Looking to make your surveys smarter, not just longer? This guide is for anyone who’s tired of sending the same boring questions to everyone—whether you’re in marketing, research, or just trying to make sense of customer feedback. We’re diving into setting up conditional logic in Alchemer, so you can create targeted survey flows that actually make sense for your audience. No fluff, no jargon—just what works (and what to skip).
Why Conditional Logic? (And When It’s Overkill)
Conditional logic is what lets you show (or hide) questions in a survey based on someone’s previous answers. Think of it as building a “choose your own adventure” instead of a one-size-fits-all form.
It’s great for: - Skipping irrelevant questions (“Have you bought from us before?” If not, skip the “How was your purchase?” stuff) - Routing folks to different follow-ups based on their feedback - Keeping surveys short and to-the-point, which means less drop-off
But don’t go overboard. If you add logic to every other question, things get messy—fast. Conditional logic is for clarity, not to show off how clever you are.
Step 1: Map Your Survey Flow (Before You Touch Alchemer)
Pro tip: The biggest time-waster is building logic before you know what you want. Grab a notepad or whiteboard. Sketch out:
- The key questions everyone should see
- Which questions only make sense to show after specific answers
- Any “thank you” pages or redirects for certain answer paths
You don’t need a fancy flowchart tool. Boxes and arrows work fine. The goal: make sure your logic makes sense before you make it digital.
What to skip: Don’t try to plan for every possible answer. Stick to what’s meaningful for your goals. The more branches, the harder it is to test and maintain.
Step 2: Set Up Your Survey in Alchemer
Once your flow is mapped, head into Alchemer and build out all your questions—no logic yet. This gets everything in one place, so you can reference question numbers and answer options easily.
- Create your survey and add all your questions in the order you want them to appear by default.
- Don’t worry if some questions will eventually be skipped. You’ll handle that in the next step.
- Use clear, simple labels for each question. If you have multiple branches, number or name them descriptively (e.g., “Q4 – Purchase Details”).
Why not build the logic while adding questions? You’ll just confuse yourself if you start jumping ahead. Get the structure down first.
Step 3: Add Page Logic to Control Survey Branching
Alchemer lets you add logic at the page or question level. It’s best to group related questions onto pages—then use page logic to route respondents.
How to add page logic: 1. In your survey builder, click on the page you want to control. 2. Look for the “Logic” or “Page Logic” tab (the interface changes occasionally, but it’s there). 3. Set your condition. Example: “Only show this page if Question 2 = Yes.” 4. Test the logic—Alchemer has a “Test Survey” mode for this.
When to use page logic: - When you want to skip a whole section based on a single answer. - When managing multi-path surveys (e.g., customers vs. non-customers).
What doesn’t work well: - Overlapping page logic (e.g., two pages that could both be shown for the same answer). People get lost, or your data gets messy. Keep branches clear and non-overlapping.
Step 4: Use Question Logic for Targeted Follow-Ups
Sometimes you just want to hide or show one question based on a previous answer. That’s where question logic comes in.
How to add question logic: 1. Select the question you want to hide/show. 2. Find the “Logic” tab or “Show/Hide Logic.” 3. Set your condition (e.g., “Show only if Q3 = ‘No’”). 4. Save and test.
Examples that work: - Only ask “Why did you rate us poorly?” if someone gives a low rating. - Show “Which product did you buy?” only if they said they purchased recently.
What to ignore: - Don’t use question logic for major branches—use page logic for that. Otherwise you’ll be stuck with a spaghetti mess when you try to make changes later.
Step 5: Set Up Action Logic (Optional, But Handy)
Alchemer’s “Actions” let you do more than just show/hide questions: - Send an email when someone picks a certain answer - Redirect to a special thank-you page - Show a custom message based on their choices
How to use actions: 1. Add an “Action” to a page (look for “Add Action” or similar). 2. Pick the type (e.g., Email, Redirect, Message). 3. Set the logic condition. 4. Test thoroughly—actions can fail silently if set up wrong.
Caution: Only use actions when it adds real value. If you’re just trying to get fancy, it’s usually not worth the hassle. They can break if you change your logic later and forget to update the action triggers.
Step 6: Test Every Path (Seriously—Don’t Skip This)
Conditional logic is only as good as your testing. Alchemer will preview your survey, but you need to run through every major path:
- Try all the key answer combinations that should trigger different logic.
- Look for “dead ends” (pages with no questions, or weird jumps).
- Check for data gaps (missing answers in the reporting export).
Pro tip: Have someone else walk through the survey. You’re too close to it by now and will miss obvious stuff.
Step 7: Launch Small, Watch for Drop-offs
Once you’re sure things work, send your survey to a small test batch first. Watch for:
- People skipping lots of questions (maybe your logic is too strict)
- Folks getting stuck or abandoning (maybe a logic error)
- Weird data results (blank responses, wrong routing)
Fix anything you find, then roll out to your full audience. Don’t be surprised if you have to tweak the logic after launch—it’s normal.
Tips for Keeping Your Logic Sane
- Name your questions clearly. “Q2 – Customer Type” is better than “Q2.”
- Document your logic. A quick note in a spreadsheet or doc saves your sanity later.
- Don’t nest logic if you can avoid it. The more “if this AND if that AND if this other thing,” the harder it is to debug.
- Keep it simple. If you’re getting lost in your own survey, your respondents definitely will.
What Alchemer Does Well (and Where It Gets Clunky)
The good: - Logic rules are pretty flexible once you get the hang of it. - You can stack conditions (AND/OR) for more complex flows. - Testing tools are solid.
The annoying: - The interface can be fiddly, especially if you have a big survey. - Moving questions around after you add logic sometimes breaks things. - Documentation is okay, but assumes you already know their terms.
Alternatives: If you find Alchemer’s logic overwhelming for simple surveys, tools like Google Forms or Typeform are simpler—but much less powerful for complex flows.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Conditional logic can make your surveys way better—but only if you use it to cut clutter, not add complexity. Start with a basic flow, add logic where it matters, and test like crazy. Don’t let the tool distract you from your real goal: getting useful data without annoying your audience.
If you keep things clear and don’t try to build the world’s most elaborate survey on your first go, you’ll be way ahead of the pack. Good luck—and remember, you can always tweak and improve as you go.