Preview

About Preview

The preview function in QUESTIONSTAR lets you view your survey from the respondents' perspective — before it's even started or published. This way you can test the layout, the functionality and the logic of your survey, and catch and fix any errors or ambiguities early on.

With the preview you can check, among other things:

• How your questions and pages are displayed
• Whether display and skip logic work the way you want
• Whether the design meets your requirements
• How different device types (desktop, tablet, mobile) affect the display

The preview is fully interactive — you can select answers, navigate, and go through every step just like a real respondent.

Opening the preview

Depending on your needs, you can open different types of preview. These help you check specific parts of your survey in a targeted way:

• Preview of the entire survey:
  Using the top toolbar (the eye icon), you can go through your complete survey in a new window. This option is especially useful for checking the overall logic, navigation and design.
• Preview of a single page:
  If you only want to test the structure and logic of a particular page, click that page's preview icon in the top right of the workspace. This saves you time when testing individual page segments.
• Preview of a single question:
  If you just want to see how a specific question is displayed — for example with randomized options enabled or with special layout options — click the preview icon right at the question. Ideal for quick layout or functionality tests.

Clicking one of the preview buttons opens the preview view. It shows your questionnaire the way your respondents will see it later — with an additional top menu area added. There you'll find various functions, which we'll introduce in detail in the next sections.

Restart Survey

No matter how far you've progressed in preview mode — one click on the “Restart Survey” button returns you to the starting point of your preview at any time.

If you previously started the preview of the entire survey, you'll return to the beginning of the questionnaire.

If instead you opened the preview of a single page or of a specific question, you'll return to exactly that point.

Preview Mode Settings

Using the “Preview Mode Settings” button, you can adjust the functionality of preview mode in a targeted way. The following options are available to you:

• Show hidden questions:
  Also displays questions that would be hidden for certain respondents by display logic in the real questionnaire. Ideal for testing all questions regardless of conditions.
• Ignore validation:
  Disables the requirement to answer mandatory questions. This way you can test the entire questionnaire without having to answer required questions.
• Ignore skip logic:
  Removes all active branching, so you can also see pages that wouldn't be reached in a real survey.

These settings are especially helpful for checking complex survey logic and running a complete functionality test of your questionnaire — without permanently changing the actual logic.

Simulate view: Desktop / Tablet / Phone

In the preview, you can switch between different screen views with just one click:

• Desktop
• Tablet
• Phone

Desktop

Tablet

Phone

This function is especially helpful for checking how your questionnaire displays on different devices. That way you make sure your survey stays easy to read and user-friendly even on small screens.

Opening the preview in full-screen mode

With one click on the button marked in the screenshot, you can open the preview in full-screen mode — without any distracting menu bars. This lets you experience the questionnaire exactly as your respondents will see it.

This mode is especially handy when you:

• want to test undisturbed, without distracting interface elements
• need a realistic view of the survey, for example to check the layout
• want to send a test link to colleagues or project partners so they can thoroughly review the survey

Testing the preview on a phone or tablet via QR Code

Want to check your questionnaire on a mobile device like a phone or tablet? No problem!

Here's how:

1. In the top menu of the preview view, click the QR Code icon to display the link to the survey preview as a QR Code.
2. Scan the QR Code with your mobile device's camera.
   → The preview opens immediately — perfect for testing layout, usability and display on different screen sizes.

This function is ideal for checking whether your questionnaire also looks good on the go and is easy to use.

Export Questionnaire

In the preview view, you have the option to conveniently export your questionnaire as a Word or PDF file.

This is especially helpful when you:

• need a paper version of your questionnaire,
• want to share the questionnaire with colleagues to gather feedback,
• or are preparing documentation for reports or theses.

Here's how it works:

1. In the top menu of the preview view, click the export icon.
2. Choose the format you want: Word or PDF.

3. Decide whether question numbers should be included in the export:
   

   • With question numbers: handy for internal coordination or follow-up questions.
   • Without question numbers: recommended for field questionnaires, since numbers can disrupt the reading flow.
4. Confirm the export and download the file.