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Survey Editor

Durvey's Survey Editor provides everything you need to craft professional Delphi surveys: rich text editing, drag-and-drop elements, sticky thesis statements, and live preview—all with auto-save to protect your work.

What You Can Do​

Create Three Page Types​

Text Pages:

  • Informational content without data collection
  • Welcome messages, instructions, background information
  • Full rich text formatting with images and embedded videos

Metadata Pages:

  • Collect demographic and contextual information
  • Drag-and-drop form elements (text inputs, dropdowns, Likert scales)
  • Essential for stakeholder analysis and panel segmentation

Thesis Pages:

  • Core Delphi evaluation where participants assess statements
  • Sticky thesis statement remains visible while scrolling
  • Multi-dimensional ratings (likelihood, desirability, timeframe, etc.)

Rich Text Editing​

Formatting Toolbar:

  • Text styles (bold, italic, headings, lists)
  • Media insertion (images, YouTube/Vimeo embeds)
  • Links and block quotes
  • Tables and code blocks
  • Custom HTML for advanced users

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + B: Bold
  • Ctrl/Cmd + I: Italic
  • Ctrl/Cmd + K: Insert link

Drag-and-Drop Elements​

Element Library (metadata and thesis pages):

  • Click to insert at cursor position
  • Drag elements to specific locations
  • Drop indicator shows placement
  • Trash zone for discarding elements

Available Elements:

  • Text input fields
  • Number inputs
  • Dropdown selectors
  • Multiple choice questions
  • Likert scales (5 or 7-point)
  • Sliders (0-100 continuous scale)
  • Date/time pickers
  • Text comment boxes
  • 2D selection matrices

Thesis Pages: Sticky Thesis Feature​

The sticky thesis statement is what makes Durvey's thesis pages special:

How It Works:

  • Thesis statement appears at top of page
  • Remains visible as participants scroll down
  • Provides constant reference while answering dimensions below

Why It Matters: Participants need to keep the full thesis in mind while evaluating it across multiple dimensions (likelihood, desirability, impact, etc.). The sticky design eliminates scrolling back and forth.

Editing Thesis Statements:

  • Dedicated thesis editor appears above main content
  • Full rich text formatting supported
  • Can include context, links, or images
  • Best practice: Keep under 2-3 sentences

Dimension System​

What Are Dimensions?​

Dimensions are the evaluation criteria participants use to assess theses—different perspectives or aspects of analysis:

  • Likelihood: Will this happen? (0-100% or 1-7 scale)
  • Desirability: Should this happen? (Likert agreement)
  • Timeframe: When will this occur? (Date/period selection)
  • Impact: What magnitude of effect? (Low/Medium/High)
  • Confidence: How certain are you? (Percentage or scale)

Dimension Library: Consistency Across Theses​

When you have multiple thesis pages, the Dimension Library promotes consistency:

What It Shows:

  • All dimensions from other thesis pages in your project
  • Label, description, and input type for each
  • Warning icons if configurations differ across pages

Why Reuse Dimensions:

  • Ensures consistent scales across all theses
  • Makes results directly comparable
  • Saves configuration time
  • Prevents analysis inconsistencies

How to Reuse:

  • Click or drag dimension from library
  • Automatically uses same configuration as original
  • Updates sync across all pages

Configuring Dimensions​

Each dimension element can be customized:

  • Label: The question participants see ("Rate the likelihood...")
  • Description: Additional context or instructions
  • Required: Must participants answer?
  • Input Type: Likert, slider, multiple choice, 2D matrix, etc.
  • Scale Settings: Min/max values, step size
  • Default Value: Pre-filled response (usually blank)

Auto-Save and Save Status​

Real-Time Protection:

  • Changes save automatically every few seconds after typing stops
  • Visual indicators show save status:
    • 🟡 "Saving..." - Changes being uploaded
    • 🟢 "All changes saved" - Successfully saved
    • 🔴 "Changes not saved" - Save failed (check connection)

What Gets Saved:

  • Page titles and content
  • Thesis statements
  • Element positions and configurations
  • All formatting and media

Preview Functionality​

See Exactly What Participants See:

Click Preview to open participant view showing:

  • Final layout and formatting
  • Sticky thesis behavior (on thesis pages)
  • Interactive form elements
  • Mobile responsiveness

What to Check:

  • Are instructions clear?
  • Does content flow logically?
  • Do elements work as expected?
  • Is mobile layout usable?

Best Practice: Preview after major changes and before launching your study.

Editing Permissions by Phase​

Setup Phase​

✅ Full editing: All page types, all changes allowed

Pre-Phase / Main Phase (Active Survey)​

⚠️ Limited editing:

  • Text pages: Can still edit (informational only)
  • Metadata/Thesis pages: Questions locked (existing responses could be invalidated)

Why Locked? Changing survey questions mid-study invalidates existing participant responses and compromises data integrity.

Mobile-Responsive Design​

All pages automatically adapt to mobile devices:

  • Content reflows for narrow screens
  • Form elements resize appropriately
  • Sticky thesis adjusts to mobile layout
  • Touch-friendly interface

Testing: Preview on mobile or resize browser to check responsiveness.

Best Practices​

Content Organization​

  1. Start with context (introduction page)
  2. Group related items together
  3. Use headings to structure long pages
  4. Break up text with images or whitespace
  5. End with thank-you message

Dimension Design​

  1. Use 2-4 dimensions per thesis (avoid overwhelming participants)
  2. Choose appropriate input types (scale vs. open-ended)
  3. Provide clear labels without jargon
  4. Include instructions explaining scales
  5. Consider mobile users (sliders can be difficult on touchscreens)

Writing Guidelines​

  1. Be concise—participants appreciate brevity
  2. Use active voice ("Rate the likelihood" not "Likelihood should be rated")
  3. Avoid bias in question wording
  4. Provide examples of good responses
  5. Test readability with fresh eyes

Common Workflows​

Creating Your First Survey:

  1. Add welcome page (text page)
  2. Add participant metadata page (demographics, expertise)
  3. Add thesis pages (one per statement to evaluate)
  4. Add thank-you page (text page)
  5. Preview entire flow
  6. Launch project

Editing Existing Pages:

  1. Navigate to Survey Editor in sidebar
  2. Click page to open in editor
  3. Make changes (auto-saves as you work)
  4. Preview to verify
  5. Close editor

Reordering Pages:

  • Drag pages in the page list (left sidebar)
  • Drop to new position
  • Page numbers update automatically

Advanced Features​

Custom HTML:

  • Insert custom markup for complex layouts
  • Embed external content
  • ⚠️ Warning: Invalid HTML can break rendering—test thoroughly

Embedded Media:

  • Upload images directly or link external URLs
  • Embed YouTube/Vimeo videos inline
  • Add alt text for accessibility

Coming Soon:

  • Conditional logic (show/hide based on previous answers)
  • Skip logic and branching
  • Response piping

Learn More​

See Also​