Survey designer elements

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Survey designer elements

    The Survey Designer, accessible via Survey > Survey Designer, is a comprehensive interface for creating and managing surveys in ServiceNow. It features a Controls tab, Questions tab, Categories tab, a header bar, and a design canvas to streamline survey creation and configuration.

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    Controls tab

    This tab allows you to create questions by dragging and dropping data type controls onto the design canvas. The survey engine supports scoring for certain question types, converting responses into a score from 0 to 10. Available question data types include:

    • Attachment: Enables file uploads (not scored).
    • Boolean: Yes/No or checkbox questions (scored).
    • Choice: Predefined option lists (scored).
    • Date/DateTime: Date or date and time fields (not scored).
    • Number: Numeric fields with configurable ranges (not scored).
    • Percentage: Percentage input with a defined range (not scored).
    • Scale and Numeric Scale: Likert or numeric radio button scales (scored).
    • String: Single or multi-line text input (not scored).
    • Template: Predefined choice lists used for quiz scorecards (scored).
    • Reference: Select from records in a specified table (not scored).
    • Image Scale: Image-based choice questions (scored).
    • Multiple Selection: Multiple checkboxes selectable (scored).
    • Ranking: Ordered selection of options; can be mandatory or dependent on a parent question (scored).

    Questions tab

    Displays all metrics in the question bank for surveys, showing each metric’s name and type. A Filter field helps quickly find specific questions.

    Categories tab

    Lists all metric categories from the question bank, grouping corresponding metrics. A Filter field assists in searching categories or questions.

    Header bar

    The header bar provides tabs for different views and functions:

    • Design: Default view for adding and configuring categories and questions.
    • Configuration: Create survey introductions, end notes, and select signatures.
    • Availability: Select survey recipients per category.
    • Menu options vary by survey state and include Save, Preview, Publish, Save and Publish, New Survey, Load Survey, and Copy Survey.

    Design canvas

    The canvas opens in Design view for new surveys, displaying the survey name above the first category container with a blank question field ready for input.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    This tool empowers ServiceNow customers to efficiently build detailed, scored surveys tailored to gather relevant feedback. The variety of question types supports diverse data collection needs, while the scoring engine facilitates quantitative analysis. Categorization and filtering streamline survey organization and recipient targeting, enhancing survey deployment and management.

    The survey designer is accessible from Survey > Survey Designer.

    The survey designer contains the Controls tab, the Questions tab, the Categories tab,a header bar, and the design canvas.

    Controls tab

    To create a question, drag the appropriate data type control from the Controls palette and drop it onto the designer canvas.

    Figure 1. Controls
    Data type controls for questions
    The assessment engine provides a built-in result calculation feature that converts responses to scored question data types to a score from 0 through 10.
    Table 1. Question data types
    Data type Scored Description
    Attachment No Question with a Manage Attachments icon that allows users to attach one or more files.
    Boolean Yes Question with a check box or Yes and No choices for user responses.
    Choice Yes List of predefined options. For more information, see the definition of the Choices field in Create a question in the survey designer.
    Date No Date field.
    Date/Time No Date and time field.
    Number No Number field with predefined minimum and maximum values. The default is 1-10.
    Percentage No Percentage field with a prescribed range.
    Scale Yes Predefined Likert scale. Answer options appear as radio buttons.
    Numeric Scale Yes Selectable number scale. The default is 1-5. Answer options appear as radio buttons.
    String No Single or multi-line text field.
    Template Yes Choice list of templates that provide a predefined scale of options. For details, see Quiz scorecards.
    Reference No Choice list of fields from a specified reference table. This data type does not support reference qualifiers.

    For example, a user could select a user name if you specify sys_user as the reference table.

    Image Scale Yes Question with a choice of images that can be selected.

    A template can be used to apply the same images to multiple questions.

    Multiple Selection Yes Question with multiple check boxes that can be selected.
    Ranking Question with an order number to be selected for each option.

    One order number cannot be selected twice. This question can be mandatory and it can also be dependent on a parent question, but not vice versa.

    Questions tab

    This tab displays all metrics added to the question bank for surveys. Use the Filter field to search for questions. Each metric is displayed with its name and type.

    Categories tab

    This tab displays all metric categories added to the question bank for surveys. All metrics in the question bank are group under the corresponding metric category. Use the Filter field to search for categories or questions.

    Header bar

    The tabs on the header bar display views and a menu of functions. Click a tab to change the view on the canvas:
    • Design: Add and configure the properties of categories and questions. This is the default view.
    • Configuration: Create introductions and end notes for surveys and select a signature.
    • Availability: Select the recipients for each category in the survey.
    Point to the menu icon (Menu icon) to select an option. The list of options depends on the currently open survey.
    • Save: Save the current survey without changing its state.
    • Preview: Display a preview of the survey as it appears to recipients.
    • Publish: Distribute the survey to the selected recipients.
    • Save and Publish: Save the survey to the Draft state and distribute the survey in one step.
    • New Survey: Open a fresh canvas for a new survey.
    • Load Survey: View the list of existing surveys.
    • Copy Survey: Copy the current survey.

    Design canvas

    New surveys open in the canvas of the Design view. The survey Name field appears above first category in the canvas. A blank question field appears in the category container.

    Figure 2. Initial appearance of the Survey Designer canvas
    New survey question field