--- url: "https://questionstar.com/product-tour/" title: "Product tour — QUESTIONSTAR" description: "A four-step walkthrough of QUESTIONSTAR — create, design, distribute, analyze. What's standard, and what we built differently, at each step." lastmod: "2026-07-08" type: "marketing" --- # Four steps. Here's how they work with us. Create, design, distribute, analyze — you know the cycle. This tour shows what actually happens at each step in QUESTIONSTAR. What's standard, and what we built differently. - [Open sample survey](https://survey.questionstar.com/1f80a54c?Language=en) *Free, no time limit, no credit card.* There's no secret fifth step. A survey is created, designed, distributed, analyzed. That's how every survey tool does it — and so do we. What differs is the details: which question types you have available, how deeply you can adjust the branding, whether a pretest contaminates the real data, whether the analysis happens in the tool or only after the export, whether a low NPS score stays just a number or triggers an email to the team. This tour goes through each of the four steps — and shows what you actually get. ## From a blank questionnaire to a finished draft. Configurable through the interface — no programming required. If you want to go deeper, there's HTML/CSS/JS. ### Questions — 36+ question types 18 base types plus variants: choice, text inputs, matrices, scales, ranking, heatmap, upload, signature, QR/barcode scan, info blocks. Questions or whole blocks can be carried over from existing surveys. ### Conditional logic — branching, display logic, randomization Respondents follow different paths. Questions and options appear depending on context. Orders are shuffled to avoid effects. A/B tests compare variants within the same survey. ### Personalization — variables and piping Variables from the URL or answers fill in content automatically. Answers reappear later in the questionnaire — no code, right in the interface. ### Pretest — preview without saving data The survey runs realistically: logic, timing, user flow. Multiple testers at once are possible. Answers aren't saved — the dataset stays clean. ### Test scoring — points and thresholds Answers can be scored. Total score and pass/fail can be defined. Combinable with logic and piping. ### Reuse — copy instead of rebuilding Questions, blocks or pages can be carried over. Saves time with similar surveys. ## The survey carries your corporate design. Several ready-made style templates as a starting point — or full design via code. ### Layout templates as a style starting point Fonts, colors, images preconfigured. Presentable even without your own corporate design. ### Logo, colors, fonts Adjustable directly in the interface — beyond the template. ### Source-code editor (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) Available in every plan — for full control when you want to go deeper. ### Personalization in the text Via variables — salutation, context, references are inserted per respondent. ### Custom domain Available as a paid add-on. ### Preview on smartphone, tablet, desktop See how the survey looks to respondents before it goes live. ** Full Whitelabel corporate design in all Business plans. In the free version and some Academic plans, a subtle QUESTIONSTAR notice stays visible.* ## Five ways to distribute one survey. Email, token links, QR code, website embed or social link. The access varies — the data comes together. ### Email sending With personalization and scheduling. Reminders go only to recipients who haven't answered yet — those who finished get an optional thank-you instead. ### Token links One unique link per recipient, single-use, with an expiry date. Also as a short link for SMS, print or personal handover. (Not for public QR codes — that's what the QR channel is for.) ### QR code As SVG/PNG, scalable without limits — from business card to poster. ### Embed in five modes Inline, button, tab, modal, bubble. ### Social link for open surveys Title, description and preview image definable; OG tags ensure the preview looks clean automatically in LinkedIn, X, WhatsApp or Slack. ### Scheduler — fixed times Three weeks before: invitation. The day before: reminder. The day after: feedback. No relative triggers — fixed times, plannable. ### Quotas and screening Set a maximum per answer option or respondent profile. When the quota is full, you decide what happens: continue to the end of the survey, branch to another path, or politely decline. ### Loops — several speakers One question block repeats per speaker. One survey instead of duplicates. ### Prevent multiple responses Selectable per survey: cookie-based (one browser, one response) or via a personal token link (one person, one response). Both have limits — we tell you which upfront. ## Analysis from answer #1 — no export detour. Dashboard in the browser. The charts show the current state of the collection at any time — no export, no aggregation