Product review

SurveyMonkey.com—Web-Based Survey

and Evaluation System

http://www.SurveyMonkey.com

Alan Gordon*

Knowledge Management and Delivery Group, Cisco Systems, Inc., 1550 NW 115th Avenue,

Pembroke Pines, FL 33206, USA

Received 21 October 2001; accepted 17 January 2002

1. Introduction

With a less than serious name, reminiscent of the mid to late 90s Web boom,

SurveyMonkey.com is none the less a serious and excellent survey and evaluation tool. Of

particular interest to students and teachers is that there is no cost or obligation associated with

the basic subscription. While other survey applications offer trials or free versions, they are

usually very limited in capability or contain advertising that might distract from the serious-

ness of the survey. This is not the case with SurveyMonkey. The free, basic subscription will

allow surveys of 10 questions, 100 responses, 13 question types, 15 design themes, and full

analysis capability. These surveys will not show the SurveyMonkey.com banner or any

advertisements. It is only after the respondent completes the survey that they are directed to the

SurveyMonkey homepage, a small commercial concession that should not negatively

influence the respondent since it occurs after the fact.

As will be seen in the review of the features and functions of this product, Survey-

Monkey, at the basic level, offers extensive capability. However, it significantly expands

upon those basic capabilities at the fee-based, professional subscription level. Furthermore,

at US$19.95 per month, with no long-term contract, the expanded capabilities of the

professional subscription can be implemented for short-duration research projects in a cost-

effective manner.

1096-7516/02/$ – see front matter D 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc.

PII: S1096 -7516 (02 )00061 -1

* Tel.: +1-954-704-1110 (office); fax: +1-775-261-0401.

E-mail address: algordon@cisco.com (A. Gordon).

Internet and Higher Education 5 (2002) 83–87

2. Product features

2.1. Question types

SurveyMonkey provides both basic and professional subscribers the ability to use 13

question types. The following question types are available: Choice-one answer, vertical,

horizontal, or menu format; Choice-multiple answers, vertical or horizontal format; Matrix-

one or multiple answers per row; Matrix-multiple answers per row, menu format; and Open

Ended-one line w/prompt, one or more lines w/prompt, essay, constant sum, and date and/or

time formats.

As with all features and functions described in this review, it is recommended that the

reader visit the http://www.surveymonkey.com website to see examples of surveys and

question types.

2.2. Professional subscription features

2.2.1. Survey limitations

The free subscription is limited to 10 questions and up to 100 responses per survey. The

professional subscription allows an unlimited number of questions and an unlimited number

of pages and 1000 responses per month are included in the professional subscription fee, with

an additional charge of US$0.05 per response in excess of 1000.

2.2.2. Skip logic (conditional logic)

The path a respondent takes through a survey can be managed by adding skip logic. The

respondent can be directed to a specific page based on the answer to a question. Logic can be

applied on a per question, per answer, or per page basis.

2.2.3. Require answers

Each question can be designated as having a required or optional response.

2.2.4. Randomize answer choices

To eliminate the introduction of an unintended bias, the randomizing answer choices

option is provided.

2.2.5. Logo

Professional subscribers can add a logo to the top of every page. The logo can be up to

50K in size and can be either a GIF or JPEG file type.

2.2.6. Custom themes

Basic subscribers can select from 15 survey design themes. Professional subscribers can

also develop custom themes. The design variables include font face, size, color, and back-

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ground color for the following survey components: survey title, page title, page body,

question header, question body, navigation links, and exit survey link. Additionally, the

matrix question row and alternate row colors can be selected.

2.2.7. Custom redirect

By default, as respondents complete and submit surveys, they are redirected to the

SurveyMonkey homepage. Professional subscribers can input a URL of their choice for

redirection or choose not to provide redirection.

2.2.8. Filter results

SurveyMonkey provides for the configuration of survey response filters. Multiple filters

are permitted and can be implemented down to a per question and per each answer basis.

