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MaxDiff exercises

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A MaxDiff exercise, also known as "best-worst" scaling, asks respondents to choose their most and least important choice between pairs of statements or items. 

Details

  • A MaxDiff consists of two components: a design sheet and the type: maxdiff tag that builds the exercise.
  • A MaxDiff can either use an explicitly specified design sheet using the design from tag, or the software can find the best design for the exercise. 
  • The statements can be defined using a statements from listcall tag as in the example above, or by building them inline directly in the MaxDiff question.
  • The MaxDiff data output includes a variable QMD_TRACK which indicates which track the respondent took, as well as a series of QMD_XL and QMD_XM variables. The "_XL" variable stores the selection for the Least option for that iteration, and "_XM" stores the option selected for Most.
  • The MaxDiff system variables $maxdiff_task and $maxdiff_task_count can be used in programming logic to refer to the current task (page) and the total number of tasks.

Tips! A MaxDiff can be scored and used for TURF analysis directly within the platform. See Scoring a MaxDiff for more information on analysis, raw scores, and rescaled scores.

IntelliSurvey also supports "expedited MaxDiffs." For assistance with customization, contact Support or send an email to help@intellisurvey.com.

MaxDiff tags

Depending on which method you use to create a MaxDiff, there are several tags that can be applied to customize the exercise.

MaxDiff tags Description
design from

Specifies the name of the sheet containing the MaxDiff design. If not provided, the software will automatically use the best matching design from existing ones in the system.

Note, design from contains all the design information needed for creating a MaxDiff. The statement shows and statement per page tags cannot be used in conjunction with design from.
layout

Describes the column ordering for how the exercise is displayed, with 'M' for most, 'L' for least, and 'S' for statement. The ordering of these letters controls the ordering of the columns on the page. Standard ordering, if omitted, is 'MSL' (statements in the middle). Available configurations are listed below.

  • MSL = Most, Statement, Least
  • LSM = Least, Statement, Most
  • MLS = Most, Least, Statement
  • SML = Statement, Most, Least
  • LMS = Least, Most, Statement
  • SLM = Statement, Most, Least
most/least Changes the text for the "most" and "least" columns, respectively. If not provided, defaults to "Most" and "Least."
notice

Specifies a text to display to the respondent, often called a "boost" or encouragement message. Multiple notice tags can be added.

The notice tag supports the following decorators:

  • set: Indicates which set or individual question page within the MaxDiff exercise should show the message, e.g., {set: 5}.
  • closebutton: y: Adds a close button (X) to the message, allowing users to close it without clicking outside the pop-up.
raw scores

If set to 'y', raw scores are included in the output during scoring.

Raw scores represent the calculated MaxDiff scores, where the average score for each person across all items is '0'. Negative scores indicate items less important than average, while positive scores indicate items more important than average.
set order Accepts both explicit ordering and shorthand ordering syntax to define the sets' displayed order.
statement shows

Specifies the number of times to display a statement to the respondent.

Note, this tag is used in place of the design from tag.
statements from Required unless using an inline list of statements. Behaves similarly to the optsfrom tag. Specifies the set list to pull the statements from.
statements per page

Specifies the number of statements to display on each page to the respondent.

Note, this tag is used in place of the design from tag.

track picker or

track selector

 If set to 'y', a question is added before the MaxDiff to allow survey testers to choose a track. This question is only shown to test records.

Tips! You can reference MaxDiff system variables to create helpful instructions, such as "Page X of Y", where "X" indicates how many pages they've answered out of the total. For example: instructions: Page $maxdiff_task of $maxdiff_task_count.

Decorators cannot be used directly on the statements from tag. If need be, create a set list first of the statements including the decorators, then reference the list in statements from.

Commonly used tags

There are several other tags that can be applied to a MaxDiff exercise. The most common tags are listed below.

Other tags Description
heading or headings Creates a header for the columns. Use 'headings' to create multiple headers.
instructions Specifies the instructions that appear below the intro/question text.
mode: mobile Provides a more "mobile-friendly" version of the MaxDiff exercise, displaying the exercise with a single column of buttons where the user can click either the left or right side of the button to indicate Least/Most.
preface Places the specified text above the MaxDiff introduction text.
progress bar If set to 'y', a progress bar will be displayed, incrementing as the respondent progresses through the exercise.
randomize If set to 'y', the statement order is randomized on each page.
table heading Defines the heading text that will appear above the statements column in the MaxDiff table.

Additional examples

Modifying how statements are displayed

If the system defaults for the MaxDiff design need to be adjusted, certain parameters can be modified with the statement shows and/or statements per page tags. These tags specify how many times each statement should be shown to the respondent (in total) and the number of statements to include per page, respectively.

set list: FRUITS
1. Apple
2. Banana
3. Pear
4. Orange
5. Mango
6. Strawberry
7. Kiwi
8. Lemon
9. Lime
10. Grapes

MD1. Rate which fruits in each set you enjoy most and the least.
type: maxdiff
statements from: FRUITS
statement shows: 3
statements per page: 5

MaxDiffs typically display each statement 3 times (in total) and include 4 or 5 statements per page, but these can be slightly increased or decreased using these parameters if the design supports it. If the software cannot find a design match, the parser will display a red error message and suggest potential adjustments to match existing design formats.

