An even better respondent experience

A new help tutorial, improved mobile responsiveness and much more. Keep reading to discover what’s new in Maplix as of March 2022.

We are aware that not everyone is 100% digitally savvy or knows how to navigate on a map. You can’t expect everyone to excel in everything, right? We understand. That’s why we have made it a personal mission to make our surveys accessible, understandable and above all a fun experience for everyone.

This particular focus on user-friendliness is certainly not new, and is already reflected in multiple aspects of our map based surveys. A visually attractive and clean map interface is an inherent part of our mission. Not too many buttons, not too much hassle. Only what’s necessary. In addition, the application allows for creative use of colors, logos, icons and drawing interactions in order to align a survey as closely as possible with the target group to be reached.

And our mission is far from completed. That is why our platform is constantly being tested in the real world by conducting tests with different user groups. Did you know that 10 year old children can easily participate in a Maplix survey, because of the right use of colorful and adaptable survey design, fun icons and simple language? That’s right! To continue our mission, a number of new features have once again been added this month. Read more about them below.

New tutorial to navigate on the map

Navigating an online map doesn’t come easy for everyone. Zooming, searching for a specific location, panning or drawing a point, line, polygon or route on a map isn’t something we all do daily. We know that. That’s why we’ve integrated several tutorials into the map interface to help respondents get started when needed.

When a respondent starts their drawing on the map, it can rely on a tutorial to further assist the respondent in completing the drawing as correctly as possible. This functionality has existed since day 1 and has been used by many respondents with great success.

In addition, a new tutorial has now been added to the general map interface before the respondent starts drawing. This way the respondent is guided through their task: answering the questions of the survey in a spatial way. For that purpose, a separate help button with underlying tutorial has been added on the map. This help button immediately catches the eye and helps respondents through the first important steps of their map navigation. Respondents learn, for example, how to change the background map to their own liking, to find their home address, to toggle additional spatial data layers or to start a drawing interaction by clicking on the right buttons. Every aspect of the platform is explained in a simple way, and can be played repeatedly, according to the respondent’s wishes. Ready, set, go!

New tutorial to navigate on the map

Improved ease of use on smartphone and tablet

Did you know that Maplix surveys are completely mobile responsive? This means that respondents can use their smartphone or tablet in addition to their computer or laptop to take part in a survey. The map interface is displayed in a simplified way, making sure that everything fits onto the smaller screen. Using the respondents’ feedback, a number of improvements were added. For instance, we made sure that each button on the map now has a clear explanation by being able to expand or collapse them. Additionally, each question type is perfectly adjusted for touchscreen use, and uploading files or photos can easily be done on a mobile device with the direct connection to the camera or gallery.

Participating in a Maplix survey on a smartphone

Are you sure?

We’ve all been in a situation where we accidentally close a browser tab. Or when we’re scrolling a bit too eagerly on a smartphone and accidentally reload the page. When taking part in a survey, it could be extremely tedious to have to answer all these questions again, and as a researcher, it leads to duplicated responses. We learned this too, and solved this for the respondents. When trying to close or refresh an uncompleted survey, the browser will alert the respondent, allowing the respondent to stay on the page and complete the survey. Subsequently, when a respondent reaches the end of a survey, they will now get a confirmation prompt to make absolutely sure they didn’t forget anything before completing they survey response and submitting their final answers. A win win situation for both researchers and respondents!

Confirmation prompt before ending a survey and submitting the response

Anke Bracke

Anke Bracke

Mar 2022

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