🎙️ qFlow

Pages and groups

Questionnaires are divided into pages. Each page may contain one or more questions belonging to the same topic group. Use the Next → and ← Back buttons at the bottom of each page to move through the questionnaire.

Progress bar

The bar at the top shows how many questions you have answered so far. The coloured breadcrumb trail below it shows which section you are currently in.

Required questions

Questions marked with a red * must be answered before you can advance to the next page. If you try to proceed without answering them, the missing fields will be highlighted.

Going back

You can navigate back to previous pages at any time. Your answers are preserved — going back does not delete anything.

Auto-save

Your answers are saved automatically as you work. A small status indicator appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen confirming each save. You do not need to do anything to trigger it.

Resume link

Once your first answer has been saved, a personal resume link appears in the progress bar area. Copy or bookmark this link to return to the questionnaire later — on any device and any browser — and pick up exactly where you left off.

Some questionnaires begin with a consent page. Each item describes how your data will be used. Items marked Required must be checked before you can proceed. Read each item carefully and tick the ones you agree to.

If a required item is something you cannot agree to, you will not be able to continue with this questionnaire. Contact the research team if you have questions about any consent item.

Short text Type your answer directly in the field. There is no word limit unless the question states one.

Email Enter a valid email address in the standard format — for example, [email protected]. The field will flag incorrectly formatted addresses before you can proceed.

You can edit your answer at any time before moving to the next page.

Long text A larger text area where you can write as much or as little as you like. The field expands vertically as you type, so you are never limited by the visible size.

You can revise your answer freely before submitting or moving on to the next page.

Text or audio These questions give you three options: type only, record audio only, or do both. The choice is entirely yours.

Recording audio

• Click 🎤 Start Recording. Your browser may ask permission to use your microphone — click Allow.
• A live level meter confirms your microphone is active. Speak clearly at a normal distance.
• Click ⏸ Pause at any point to pause the recording without losing what you have said so far. Click again to resume.
• When you are done, click Finalise. An audio player will appear so you can preview your recording.
• If you are not happy with the recording, click Delete and start again.

What happens to your audio

Your audio is uploaded securely when the page is auto-saved or when you submit. The research team will transcribe it after the questionnaire closes. You do not need to transcribe it yourself.

Scale A numbered scale — typically 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 — with labelled endpoints. Click any numbered circle to record your selection. You can change your selection at any time before moving on.

The labels at each end of the scale (for example, Strongly disagree to Strongly agree, or Not important to Very important) define what the numbers mean for that specific question.

There are no right or wrong answers. Your independent, honest judgement is what the research is looking for.

Single choice Select the one option that best matches your answer. Click a different option at any time to change your selection.

Multiple choice Select all options that apply. There is no required number of selections unless the question states one. Click a selected option again to deselect it.

Some questions include a small Confidence selector alongside the main answer field. This is a separate, optional measurement.

It asks how certain you are of your answer — not how strongly you feel about it, and not whether you agree or disagree with something.

• 1 — You are largely guessing, or the question is outside your direct expertise.
• 5 — You are highly confident in what you have written or selected.

Ratings in between reflect intermediate levels of certainty. Your honesty here is more valuable to the research than picking a high number.

On the final page, click Submit → to send your completed questionnaire. You will be taken to a confirmation page showing your unique participant code — keep a note of this as it identifies your submission to the research team.

Once submitted, your answers cannot be edited unless the research team has specifically enabled a revision round and sent you an invitation link.

While filling in a questionnaire, a ✉️ Contact researcher button is available in the navigation bar at the bottom of each page. Use it to send an anonymous message to the research team if you have a question about the study or a specific question.

Messages are delivered anonymously. If you would like a reply, include your participant code in the message body.