Control the survey route
Content holds your pages and questions. Flow decides which pages participants see, in what order, and when calculations run. A node is one step in Flow.
Plan the logic before writing the content
After defining the study design, create named groups and pages in Content as a skeleton for the route. Leave their participant content empty while you arrange assignment, branches, and Loops in Flow. Adding pages also creates Flow placements; move those placements into the intended branches or Loops.
Then return to Content to write the prompts, answer options, and instructions. This is a recommended working order, not a requirement. Logic and content overlap: an Earlier answer condition needs a source question, so create that question when needed and refine it later.
For the browser-extension example, follow the worked route: assign Priming once, repeat over Permission levels, and show explanations only in the assigned Priming branch.
Add and arrange steps
- Open Flow in the survey editor.
- Select a circled + where the next step belongs. Choose a page, group, or Flow node from the menu.
- Expand a node to edit its settings. Changes save automatically.
- Open Preview and follow the route as a participant.
Flow runs from Start downward. A group keeps related steps together; its children can include pages, smaller groups, and Flow nodes. A page presents its questions together.
Use a node's Move in Flow button to choose another location, then select Move here. Duplicate with Content copies the step and its associated content. Edit in Content opens a page or group's wording and questions. The compact Flow map lets you jump to a distant step.
For example, to put an existing Explanation page in a Switch case, choose that page's Move in Flow button. In the destination list, find the Switch’s Explanation text case, then select the indented Move here position inside it. Check that the page appears there and no longer has its old placement. Moving a page or group also updates its corresponding Content structure; check both panes after a move.
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Show a follow-up only when an earlier answer matches | If |
| Choose between several routes | Switch |
| Repeat pages for several items | Loop |
| Save a flag, label, or counter | Set variable |
| Calculate a value with code | JavaScript node |
| Assign experimental variable levels | Study assignment, configured in Design |
Element order and subsets are configured in Content, in the owning group, page, or question settings. See Element order randomization. For the order of repeated trials, use Loop order.
Finish with an End node
End submits the response and shows its End message. Edit that message with the rich-text editor; you can insert placeholders for values already available at that point.
For example, place an End node in an eligibility branch with “Thank you. This study is for current students.” Place the ordinary completion End after the main survey. Reaching either End finishes that participant's route.
Keep unused content
Content without a Flow placement appears in the inactive Content section. It remains editable, but participants do not see it and it is not included in that publication's response results. Place it back into Flow when you want to use it. Removing a branch does not move its pages into another route automatically.
Before publishing, test every branch, including skipped questions and optional answers. A question visible in Content is not proof that participants can reach it.