Using inline statements

Rather than creating a list and using the statements from tag, the MaxDiff statements can be built directly onto the question itself.  The functionality is the same.

18. When booking a package trip / holiday, which factors are most important and least important in selecting who to book through?
type: maxdiff
1. Ability to customise the package
2. Wide selection of suitable flight options
3. Cheapest prices
4. Quality of customer support
5. Flexible payment options 
6. Flexible and clear cancellation
7. Provides sustainable holiday options and policies
8. Trustworthiness of the company
9. Quality of accommodation offered
10. Quality of flights offered

Specifying a design from a sheet

System design sheets can be referenced and "called in" with the design from tag. The designs available depend on the number of statements in the list. For example, the sheet 'system.zmd_10stmts_4ppg_8pgs_3shows' supports 10 statements, with four statements per page, each shown three times, across a total of eight pages.

set list: FRUITS
1. Apple
2. Banana
3. Pear
4. Orange
5. Mango
6. Strawberry
7. Kiwi
8. Lemon
9. Lime
10. Grapes

MD2. Rate which fruits in each set you enjoy most and the least.
type: maxdiff
statements from: FRUITS
design from: system.zmd_10stmts_4ppg_8pgs_3shows

The design sheet already accounts for the total number of statements in the list and uses this to determine the number of statements per page and total shows. Therefore, when the design from tag is applied, the statement shows and statements per page tags cannot be used.

Including a notice

The following example demonstrates how to add a custom message halfway through the exercise using the notice tag. The set decorator defines when the message appears, and the closebutton decorator adds an "X" to the pop-up message window.

Balancing the track assignment across variables

In cases where it is necessary to balance the track assignment across various groups such as countries or demographics, a variable can be included to utilize the balanceby tag and then set the value of the MaxDiff track. It is important to note that this process must be done on a screen prior to the MaxDiff exercise, as done with the show text in the example below. 

CO. In which country do you reside?
type: radio
1. US
2. UK

TRACK_BAL. Track balance variable
type: radio
selectby: balance
balanceby: QCO
lock: y
optfrom: series[1..10]

set value
question: Q18_TRACK
value: $QTRACK_BAL

show text: MAXINTRO_Q18
text: <p>On the next few screens, please select the one that is the most appealing and the one that is least appealing.

set list: MDSTATEMENTS
1. Ability to customise the package
2. Wide selection of suitable flight options
3. Cheapest prices
4. Quality of customer support
5. Flexible payment options 
6. Flexible and clear cancellation
7. Provides sustainable holiday options and policies
8. Trustworthiness of the company
9. Quality of accommodation offered
10. Quality of flights offered
11. Ease of booking
12. Value for Money
13. Loyalty programmes or incentives
14. One-stop-shop covering all booking needs
15. Personalised options based on my preferences and budget
16. Wide selection of suitable accommodation options

create maxdiff: 18
intro: When booking a <i>package trip / holiday</i>, which factors are most important and least important in selecting who to book through?
statements from: MDSTATEMENTS
layout: LSM
most: Most important
least: Least important

Note: If a system design sheet is being used, the number of tracks for the balanceby variable can be found by first compiling the MaxDiff exercise alone and then looking at the track selection variable either in the reports or by clicking on the "Current Value" in the Record Data of a test record.

Adjusting for mobile devices

To provide a better user experience, the mode: mobile tag can be applied to MaxDiff exercises for a more streamlined view on mobile devices. This mode displays the exercise in a single column, with statements acting as buttons. By default, clicking the left side selects "Least," and the right side selects "Most." The layout tag can be used to flip this behavior if needed.

The instructions tag can be used to clarify how respondents should make their selections.

Tip! Since mode: mobile displays a MaxDiff exercise as a single column, when using the layout tag, the 'S' is not required. Instead inputs of 'LM' or 'ML' (default) are accepted.

Using the 'create maxdiff' widget

The MaxDiff exercise introduced at the beginning of the article can also be built with the create maxdiff widget, as shown below. The user experience and reporting output remain the same.

set list: MDSTATEMENTS
1. Ability to customise the package
2. Wide selection of suitable flight options
3. Cheapest prices
4. Quality of customer support
5. Flexible payment options 
6. Flexible and clear cancellation
7. Provides sustainable holiday options and policies
8. Trustworthiness of the company
9. Quality of accommodation offered
10. Quality of flights offered
11. Ease of booking
12. Value for money
13. Loyalty programmes or incentives
14. One-stop-shop covering all booking needs
15. Personalised options based on my preferences and budget
16. Wide selection of suitable accommodation options

create maxdiff: 18
intro: When booking a <i>package trip / holiday</i>, which factors are most important and least important in selecting who to book through?
statements from: MDSTATEMENTS
layout: LSM
most: Most important
least: Least important

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