Forms · Glossary
What is a matrix question?
A matrix question puts several statements down the side and one shared answer scale across the top, so a respondent answers all of them in one grid. Radio style allows one answer per row; checkbox style allows several. It is the compact way to ask ten variations of the same question without ten separate screens.
A matrix is the most efficient block on a form and the easiest one to misuse. The efficiency is real, and so is the cost when the rows stop meaning the same thing.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
When a matrix is the right block
When every row genuinely takes the same scale, and the rows are short enough to read across the grid. Agreement statements, satisfaction with several parts of one service, frequency of several behaviours. The respondent learns the scale once and then answers quickly, which is why a well built matrix of eight rows takes less effort than three separate questions.
When it starts to hurt
Three failure modes repeat. Rows that need different scales, so somebody answers a frequency question on an agreement scale. Too many rows, where people start straight lining down one column to get to the end. And long row text, which does not fit on a phone and wraps until the grid is unreadable. If your matrix has more than about eight rows, split it.
How it comes out in the export
A matrix exports as one column, with each statement and its answer separated by pipes. That keeps one response on one row, which is what makes the file usable, but it means you cannot sort or average a single statement without splitting the column afterwards. If one row in your matrix is the number you actually report on, ask it as its own field as well.
Questions people ask
How many rows should a matrix have?
Five to eight. Past that, response quality falls off measurably as people begin straight lining, and on a phone the grid stops fitting. If you have fifteen statements, two matrices with a break between them get better data than one long grid, even though the total number of questions is the same.
Can a respondent pick more than one answer per row?
Yes, if the matrix is set to checkbox style rather than radio. Radio is the right default for a scale, where the answers are mutually exclusive. Checkbox suits a which of these apply grid, where a row can legitimately have several answers.
Does a matrix work on a phone?
It works if the rows are short. A grid with five columns and eight words per row does not fit a phone screen and either wraps badly or scrolls sideways. Since most forms are opened on a phone, write the rows short first and check them on a small screen before sending.
How do I analyse one statement across everybody?
Split the exported column in your spreadsheet, since every statement and answer pair is separated by a pipe in one cell. If you know in advance that a particular statement is the headline number, the simpler route is to ask that one as its own single question so it lands in its own column.
Should a matrix be required?
Requiring the whole grid means a respondent cannot skip a row that does not apply to them, which pushes them into answering something untrue. Either add a not applicable column, or leave the grid optional and accept the gaps as real information.
Make one with forms
The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own.
Create a form with OneCraftRelated questions
- What is a Likert scale?A Likert scale measures agreement across ordered points, usually five or seven. Whether to include a midpoint, how to label it, and how to analyse it.
- What is conditional logic?Conditional logic shows or hides a question based on an earlier answer, so people only see what applies to them. Where it helps and where it hurts.
- Form against surveyA form collects information to act on, one response at a time. A survey collects opinions to analyse in aggregate. The difference changes every design choice.
Sources
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .