File Upload Question Type Deep Dive

When is a File Upload question useful?

The File Upload question type allows respondents to upload their own files, in whichever format you have specified.

A wide variety of file types can be uploaded, such as a photo, a PDF document, PowerPoint presentation and many more.

Here is an example of how a File Upload question would be shown to the respondent:

Setting Up a File Upload Question

1. Select the File upload question type

Click “Add Question” and select “File upload”.

2. Enter question text

Type your question text in the text box and make any changes to the text formatting as required. If you’d like, you can also add subtext to your question in the second box, for example, adding a short explanation or any background information to your question.

3. Set the Behavior

The particular settings for the File upload question are shown below.

While there is no requirement to use the settings, there is the possibility to specify a “Max file size” in bytes for respondents to upload.

You can also choose to specify the “file expiration in hours” which sets how long it will take for the respondent upload links to expire. This can be useful if you are asking respondents to upload sensitive material and want to reassure them that their files will not be stored indefinitely.

4. Select the File Types

Select as many different file types as you wish to allow respondents to upload. All file types that you select will be listed to respondents as “Allowed file type(s)”.

Note that you have to select at least one file type.

5. Change the Appearance

By default the question text is shown on top, with the file upload button and allowed file types listed underneath. Here you can choose if you prefer the question text to appear elsewhere, either to the left, bottom or right. 

6. Specify Conditions

For more advanced uses, here is where you can set when the question should be shown. The criteria for showing the question could be either based on an answer to a previous question, respondent information or response data such as survey score.

Example:

A website feedback survey could ask those who report negative feedback or issues with the website to upload a screenshot of their issue. The condition shown below states that their answer to a previous question was “Unsatisfactory” or you can set the criteria to show the question when the respondent scored below a certain value on a rating scale.

Note that the survey screen will update itself in real-time, so when the first question is displayed, the respondent will not see the File upload question. Only those who select the option “Unsatisfactory” will then be shown the File upload question.