Survey Creator – Left panel – Preview Mode

Overview

The Preview Mode in the Survey Creator allows users to view how their survey will appear to respondents. It serves as a sandbox for testing the survey layout, functionality, and flow without submitting real responses. Let’s break down its key features:

Survey Layout Preview

The Preview Mode mirrors how the actual survey will look to participants. This includes the structure of questions, the arrangement of pages, and how each input type (e.g., radio buttons, text fields, dropdowns) will be displayed.

In the provided screenshot, we see the layout of the Training Feedback Form, which shows:

1. Question Display: The questions “Gender” and “How relevant and engaging were the topics covered at the event?” are shown as they will appear to respondents. This helps in reviewing whether the questions are clearly presented and appropriately ordered.
2. Question Types: You can check how different question types (e.g., multiple choice, text input) function in a live survey environment.
3. Realistic Interaction: In Preview Mode, you can interact with questions just as a respondent would. You can select options in radio button questions or type into text fields, which lets you test any custom validation or skip logic you’ve set up.

Switching Between Pages

If your survey has multiple pages, you can switch between pages in Preview Mode to ensure that the transition from one page to the next is smooth and that page breaks are in the correct places. This feature is critical for ensuring that respondents experience a logical flow through your survey.

Survey Autosaving and Draft Functionality

While in Preview Mode, any changes you make to the survey’s structure (in the Designer mode) are automatically saved in the background. This ensures that you don’t lose progress while testing the survey’s design and functionality.

Page Navigation and Layout Testing

You can navigate between pages in Preview Mode to test the placement of questions and sections. In the provided screenshot, the bottom of the page indicates that you are viewing Page 1. The interface allows you to test how the Save as Draft feature will appear to respondents.

Visual Feedback

The Preview Mode is essential for ensuring that surveys look aesthetically pleasing and function correctly on different devices. If a survey doesn’t display well in Preview Mode, you can return to Designer Mode to adjust the layout, question types, or page breaks before launching the survey.