Design Surveys the Way You Think: Visually

Why Surveys Are Graphs, Not Lists

Think about what actually happens when someone takes a survey. They answer a question, and based on that answer, they might see different follow-up questions. Someone who says "Yes, I own a car" needs different questions than someone who says "No." Someone who rates their satisfaction as 2/10 should probably explain why, while someone rating 9/10 might skip that question entirely.

This is branching logic, and every serious survey has it. The problem is that most survey tools still show you a flat list of questions, with branching rules hidden behind configuration panels and dropdown menus. You can set up complex logic, but you can't see it. You have to hold the entire flow in your head.

Lensym takes a different approach. Your survey is a graph: nodes (questions) connected by edges (paths). Branch points are visible. Multiple endpoints are clear. The shape of your survey matches the shape of the experience respondents will have.

We've seen researchers stare at their own surveys in the graph view and discover branches they'd forgotten about, dead ends they hadn't noticed, and paths that didn't connect the way they thought. That visibility is the point.

The Five Node Types

Every element in a Lensym survey is a node on the graph. There are five types, each serving a distinct purpose.

Start Node

Every survey begins here. The start node is the entry point for all respondents. It has no incoming connections (nothing comes before it) and typically connects to your first question or welcome content. You can't delete it, you can't have two of them, and you can't branch before it.

The start node is green by default, making it immediately identifiable on complex graphs.

Question Nodes

These are the workhorses of your survey. Each question node represents a single question with a specific type (multiple choice, text input, rating scale, etc.). Question nodes display:

• The question title (truncated if long)
• An icon indicating the question type
• A hierarchical index (Q1, Q2, Q3, etc.)
• Validation status (shows errors if configuration is incomplete)

Question nodes can have multiple outgoing edges, which is how branching works. If Question 1 has three possible answers, you can create three different paths forward.

Content Nodes

Not everything in a survey is a question. Sometimes you need to show information: instructions, explanations, summaries, thank-you messages, or transition text between sections. Content nodes hold rich text that displays to respondents without requiring a response.

Content nodes are styled differently (typically with a document icon) so you can distinguish them from questions at a glance.

Section Nodes

For longer surveys, sections help organize questions into logical groups. A section node is a container: you drag questions into it, and they become children of that section. Sections can be collapsed in the graph view for cleaner visualization, and they can have their own display logic (show/hide the entire section based on conditions).

Sections are particularly useful for surveys with distinct parts: demographics, then product feedback, then open-ended questions. Each section can have its own title that displays as a header when respondents reach it.

End Node

Surveys need to end somewhere. The end node marks the termination point of a survey path. Unlike start nodes, you can have multiple end nodes, which is essential for surveys with different conclusions. A screening survey might end with "Thank you for your interest, but you don't qualify" for some respondents and "You're eligible! Let's continue" for others.

End nodes are red by default, making exit points immediately visible.

Edges: How Nodes Connect

Nodes alone don't make a survey flow. Edges are the connections between nodes, and in Lensym, there are two types:

The graph view shows all edges at once. You can see at a glance which questions branch, where they branch to, and what the conditions are. No more clicking through individual questions to trace a path.

Building Survey Flows

Drag-and-Drop Interface

Adding questions in Lensym works by dragging. Open the question palette, select the type you want, and drag it onto the canvas. Drop it near an existing node, and Lensym shows you where it will connect: above, below, or as a branch.

Reordering works the same way. Grab an existing question node and drag it to a new position. The graph updates in real-time, recalculating connections and layout as you move things around.

Automatic Layout

Complex graphs can get messy. Lensym includes an automatic layout engine that positions nodes to minimize edge crossings and maintain clear visual hierarchy. When you add a new node or create a new branch, the layout recalculates to keep things readable.

The layout algorithm respects the logical flow of your survey: start nodes at the top, end nodes at the bottom, branches spreading horizontally. You can always manually adjust positions if you prefer a different arrangement.

Zoom and Pan

Large surveys need navigation. The graph editor supports:

• Scroll wheel zooming (or pinch on trackpad)
• Click and drag to pan across the canvas
• Fit to view button to see the entire survey at once
• Minimap for orientation in very large surveys

These controls let you work at whatever level of detail you need: zoomed in to edit a specific question, zoomed out to see the overall structure.

Supported Question Types

Every question type in Lensym appears as a node in the graph editor. We currently support 21 question types, and they work the same whether you're in graph view or list view.

Each question type has its own icon in the graph view, so you can identify question types at a glance without clicking into each node. For details on how to design good questions with these types, see our question design guide.

Graph View vs List View

Lensym doesn't force you into the graph view. Some tasks are easier in a traditional list: reading through questions in sequence, editing text, reviewing response options. The list view is always available, and you can switch between views with a single click.

Both views edit the same underlying survey data. Changes in the graph view appear immediately in the list view, and vice versa. This means you can:

• Design your branching structure in graph view
• Edit question wording in list view
• Review the overall flow in graph view
• Fine-tune response options in list view

The two views are complementary, not competitive. Use whichever feels right for what you're doing at the moment.

Common Questions