Why We're Building Lensym – Survey Research Platform for Trusted Data
We're building Lensym, a survey research platform that doesn't force researchers to choose between methodological rigor and usable design. Research-grade tools that respect both data quality and the humans collecting it.
Survey research has a usability problem. We're building Lensym, a survey research platform that fixes this.
Not the kind of problem that shows up in user testing or heatmaps. The kind that surfaces three weeks into a longitudinal study, when you discover your branching logic doesn't work as intended. Or when you realize that collaborating with a colleague means emailing spreadsheets back and forth. Or when GDPR compliance requires you to manually pseudonymize data before export.
These aren't edge cases. They're routine friction points that consume hours, introduce errors, and make methodologically sound research harder than it should be.
TL;DR:
- The Problem: Survey tools force a false choice between enterprise complexity and oversimplified builders.
- Our Solution: Research-grade features (graph editor, expression piping, real-time collaboration) in a modern, accessible interface.
- Who It's For: Researchers, UX teams, and organizations that need trusted data without sacrificing usability.
- What's Different: GDPR-ready, no lock-in, transparent pricing (starting at €24/month), a rich free plan and progressive disclosure—complexity only where you need it.
The Problem: A False Trade-Off
If you've used survey tools recently, you've likely encountered this choice:
Option A: Enterprise research platforms that handle complex logic, advanced piping, and detailed analytics, but require training courses, cost thousands per year, and feel like they were designed decades ago.
Option B: Modern survey builders with clean interfaces and fast setup, but no conditional branching beyond basic skip logic, limited question types, and analytics that stop at bar charts.
This is a false trade-off. There's no technical reason why methodological rigor can't coexist with thoughtful design. No fundamental law that says powerful tools must be opaque or that accessible interfaces must be simplistic.
The real issue is priorities. Most survey platforms optimize for one thing (enterprise sales cycles or viral adoption) and treat everything else as secondary. Data quality becomes a premium tier. Collaboration requires paid add-ons. Export flexibility is gated behind enterprise contracts.
We think researchers deserve better. Hence Lensym: a survey research platform for researchers, with researchers.
What "Research-Grade" Actually Means
When we say Lensym is built for research-grade work, we're being specific about what that entails:
Visual thinking for complex flows.
Most survey builders force you to think linearly: Question 1, Question 2, Question 3. But research rarely works that way. Studies branch based on answers, skip irrelevant sections, loop back for validation, and route respondents down different paths.
Lensym's graph editor lets you think in two dimensions. Each question becomes a node. Logic connections become visible edges. You can see the entire survey structure at a glance, identify bottlenecks, trace alternate paths, and spot circular dependencies before they become problems. When you're building a screening survey with five different qualification paths, or a longitudinal study with conditional follow-ups, spatial reasoning matters. The graph editor doesn't just display your survey. It makes complex design manageable.
Conditional logic that respects complexity.
Many use nested conditions, multiple dependencies, and time-based triggers. Your survey tool should make these patterns visible and testable, not buried in obscure menus. Logic should be declarative: "Show Question 7 if age > 18 AND consent = true." You define the rules. Lensym handles the execution. When something breaks, you can see exactly which condition failed and why.
Validation at the data layer.
Bad data is worse than no data. Every question type in Lensym supports validation rules, custom error messages, and constraints that run client-side for immediate feedback and server-side for security. Email formats, numeric ranges, date boundaries, file types: these aren't optional features. They're basic requirements for usable data.
Piping that goes beyond mail merge.
Most survey tools let you insert previous answers into question text. ${v:firstName} becomes "John" in the next question. That's definitely useful for basic personalization.
But research designs often need more. If Question 1 asks for annual salary and Question 2 asks "How much do you save monthly?", you need to set Q2's maximum to ${e:{salary} / 12} to prevent impossible answers. If you're calculating eligibility based on multiple numeric responses, you need ${e:{income} - {expenses}} or ${e:sum({q4_options})}. If routing depends on whether a score crosses a threshold, you need ${e:{total} > 70 ? 'qualified' : 'screener_out'}.
Lensym supports expression-level piping because surveys aren't just forms. They're dynamic instruments that calculate, compare, and transform data as respondents move through them. You can pipe numeric values into calculations, apply string operations to text responses, format dates relative to answers, and use conditional logic to show different content based on derived values. When a UX researcher needs to show "You rated feature A as ${v:rating_a}, which is ${e:{rating_a} - {rating_b}} points higher than feature B," the survey tool should make that simple, not impossible.
Analytics that match your methods.
Lensym's built-in analytics provide the first layer of insight you need: completion rates, response distributions, drop-off patterns, cross-tabulation, and trend analysis over collection periods. These aren't vanity metrics. They're the diagnostic views that tell you whether your survey is performing as intended and where interesting patterns emerge.
For deeper statistical work, publication-ready analysis, or custom modeling, you'll export to specialized tools. That's expected. What matters is that the export process is seamless: clean CSV or Excel files with proper data types, date filtering, question selection, and metadata that makes sense. You shouldn't spend hours reformatting data before you can begin real analysis. Lensym's analytics show you what's worth investigating. Your statistical software handles the rest.
GDPR compliance without retrofitting.
European researchers deal with data protection rules that matter. We designed Lensym with GDPR principles from the start: EU data residency, pseudonymization options, clear retention policies, and no tracking cookies. Privacy isn't a checkbox. It's embedded in how the system works. For deeper context on survey methodology best practices.
These aren't premium features. They're baseline requirements for collecting data you can trust.
