A brief note on the questionnaire survey tool of Shout (formerly Kwiksurveys) and a comparison with that of Google Form (information from perplexity.ai)
My question 1: "What are the main survey functions of the questionnaire tool of Shout?"
The reply: "The main survey functions of the questionnaire tool in Shout include a wide variety of question types such as multiple choice, scales & sliders, matrix, order ranking, date collection, picture choice, numeric inputs, contact forms, drop down lists, text boxes, and star ratings. Shout supports survey customization, allowing designs to be personalized with logos, images, and videos, and offers the ability to switch between single question per page and multiple questions per page formats. It provides features like question logic, text piping for personalized journeys, and response validation to improve data quality.
For survey distribution, Shout enables sending surveys via URL links, QR codes, email invitations, website embeds, pop-ups, slideouts, and social media sharing. It has integrated CRM capabilities for GDPR compliance, contact management, and automated email campaigns with tracking of performance metrics. Shout also offers real-time reporting and analytics with advanced filtering, cross-tabulation, and customer segmentation to drill down into feedback at both summary and individual respondent levels.
Additional features include duplicate response blocking, multi-language support, customizable exit pages, quiz building with automated scoring, score display, and custom score messages. Shout is mobile-friendly and team-oriented, allowing collaboration on survey creation and analysis. Its audience panel lets users find respondents globally using detailed targeting criteria. Overall, Shout is a privacy-first, compliance-focused survey tool that combines ease of use with powerful customization and data analysis functions essential for customer, employee, and experience research."
My question 2: "Does it have a free of charge version for the public to use?"
The reply: "Yes, Shout (formerly KwikSurveys) offers a free version of their survey tool for public use. This free version includes customizable templates and basic survey creation features. However, the types of questions you can ask in the free version are somewhat limited, particularly lacking an open answer choice. The dashboard is user-friendly, and results can be exported in various file formats. For more advanced features and greater question variety, paid plans are available, but the free tier provides a solid option for simple and quick surveys."
My question 3: "Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the questionnaire tools (the free version) of Shout and that of Google Form with regard to doing online questionnaire survey?"
The reply: "Here is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the free questionnaire tools of Shout and Google Forms for conducting online questionnaire surveys:
|
Feature |
Shout
Free Version |
|
|
Question
Types |
Limited
question types; lacks open answer choice |
Wide
variety of question types including open text |
|
User
Interface |
Lightweight,
easy to use dashboard |
Intuitive,
well-integrated with Google ecosystem |
|
Customization |
Basic
customization with templates |
Good
customization with themes, images, and branding |
|
Data
Export |
Multiple
export formats |
Exports
to Sheets, CSV, and others |
|
Survey
Logic |
Limited or
no advanced logic in free plan |
Supports
simple conditional logic |
|
Collaboration |
Basic
team-oriented features |
Real-time
collaboration with Google accounts |
|
Response
Validation |
Basic
validation |
Good
validation options |
|
Privacy
& Compliance |
Privacy-first
focus, GDPR compliant |
Good
security, but depends on Google's policies |
|
Sharing
Options |
URL
links, QR codes, embeddings |
URL
links, email, embedding, social media |
|
Limitations |
Limited question
variety, lacks open-ended responses |
No
branding removal; limited design customization |
|
Mobile
Friendly |
Yes |
Yes |
Shout’s free version is more privacy-focused and compliant with data protection standards, which could be important for sensitive research. It offers customization and some distribution variety but is limited in open-ended question types and complex survey logic.
Google Forms is more versatile in question types, including open-ended responses, and supports better collaboration within teams. It offers easy integration with the Google ecosystem, strong customization, and simple logic branching but does not emphasize privacy to the same extent as Shout.
Choosing between them depends on the balance you want between privacy, question type versatility, ease of collaboration, and survey complexity for online questionnaire surveys.
Question 4: "Is it true that questionnaire respondents have to have a Google account before they can participate in the questionnaire survey?"
The reply: "It is not generally true that respondents must have a Google account to participate in a Google Forms questionnaire survey. By default, anyone with the survey link can respond without signing into a Google account. However, if the form creator enables certain restrictions, such as limiting responses to one per person, or restricting access to users within a specific organization, then respondents will be required to sign in with a Google account to comply with these rules.
In summary:
Creating and managing Google Forms requires a Google account.
Respondents do not need a Google account unless the form has settings that require sign-in.
Sign-in is typically required for features like limiting one response per user or restricting the survey to members of a Google Workspace organization.
Without these restrictions, Google Forms can be accessed and completed publicly by anyone without a Google account.
This makes Google Forms flexible in terms of respondent access depending on the survey settings chosen by the creator."
A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.

