 levels of conditional logic * ✅ Use page-level conditions for groups of related questions * ✅ Document your logic for future reference **Don'ts:** * ❌ Create complex nested conditions (if A, then show B, which conditions C) * ❌ Use conditions on every single question * ❌ Make conditions dependent on other conditional questions * ❌ Create circular dependencies **Example of too complex:** ``` Q5 shows if Q3 = "Yes" Q10 shows if Q5 = "Satisfied" Q15 shows if Q10 = "No" This is too many layers - very hard to test and maintain ``` #### Design for All Paths **Every participant must be able to complete the survey:** * Don't accidentally lock participants out with broken conditions * Ensure all paths reach the completion page * Test that required questions are accessible on all paths **Example problem:** ``` Q30 is required Q30 only shows if Q5 = "Manager" Non-managers can't complete survey (required question is hidden) Fix: Make Q30 optional OR show to all participants ``` #### Use Clear Trigger Questions **Good trigger questions:** * Clear yes/no answers * Distinct role categories * Obvious rating scales * Single selection (not multi-select) **Poor trigger questions:** * Open-ended text * Optional questions (might be skipped) * Multi-select checkboxes (which selections trigger?) * Questions later in the survey (creates complex dependencies) #### Think About the Participant Experience **Consider survey flow:** * Will participants understand why they're seeing certain questions? * Does the survey feel personalized or randomly jumping around? * Are sections logically organized even with conditions? **Example of good flow:** ``` 1. Basic demographics (everyone) 2. Role-based questions (conditions feel natural - of course managers get different questions) 3. Overall engagement (everyone) 4. Deep dives on low ratings (feels like natural follow-up) 5. Department-specific (feels tailored) 6. Final comments (everyone) ``` #### Document Your Logic **Create a logic map for your team:** ``` Q1 2026 Engagement Survey - Display Logic Map Q3: Manager/IC Split - Q10-Q20: Manager questions (show if Q3 = "Yes") - Q21-Q25: IC questions (show if Q3 = "No") Q30: Department Split - Q31-Q35: Engineering (show if Q30 = "Engineering") - Q36-Q40: Sales (show if Q30 = "Sales") - Q41-Q45: Operations (show if Q30 = "Operations") Improvement Questions: - Q50: Show if any satisfaction question < 3 rating - Q55: Show if communication rating = "Dissatisfied" - Q60: Show if development rating = "Dissatisfied" ``` **Why document:** * Easier to troubleshoot issues * Helps when editing survey next year * Onboards new team members * Explains participant experience to stakeholders ### Frequently Asked Questions #### How many conditions can I add to one question? **Technical limit:** No hard limit **Practical recommendation:** 3-5 conditions maximum per question **Why limit?** * More conditions = more complex testing * Harder to understand which trigger what * Higher chance of errors **If you need many conditions:** Consider if you're using the right approach. Multiple conditions often indicate the need for restructuring. #### Can I reference questions from earlier pages? **Yes**, you can reference any question that appears before the conditional question in the survey. **Works:** Q5 on Page 1 conditions Q20 on Page 3 **Doesn't work:** Q20 on Page 3 conditions Q5 on Page 1 (can't reference future) #### What happens if the source question is skipped? **If source question has a condition and isn't shown:** * The condition evaluates as if the question wasn't answered * "Equals" conditions won't trigger (no answer to match) * "Empty" conditions WILL trigger **Best practice:** Only condition questions on stable, always-visible questions. #### Do conditions work with matrix questions? **Yes**, you can: * Reference a matrix question in a condition * BUT you reference the entire matrix, not individual rows **Example:** ``` Q5: Rate satisfaction (matrix with multiple rows) You can't condition on: "If row 3 of Q5 equals Dissatisfied" You can condition on: "If Q5 equals Dissatisfied" (but this is any row) ``` **Workaround:** Break matrix into separate questions if you need row-level conditioning. #### Can participants go back and change answers? **Yes**, participants can use the browser back button. **What happens to conditions:** * Changed answers re-evaluate conditions immediately * Questions may appear or disappear based on new answers * This is expected behavior **Best practice:** Test this scenario - change a trigger answer and verify conditions update correctly. #### How do conditions affect survey length estimates? **Different participants see different lengths:** * Someone who triggers all conditions sees longer survey * Someone who skips conditional sections sees shorter survey **When communicating survey length:** * Estimate based on typical participant (not maximum) * Consider saying "approximately 10-15 minutes" to account for variation * Test both short and long paths to give accurate range #### Should I tell participants about conditional logic? **Generally no**, but you can if it helps: * "This survey adapts to your responses, so you'll only see relevant questions" * "Some questions only apply to certain roles" **When NOT to mention:** * Follow-up questions on negative ratings (obvious) * Department-specific sections (self-explanatory) * Most role-based logic (feels natural) #### Can I add conditions after the survey is live? **Yes**, but be cautious: * ✅ Adding conditions is generally safe (future participants affected only) * ⚠️ Changing existing conditions may affect data consistency * ❌ Don't add conditions to questions that already have responses **Best practice:** Get conditions right during testing, avoid changes after launch. #### How do I remove a condition? **To remove a condition:** 1. Select the question 2. Go to Conditions panel 3. Click edit (pencil icon) 4. Delete the condition 5. Apply changes **Or completely remove all conditions:** * Conditions panel shows all active conditions * Remove them one by one #### What's the impact on reporting? **Important consideration:** * Conditional questions have varying response counts * Q10 (shown to all): 500 responses * Q11 (shown to managers only): 150 responses * Q12 (shown if dissatisfied): 75 responses **When analyzing:** * Note which questions were conditional * Report percentages based on who saw the question, not total participants * Consider adding explanatory notes in reports **Example report note:** ``` "Q11 was only shown to people managers (n=150). Of those 150 managers, 75% agreed with the statement." ``` --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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