pause. ### Real-time dashboard Every new answer flows immediately into the running analyses. Live counter without refresh, the state is always current. ### Charts by question type Gauge, bar, histogram, word cloud, heatmap and more — matched to the question. ### Statistics in the browser Crosstabs, correlations, t-tests, regression — right in the dashboard, no SPSS export. Enough for many studies. (Factor analysis, clustering and similar methods aren't built in — export the raw data for those.) ### Filters and crosstabs With filters you build an analysis specifically for a particular group — region, department, time period, answer cluster. With crosstabs you see differences and relationships between groups — who answers how differently from whom. ### Report export — presentation-ready Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF — what's in the dashboard comes into the report unchanged. In Office formats the charts stay real, editable Office charts, not images — labels, colors, data points can be fine-tuned directly in PowerPoint or Word. ### Raw data export SPSS, CSV, XLSX for further analysis. ## Darüber hinaus - **Auto notifications** — Emails or webhooks on defined answers. Helps you follow up quickly on critical answers — before the customer churns. - **Integrations, API and MCP (AI)** — Webhook, REST API, Zapier, n8n, Data Studio, Power BI, plus MCP for AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT. For when answers should flow on into a CRM, data warehouse, analysis tool or AI workflows. - **Kiosk mode** — Survey in full screen, automatic restarts after completion. Suited for iPads in waiting rooms, at reception, or at events. - **Generate test data** — Simulate answers to check the analysis in advance. Reports can be tested on the generated dataset before the real collection starts. - **Qualtrics import** — Carry over existing surveys instead of rebuilding. If you switch from Qualtrics, you keep logic, question types and analysis options. - **Multilingual** — One survey in several languages — automatically by the respondent's browser language or via a language selection at the start. Switching is possible any time. Answers land in one shared dataset, analyzable across languages. In every plan. ## What you should know upfront. **Do respondents need an account?** No. Respondents only need the link, QR code or embed. Account creation is for the survey owner — one time, free. **How many responses can I collect?** In the free plan: one active survey with up to 50 responses. In the Business plans, currently no fixed limit per survey — tiered response volumes aren't part of the model. Functionally, all survey features are identical in every plan — plans differ only in volume, Whitelabel and user management. **Where is the data stored?** By default in Germany — the IONOS data center in Frankfurt. GDPR-compliant by default, DPA included, no US sub-processor in the standard configuration. Hosting within the EU is available on request. **What happens to my data if I cancel?** Until the end of the paid term, you have full access. After that, the account is downgraded to the free plan — the data is preserved, but only what the free-tier limits allow stays visible (one survey × 50 responses). We recommend exporting before switching. On a later upgrade, full access is back. If you want to delete everything immediately — the profile setting “Delete account”: all data, including surveys and answers, is gone irreversibly. No support ticket needed. **Do we need programming skills for customizations?** No. Layout, colors, logos, personalization — all via the interface. An HTML/CSS/JavaScript editor is available in every plan, but isn't required. **Do we need SPSS or R for the analysis?** For many studies, no. Statistics (regression, t-tests, correlations, crosstabs) run in the browser. For special cases (factor analysis, clustering, structural equation models) you export the raw data as an SPSS, CSV or XLSX file. **Can we run QUESTIONSTAR on our own servers?** Yes, on-premise is possible — especially for larger organizations for which the online licenses aren't enough in volume. Get in touch and we'll check what fits your infrastructure. **Can we import existing Qualtrics surveys?** Yes. .QSF and .CSV are imported directly. Existing logic, question types and answer options are carried over. **Is there a free demo period?** You use the free plan indefinitely — no time limit, no credit card. Functionally, all survey features are identical to the paid plans; the free-tier limits are one active survey with up to 50 responses and a subtle QUESTIONSTAR notice in the layout. If you need more responses or full Whitelabel, you switch straight to a Business plan — no separate trial version needed. ## Ready to click through it yourself? You can also take the tour in the tool itself. Free, no contract commitment. Stop any time. - [Open sample survey](https://survey.questionstar.com/1f80a54c?Language=en)