Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions let respondents answer in their own words. Use them for collecting names, short answers, feedback, or detailed written responses.

When to Use

Use open-ended questions to collect:

  • Names and contact information - “What is your name?”, “What’s your email address?”
  • Short answers - “What’s your job title?”, “Which city do you live in?”
  • Open-ended feedback - “What did you like most about our service?”
  • Detailed responses - “Please describe your experience in detail”
  • Comments and suggestions - “Do you have any additional comments?”

Single-Line vs Multi-Line

Open-ended questions adapt to your needs with two modes:

Single-Line Input

Best for short, one-line responses like names, email addresses, or brief answers.

What is your name? *

Multi-Line Input

Use for longer responses, detailed feedback, or when you want to give respondents more space to write.

What can we do to improve your experience?

Configuration Options

When creating your survey, you can customize open-ended questions with these settings:

  • Placeholder - Helpful hint text shown in the empty input field
  • Single-line or Multi-line - Choose between a compact input or a larger text area

Best Practices

Choose the Right Mode

  • Use single-line for data that’s naturally short (names, emails, job titles)
  • Use multi-line when you expect responses longer than one sentence
  • Multi-line inputs signal to respondents that you want more detailed answers

Write Clear Labels

  • Be specific: “What is your email address?” is better than “Email”
  • Avoid jargon or ambiguous terms
  • Keep questions focused on one topic

Use Placeholders Effectively

  • Show examples: "e.g., [email protected]" or "e.g., Marketing Manager"
  • Give formatting hints: "First and last name" or "Be as specific as possible"
  • Don’t repeat the question text - add value with the placeholder

Consider Making Questions Optional

  • For sensitive information, use "required": "no" or "suggested"
  • Required questions can increase drop-off rates
  • Only mark questions as required if you truly need the data

Common Use Cases

Collecting Contact Information

Use for gathering names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other identifying information. Use single-line inputs with placeholders to guide respondents.

Example: “What is your email address?” with placeholder “[email protected]”

Open-Ended Feedback

Use for questions like “What did you like most about this event?” or “What can we improve?” Use multi-line inputs to encourage detailed responses.

Example: “What did you like most about this event?” with multi-line enabled and placeholder “Tell us what stood out to you…”

Detailed Issue Reports

Use when you need comprehensive information, like bug reports or detailed complaints. Always use multi-line inputs and consider adding help text to guide respondents.

Example: “Please describe the issue you experienced” with multi-line enabled and help text: “The more detail you provide, the faster we can help resolve your issue.”

Tips for Better Responses

  1. Set expectations - Use help text to tell respondents what kind of answer you’re looking for
  2. Keep it focused - Ask one thing at a time for clearer responses
  3. Use appropriate field size - Multi-line inputs encourage longer responses
  4. Consider alternatives - If you’re asking for structured data (like dates, numbers, or multiple choice), use specialized question types instead