Surveys can then be selected on a ‘‘match any,’’ ‘‘match every,’’ or custom combination

matching basis.

2.2.9. Share results

Nonsubscribers can be permitted to view survey results without giving them access to the

subscriber’s account. The subscriber can control which results are visible and how the results

may be used up to and including downloading of data.

2.2.10. Download results

All the survey data can be downloaded to the subscriber’s computer for further analysis

and storage. Summary results can be imported into Excel to create graphs and complete

additional analysis.

2.3. Survey design, storage, and maintenance

Surveys can be designed from scratch or an existing survey can be used as a basis for

modification. Surveys that are used often, such as a standard end of course evaluation, can be

created as templates and used without modification by opening the template and saving it

with a new survey name.

Each template and survey is stored in the subscriber’s password protected ‘‘My Surveys’’

area. By default, surveys are open for use after they are created but can be closed with the

click of an icon. Additionally, the following functions are available on a per survey basis:

Design, Collect, Options, Analyze, Clear, and Delete.

2.4. Response collection

There are two primary ways to present a survey to a prospective respondent. The subs-

criber can create a Web page popup or create a unique survey URL. To configure a popup, the

subscriber answers several questions in a Web form. The popup function then generates the

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html and JavaScript code needed to establish a popup invitation to take a survey that the

potential respondent can accept or reject or to generate the code to actually popup a survey for

immediate input without providing a choice of acceptance or rejection. The survey can also

be distributed to potential respondents by placing a unique survey URL on a Web page or by

including the URL in an e-mail.

SurveyMonkey also provides subscribers with the capability of developing and man-

aging e-mail lists and sending messages to some or all of the records in a list. At a

minimum, an e-mail address is required per respondent. Optional fields include first name,

last name, and custom data. Import and export of list data is provided in a basic comma

delimited format.

Once a subscriber has created a list, SurveyMonkey provides several features to use to

send messages containing instructions and the survey URL. The message creation function

allows the selection of a specific list as well as the ability to filter the list. List filter criteria

include all recipients (no filtering) or recipients with a specific status such as sent, not sent,

responded, or not responded or the filter can be defined by selecting one of the four record

fields—e-mail, first name, last name, or custom data—and further filtered by a text string

that ‘‘starts with,’’ ‘‘ends with,’’ ‘‘contains,’’ or ‘‘equals.’’

2.5. Survey analysis

The analysis function allows the subscriber to view a summary tabulation of all

respondent’s answers or a detailed viewing of each respondent’s answers. The results can

be viewed showing all questions, questions limited to a specific page, or limited to a specific

question. Filters can also be applied that will select respondents who answered a specific

question with a specific response. Multiple filters can be developed, and criteria such as

‘‘match every filter,’’ ‘‘match any filter,’’ or ‘‘match a combination of filters’’ can be used.

Professional subscribers can share survey results with others. SurveyMonkey generates a

unique URL containing the access string to enable others to view results without having to

log in as a subscriber. In addition to sharing results by giving out the URL, the subscriber can

turn sharing on and off. The subscriber can also control if summary data, detailed data, or

both can be viewed. Additional controls include allowing open-ended responses to be viewed,

allowing others to apply filters, and allowing others to download survey data.

3. Conclusion

It is the reviewer’s opinion that SurveyMonkey.com is an excellent survey and evaluation

tool for online learning environments and for research in the field of online learning

environments. It is easy to configure, has a rich array of options, and is easy to work with.

The basic subscriber capabilities are good and can easily handle situations where less than

10 questions and 100 responses are expected. A significant benefit is that the basic package

is free. Additionally, the more extensive capabilities of the professional package cost only

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US$19.95 per month without a long-term commitment and can be implemented for specific

research projects.

SurveyMonkey is so confident of its capabilities and how it compares to its competition

that it provides hot links to 35 major competitors’ websites. After looking at their

competition, this reviewer agrees that SurveyMonkey is one of the better survey offerings

available and should receive serious consideration by those looking for a survey tool.

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