Checkbox grid

This is a common question from people who build surveys in Google Forms. If you ask people to rate or rank a list of things, a long row of separate questions is tiring to fill in. Google Forms has a checkbox grid that puts them in one table, but its setup looks nothing like what people see and options such as one answer per column are easy to miss. With Formfacade, you can add a checkbox grid question in the form's "Edit" tab and your users will see one neat table with your questions in rows. Even better, that table sits on a form with your own branding instead of Google's.

Let's start. Create your form and follow the steps below.

Checkbox grid question allows users to select multiple answers for each row in a grid. You can limit users to select only one answer per column and make users answer each question (row). You can also shuffle the row order to eliminate the order bias and improve the form responses.
A checkbox grid as users see it, with the rows Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 and the columns Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Key features:
  • Allows multiple answers per row
  • Can limit responses to one answer per column
  • Can shuffle row order to eliminate order bias

What type of questions can this be used for?

  • Ranking grid question
  • Voting/poll question
  • Comparison question

How to add a checkbox grid question?

  • On the page that opens, name your form, click Build form and click Proceed. It can take about a minute.
  • You will land on the form's "Preview" tab.
  • Click on "Edit" tab
The tabs Edit, Preview, Share and Responses, with Edit marked
Checkbox grid question setup looks different from how it is displayed for end users. You have to add your questions as rows and answer choices as columns, but it will be displayed as a checkbox grid for your users.
  • Click on the + icon (Add field) in the toolbar on the right and enter your question
  • Select Checkbox grid in the question type list
  • Add questions in Rows and answer choices in Columns
A Checkbox grid question in the Edit tab, with the question type, Rows and Columns marked

How can I make users respond to each question or statement in the checkbox grid question?

You can force the users to respond to each statement/question in the checkbox grid question by enabling the "Require a response in each row" option.
  • Click on the + icon (Add field) in the toolbar on the right
  • Select Checkbox grid in the question type list
  • Add questions in Rows and answer choices in Columns
  • Enable Requires a response in each row toggle button as shown below
A What's your daily workout schedule? grid, with the Requires a response in each row toggle on and marked

How can I limit user responses to one per column?

You can enable the "Limit to one response per column" available in "More" options to restrict users to select only one choice per column.
  • Click on the + icon (Add field) in the toolbar on the right
  • Select Checkbox grid in the question type list
  • Add questions in Rows and answer choices in Columns
  • This option is only in Google Forms. Click on the form's title, click on the ⚙️ icon, select the "Advanced" tab and click Launch next to "Edit this form with Google Forms". Google Forms will open in a new tab
  • In Google Forms, click on the ⋮ icon on the question and select Limit to one response per column
A grid with the ⋮ menu open and Limit to one response per column marked
  • Open the form's "Edit" tab again, so that your form picks up the change. If you do not see it, wait a few seconds and reload the page.

How can I shuffle the order of questions?

You can shuffle the order of questions to eliminate the order bias and improve the form responses. Once "Shuffle row order" is enabled, the order of questions (rows) will be different for each user.
  • Click on the + icon (Add field) in the toolbar on the right
  • Select Checkbox grid in the question type list
  • Add questions in Rows and answer choices in Columns
  • This option is only in Google Forms. Click on the form's title, click on the ⚙️ icon, select the "Advanced" tab and click Launch next to "Edit this form with Google Forms". Google Forms will open in a new tab
  • In Google Forms, click on the ⋮ icon on the question and select Shuffle row order
A grid with the ⋮ menu open and Shuffle row order marked
  • Open the form's "Edit" tab again, so that your form picks up the change. If you do not see it, wait a few seconds and reload the page.

How to create a ranking question using checkbox grid question?

You can create a ranking question by adding a checkbox grid question and enabling both Require a response in each row & Limit to one response per column option. For example, you can create a ranking question with a list of attributes and ask your users to rank them from most important (1) to least important(5). This can also be done using a multiple choice grid question.
  • Click on the + icon (Add field) in the toolbar on the right
  • Select Checkbox grid in the question type list
  • Add choices to be ranked in Rows and ranking scale in Columns
  • Enable Requires a response in each row toggle button
  • This option is only in Google Forms. Click on the form's title, click on the ⚙️ icon, select the "Advanced" tab and click Launch next to "Edit this form with Google Forms". Google Forms will open in a new tab
  • In Google Forms, click on the ⋮ icon on the question and select Limit to one response per column
A ranking question with the attributes in Rows and 1 to 5 in Columns, with Require a response in each row and Limit to one response per column marked
  • Open the form's "Edit" tab again, so that your form picks up the change. If you do not see it, wait a few seconds and reload the page.

Summary

If you need several answers for each row or a ranking, separate questions are slow to fill in. With a checkbox grid question in Formfacade, you can add your questions in Rows and your answer choices in Columns and enable the options you need. Create your form and complete the steps above.

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