Choosing and Configuring Question Types

After reading this article, you will know what every question type in the Toolbox does, when to use each one, and how to adjust its settings through the Properties panel.

When you build a conversation in Insights, the Toolbox panel on the right side of the Conversation Designer contains every element you can add. These are organized into three categories: Content Blocks, Frequently Used Questions, and Custom Questions (click here for question type definitions). Each is described below with its purpose, typical use cases, and key Properties settings.

To add any element, click it in the Toolbox and it appears on your canvas.

To access its settings, click Properties > at the bottom of the element on the canvas.

Content Blocks

Content Blocks are not question types. They add non-question elements to your conversation pages, such as images, descriptive text, or visual dividers. Use these to provide context between questions, introduce a new section of your conversation, or break up longer conversations visually.

Content Blocks do not collect data and do not appear in your response exports.

Frequently Used Questions

Frequently Used Questions are standard fields that automatically map to the corresponding field in the Database when a respondent answers. Any response a contact provides through one of these questions will update their record directly.

  • Email is auto-included in every conversation and cannot be removed. For Conversation for Email, this field is hidden from respondents because the platform already knows their email from the distribution. It exists to connect the response to the correct record in the Database.
  • First Name collects the respondent's first name and maps it to the First Name field in the Database.
  • Last Name collects the respondent's last name and maps it to the Last Name field in the Database.
  • Postal Code collects the respondent's postal or zip code and maps it to the Postal Code field in the Database.
  • Country collects the respondent's country and maps it to the Country field in the Database.

If your Database already has this information for a contact, these questions can confirm or update existing values. For more on how standard fields work, see Setting Up Standard and Custom Fields in the Dashboard.

Custom Questions

Custom Questions are research-oriented question types that let you ask anything beyond the standard Database fields. Each type collects data differently, and the type you choose affects how respondents interact with the question and how you can analyze the results.

A general principle: closed-ended questions (like Radiogroup, Checkbox, Rating, and Yes/No) produce structured responses you can segment and compare immediately. Open-ended questions capture freeform language that reveals motivations, perceptions, and themes that structured options cannot surface. Many effective conversations combine both, using a closed-ended question to categorize and an open-ended follow-up to understand why.

Single Input

Collects a short, open-ended text response. 

  • When to use it: Use it for simple factual answers like a birthdate, a company name, or a favorite product.
  • Key Properties settings: None required for basic use. You can set validation rules (such as requiring an email format or a number) under Properties > Validation.

Checkbox (select multiple)

Presents multiple choice options where respondents can select more than one answer.

  • When to use it: When a question has multiple valid answers and you want to know all of them. For example, "Which of the following topics interest you?" where a respondent might select three out of six options.
  • Key Properties settings: Set the maximum number of selections under Choices > Max selected choices. If you do not set a maximum, respondents can select all options.

Checkbox and Conversation for Email: Checkbox is available in email conversations, but the respondent can only select one option inside the email itself. They will need to complete the conversation in a browser to select additional options.

Radiogroup (select one)

Presents multiple choice options where respondents can select only one answer.

  • When to use it: When choices are mutually exclusive. For example, "Which region do you live in?" or "What is your primary interest?" This is the most common question type for collecting Primary Interest values, because you can map the response directly to a Database field.
  • Key Properties settings: Under "Map with contact field," select the Database field where you want the response stored. For Primary Interest collection, select "Primary Interest" from the dropdown. This writes the respondent's answer directly to their Database record. For more on Primary Interest, see Primary Interests: Foundational to Segmentation.

Works like Radiogroup (single selection) but presents the options in a collapsed dropdown menu instead of visible radio buttons.

  • When to use it: When you have many options and displaying them all as radio buttons would take too much space. For example, a list of 20 countries or 15 product categories.
  • Key Properties settings: Go to Properties > Select choices order to randomize or reorder how options appear in the dropdown. Randomizing can reduce order bias in research contexts.

Image picker

Displays images that respondents click to select.

  • When to use it: When the visual matters more than a text label. Product preference testing, logo selection, packaging feedback, or any question where respondents need to see the options to answer meaningfully.
  • Key Properties settings: Adjust display size in Properties > Image height & width. Upload as many images as you need.

Yes/No

A simple binary question with two options: Yes and No.

  • When to use it: Qualifying questions ("Are you over 21?"), confirmations ("Have you purchased from us before?"), or any scenario with exactly two outcomes. Yes/No is one of the most effective question types for conversation logic rules, because the two possible answers make conditions straightforward to define. For more on logic rules, see Using Conversation Logic to Control Flow.

Open-Ended

Collects a long-form text response where respondents answer in their own words.

  • When to use it: When you want to understand why, not just what. These questions typically begin with "Why," "How," "Tell us about," or "What is the reason for your answer?" Open-ended questions are especially powerful when paired with a preceding closed-ended question. For example, ask "Which of the following best describes your current perception?" (Radiogroup) and then follow with "What is the reason for your answer?" (Open-Ended). You can then segment respondents by their structured answer and analyze the language within each segment.
  • Key Properties settings: None required for basic use.

Open-ended responses are what Oomiji's AI can analyze and auto-categorize once enough responses have been collected, identifying themes, patterns, and sentiment across potentially thousands of written answers without requiring a data analyst.

Rating

Presents a numerical scale that respondents select from.

  • When to use it: Satisfaction scores, agreement scales (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), likelihood to recommend, or any question where a number on a range captures the answer. Rating is the standard question type for NPS (Net Promoter Score) conversations.
  • Key Properties settings: Configure the scale labels and range in Properties. You can adjust the minimum and maximum values and add descriptive labels at each end of the scale.

Ranking

Asks respondents to order a set of choices by preference or priority.

  • When to use it: When relative order matters, not just selection. For example, "Rank these five product features from most important to least important."
  • Key Properties settings: Adjust the position of descriptive text in Properties > Description location.

Matrix (single choice)

Presents a grid where respondents evaluate multiple items on the same scale. Each row is an item being evaluated; each column is a point on the scale.

  • When to use it: When you need to compare perceptions across several related items using the same criteria. For example, "Rate each of the following service aspects" with rows like "Speed," "Quality," and "Communication" and columns from "Very Poor" to "Excellent."
  • Key Properties settings: Define your row labels in Properties > Rows and column labels in Properties > Columns.

Multiple Text

Collects two or more short open-ended responses in a single question. The default setup includes two text fields.

  • When to use it: When you want several brief answers grouped together. For example, "Name your top three priorities" or "List your favorite and least favorite aspects."
  • Key Properties settings: Add more text fields in Properties > Items.

Choosing Between Similar Question Types

Some question types overlap in purpose. Here is how to decide:

  • Radiogroup vs. Dropdown: Both collect a single selection. Use Radiogroup when you have 2 to 7 options and want them all visible at once. Use Dropdown when you have 8 or more options and need to save space.
  • Ranking vs. Sortable list: Both involve ordering items. Use Ranking when you have a defined set of choices and want respondents to arrange them by preference.
  • Single Input vs. Open-Ended: Both collect text. Use Single Input for short factual answers (one word to one sentence). Use Open-Ended when you want longer, reflective responses that the AI can analyze.
  • Rating vs. Matrix: Both use scales. Use Rating for a single item. Use Matrix when you want to evaluate multiple items on the same scale in one question.

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