1. Create an account for free at https://www.qualtrics.com/ or log in through your organization's Qualtrics portal, logging in with your organization specific credentials.

2. Go to the Home page by clicking the XM logo in the tope left, and click "Start New Project" on the bottom left of the page.

3. Decide whether you would like to use a pre-built survey template or make your own.

   1. If you are using a pre-built survey template, scroll through the page to find the template that best fits your needs, click on it, and click "Get Started" on the bottom right of the page.

   2. If you are going to make your own survey, click "Survey" at the top of the page and click "Get Started" on the bottom right of the page.

4. Title your project and chose where on your Qualtrics account to save the project. Then click "create project".

5. There are six tabs at the top of the page to choose from:

   1. On the "Survey" tab, you can add and edit questions, the survey flow and logic, the look and feel of the survey, and special survey settings. To active the survey once creating it, you must publish it using the publish button on the top right. Any changes to the survey only take into effect once the survey is re-published.

   2. On the "Workflows" tab, you can make and automate tasks, see the run history of the survey, and revision history. The revision history shows all the published versions of the survey.

   3. The "Distributions" tab gives different ways to distribute the survey, including personalized links.

   4. The "Data & Analysis" tab gives the raw survey responses and is where you can download the survey responses if you have the premium version.

   5. The "Results" tab allows you to view and visualize the survey results.

   6. Finally, the "Reports" tab allows you to create specific reports similar to what is seen on the "Results" tab

6. Once a survey is published, a link or other distribution methods can be used to share the survey with users. All the information on the survey will be found on this project in Qualtrics.

7. All you projects can be found in the "Projects" page of Qualtrics.

Question Types

Available with a free account:

1. Multiple Choice

2. Text Entry

3. Matrix Table

4. Slider

5. Form Field

6. Rank Order

7. Side by Side

Premium account also includes

1. New Promoter Score

2. Graphic Slider

3. Constant Sum

4. File Upload

5. Pick, Group, Rank

6. Drill Down

7. Signature

8. Heat Map

9. Hot Spot

10. Meta Info

11. Captcha Verification

12. Screen Capture

13. Highlight

Additionally, can add text/graphic, timing 'questions', and page breaks to improve the survey flow. Also, has the option to give a custom score to each question and response.

Maximum 15 questions in and limited logic use in free version.

Interface

The interface is basic but intuitive. The tools to add questions to the survey are side by side with the survey. To have a better final look, there is a preview option that shows what the survey would look like on a computer and a smart phone. Qualtrics also includes an "ExpertReview score" which scores the accessibility of the survey based on the questions added.

There are hundreds of pre-made survey templates to choose from or the user can start from scratch. Survey templates and custom questions can be saved in a private library or organizational library for others to use.

Other customization options include organization themes, the window the survey is open for, and sending custom thank-you emails.

As with most surveys, there is a plethora of ways to distribute the survey including anonymous link, individual link, QR code, social media, and direct email.

Collaboration

Users in the same organization are easily added, and options can be restricted including: edit, view, reports, activate/deactivate, copy, and distribute.

Multiple individuals can edit a survey at the same time, but changes are not seen until a page refresh, which can cause survey version issues if working on the same question.

Analytics

There are two main sections of analytics in Qualtrics.

Data

In this tab, the raw data is available in a list format, with each completed survey as a row, and the columns being the data available, which can be customized to user preference. In the premium version users can download the .CSV of the data and use outside analytical tools to analyze.

Results

The results tab has an analytical view of all the data per question. Qualtrics automatically fits what it thinks is the best visualization for each set of data per question. The user can remove or add different visualizations to may better represent the data.

From here a custom report can be generated using the data and visualizations the user prefers. Reports can be made as many times and are saved in a 'Reports' tab.

Security/Support

Qualtrics is an industry leader in both their security and support.

Security

Qualtrics boasts ISO 27001, FEDRAMP, HITRUST, and SOC Type 2 Certifications in security in addition to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) end to end encryption with all their data. These certifications include the transfer HIPAA and banking data (91 out of the top 100 banking institutions use Qualtrics).

Qualtrics also has an in-house security team to help with any security related issues.

Support

Large amount of training material including on-demand training and certifications available. There is also an active online community to help with questions and a blog. Overall, Qualtrics is so widely used that it is likely your questions have been asked before. Additionally, there is a FAQ section on their website.

If those resources don't work or you have technical difficulties, support is available via email, online chat, or by phone.

Price

A free version is available with limited features. Great for testing out Qualtrics features and feel.

The premium version requires talking to a sales representative for custom pricing, with no personal plans available. It is estimated to start at $1,500 per year.

Many business (Amazon, Jetblue, Spotify, +11,000) and universities (99 of the top 100 business schools) already have a license with Qualtrics.

Summary