Why Collaboration Changes Everything
Most survey tools treat collaboration as an afterthought. You can "share" a survey, but editing together means locking sections, managing versions manually, or hoping nobody overwrites someone else's changes.
This doesn't reflect how research actually happens. Projects involve multiple stakeholders: a methods lead designs the survey structure, a domain expert refines question wording, a data analyst configures export settings. These people need to work together, not in sequence.
Lensym's real-time collaboration (Lensync) uses conflict-free replication, the same technology that powers Google Docs and Figma. Multiple people can edit simultaneously without stepping on each other's work. You see cursors, live updates, and presence indicators. Changes propagate instantly (under 100 milliseconds).
This isn't just convenient. It improves survey quality. When a team can review logic flows together, discuss question order in real time, and test skip patterns collaboratively, you catch issues before launch, not after 200 responses are already collected.
Accessibility Without Sacrificing Depth
Lensym works for both ends of the spectrum. If you need a simple survey, you can build one without being overwhelmed by options you don't need. The interface stays clean, focused, and fast.
But here's what matters: power features are always just a few clicks away. Advanced piping, complex conditional logic, graph-based editing, and expression-level validation are there when you need them. They don't clutter the interface when you don't.
This isn't a "simple mode" versus "advanced mode" split. It's progressive disclosure done with you in mind. Start simple. Add complexity only where your research demands it. The tool adapts to your needs, not the other way around.
Lensym offers three editing modes for this reason:
List Editor: For straightforward surveys where you want to add questions, configure settings, and move on. Fast, focused, no unnecessary features.
Single-Question Editor: For detailed work on individual items. When you're crafting a complex Likert matrix or setting up multi-level validation, you want full-screen focus without distractions.
Graph Editor: For visualizing survey flow. Complex branching becomes manageable when you can see the entire structure, test paths, and identify circular dependencies visually. This intuitive editor makes any complex survey possible.
Different tasks need different tools. The options are there, you simply decide your ideal workflow.
Building for the Real World
Survey research happens in constrained environments. Budgets are limited. Timelines are tight. Teams are distributed. Compliance requirements are non-negotiable.
We're building Lensym to work within those realities:
Pricing that reflects value, not vendor leverage.
Essential plan: €24/month annually. Unlimited surveys, all editors, real-time collaboration, advanced question types, and comprehensive analytics. We don't believe in locking crucial features behind an enterprise plan.
Export flexibility.
CSV, Excel, PDF, and more: with date filtering, question selection, and metadata control. Your data isn't held hostage. If you need raw response files for statistical software or formatted reports for stakeholders, you get both.
No lock-in.
Your work stays yours: export everything at any time. Your survey definitions, response data, and analytics are yours. We compete on quality, not switching costs.
These aren't marketing points. They're design decisions that reflect how we think research tools should operate.
What We're Not Building
Lensym isn't trying to be everything to everyone. We're not building a CRM, a marketing automation suite. Nor are we trying to reinvent statistical software.
We're focused on survey research, no matter how simple or complex: designing surveys with complex logic, collecting responses with data quality controls, analyzing results with appropriate statistical tools, and collaborating throughout the process.
If you need multi-step application forms with payment processing, there are better tools. If you want to embed a single-question poll in a blog sidebar, we're probably overkill.
But if you're collecting customer feedback, conducting user research, running academic studies, or gathering employee insights—whether simple or complex—Lensym is built for that work. Start with a basic survey. Scale to conditional flows and validation when you need them.
Where We're Going
Lensym is in active development. The core platform is stable: everything mentioned above works. Surveys work, collaboration works, data export works. But there's more to build:
Sentiment analysis for open-text responses. Longitudinal tracking across survey waves. Multi-survey benchmarking for enterprise teams. Advanced randomization for experimental designs. SOC 2 certification for regulated industries. Carefully curated templates, and much more!
We're building these features because they matter for research quality, not because they sound impressive on a landing page.
If you've read this far, you probably understand why this work matters. Survey research is how we understand users, measure impact, and make evidence-based decisions. The tools we use shape what's possible.
Try It Yourself
Lensym is available for early access. We're working with research teams, product groups, and agencies to refine the platform before broader release.
If you're interested in seeing whether Lensym fits your workflow, request early access. We'd appreciate the feedback, and you'll get to shape how the platform evolves.
We're building this for you: the people who know that data quality isn't optional and that research tools should help, not hinder. Let's see if we got it right.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a research-grade survey platform?
A research-grade survey platform supports methodologically sound data collection: complex conditional logic, validated question types, expression-level piping, and export formats that work with statistical software. It's built for accuracy and reproducibility, not just fast deployment.
How is Lensym GDPR-ready?
Lensym was designed with GDPR principles from the start: EU data residency, built-in pseudonymization, clear retention policies, and no third-party tracking cookies. Learn more on our GDPR compliance page.
Can I do complex piping and calculations in Lensym?
Yes. Lensym supports expression-level piping: ${e:{salary} / 12} for validation, ${e:{score} > 70 ? 'qualified' : 'screener_out'} for routing, and ${e:{rating_a} - {rating_b}} for dynamic feedback. Pipe text, numbers, dates, and logic across questions.
Who is Lensym built for?
Researchers, UX teams, product managers, and organizations that need trusted data. Whether you're running academic studies, customer feedback surveys, or employee insights, Lensym works for simple surveys and scales to complex, multi-path designs.
About the Author
The Lensym Team builds survey research tools for teams that value both data quality and usability. We're researchers, designers, and engineers who've experienced the frustration of existing platforms—and decided to build something better.