Rank order question - how to export data by ranking (not by things being ranked)? | XM Community
Question

Rank order question - how to export data by ranking (not by things being ranked)?

  • 19 May 2023
  • 7 replies
  • 711 views
J
Badge +2

I’m using a rank order question with 5 options, ranking from 1 to 5 with radio buttons.  When I export the data, I get it by option instead of by ranking.  The example at the top of the image is what I’m getting.  The lower part of the image is what I want.

 

Is there a way to set up the question to yield this result?

Is there a way to export the data to get this format?

 

Less important question.  If I want to use the ranking as a transferable ballot (dropping the lowest opinion and redistributing the ranking until 1 option gets 50% +1, is this something that a report or a data analysis selection can produce for me?

 

Thank you very much.

 

 

7 replies

ThomasW_IronMountain
Rank
Userlevel 5
Badge +24

@JB_TDSB ,

You’ve nailed the problem I’ve always had with Rank order questions on the head. That is why I personally avoid using this question type. Rather, I prefer to use Multiple Choice Questions: Instead of using the Rank Order question type, you can create a series of multiple choice questions with a single choice allowed. Each question can represent one ranking position, and the options can be the items to rank. For example:

With this setup, you will have individual responses for each ranking position, and you can export the data accordingly.

  • Question 1: "Rank 1" (Options: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5)
  • Question 2: "Rank 2" (Options: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5)
  • Question 3: "Rank 3" (Options: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5)
  • ...

This workaround provides a way to obtain the ranking data directly.

 

There is a way you can also create custom embedded data fields to store the rankings selected by participants, but it requires Javascript. Let me know if you are interested in that approach.

Thomas Whitaker - Iron Mountain
J
Badge +2

Thank you for the reply.  I really appreciate it. 

If I follow the multiple choice method you have outlined, I gather there is no preventative mechanism to stop someone from listing 3 different options as their first choice.  I assume the work around to this would be to have a formula highlight repeats within in individual votes.

Is there a tool I’ve overlooked that would alert or prevent a user that they input 3 first choice options, which isn’t permitted, prior to them submitting? 

 

Javascript is beyond my knowledge, but thank you for the willingness to share.  

Tom_1842
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +27

Hi, one other option to consider that would give you the data in the format you're looking for with a similar respondent experience is to use a transposed matrix table. The only downside is that columns/scale points are not mutually exclusive like they are with the radio rank order, though Custom Validation can be added so that the Count of each column must be equal to 1 in order to proceed.

To give it a try, create a Matrix table and set the statements to be "1st choice", "2nd choice", and "3rd choice". Then set the scale points to be "Red", "Blue", "Yellow". Next, enable the "Transpose table" setting so that the statements appear as columns to the respondent. 

Finally, click "Add validation" under response requirements and set it up like the below:

 

ThomasW_IronMountain
Rank
Userlevel 5
Badge +24

@JB_TDSB , 

Yes, you can use the “Carry Answers Forward” functionality and bring forward the “Unanswered options” like this: 

 

That way you can ask those questions and skinny it down to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. 

Thomas Whitaker - Iron Mountain
MikeW
Rank
Userlevel 4
Badge +14

If you stick with the original rank order question, could you use survey flow to set the embedded variables for Q1_1st, Q1_2nd, Q1_3rd etc to be the values you want?

bstrahin
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +38

@MikeW nothing that is very easy although there are doable (unpleasant options). Qualtrics will only pull in the attribute selected for First and Last choice using piped text:

All other piped text options will either show you the attribute label without any logic of why it’s being inserted or the number chosen that goes with the label. To flip it so the variable is First, Second, Third… and the value is the attribute you would need to create branching logic for each variable and each possible rank. So in my example I had three choices and setting this up for the first attribute only to save into First, Second, or Third it would look like:

This would need repeated for every variable as many times as variables you have (e.g. with 5 choices you will have 25 branches).

MikeW
Rank
Userlevel 4
Badge +14

@MikeW nothing that is very easy although there are doable (unpleasant options). Qualtrics will only pull in the attribute selected for First and Last choice using piped text:

All other piped text options will either show you the attribute label without any logic of why it’s being inserted or the number chosen that goes with the label. To flip it so the variable is First, Second, Third… and the value is the attribute you would need to create branching logic for each variable and each possible rank. So in my example I had three choices and setting this up for the first attribute only to save into First, Second, or Third it would look like:

This would need repeated for every variable as many times as variables you have (e.g. with 5 choices you will have 25 branches).

sorry - that does sound pretty horrible

Leave a Reply


Terms & Conditions