Recoding Values

Recoding values is a process that simplifies survey analysis by replacing lengthy question titles and response texts with shorter, more manageable codes. This helps in organizing data more efficiently, making reports easier to read and interpret. 

Instead of displaying full-length text in datasets, we can assign numeric, textual, or alphanumeric values to responses. This creates a cleaner and more structured dataset. By doing so, data analysis becomes more streamlined, reducing complexity and improving overall clarity.

Note: The character limit for the code is 25.

For example you have a long question with long choice texts like:

From which section of our store did you purchase your products?

A - Groceries
B - Kids
C - Clothing and apparel

D - Sanitary and Hygiene

We can recode the question and answer choices to the following. 

Question Code: Sec (for Section)

Answer Choices:

• Groceries → 1
• Kids → 2
• Clothing and apparel → 3
• Sanitary & Hygiene → 4
  
  

With this approach, your results section will display the recoded values (1, 2, 3, 4) instead of long text.
The benefits are: 

• Makes data interpretation easier
• Keeps reports organized and compact
• Improves efficiency for analysis and visualization

The following segment shows how the Results section appears before and after applying recoding.

Before recoding- In this view, full text responses are displayed, which can be lengthy or cluttered.

After recoding, responses are replaced with numeric codes, making analysis easier.

Lets see how to do this

1. Navigate to the Build section of the survey creation process.

2. Click on ‘Recode values’ on the bottom right .

3. The example shown applies to a Multiple Choice (MCQ) question type. Here, you'll see the question along with its answer choices. You can assign codes to these choices for easier analysis. In our example, we have assigned numeric values to each answer choice.

4. Click on Save after entering the values.

Results section

1. Navigate to the Results section and go to the Responses tab. Here, you'll see the question recoded , with the selected choices displayed as their corresponding recoded values.

In our example, the question will be displayed as ‘Sec’ . If a customer selects Clothing and Apparel, the response will appear as 3 in the results. This makes data interpretation simpler and more efficient.

The following are the various question types supported along with the details while recoding and how it will look in the results section after recoding. 

Matrix 

For the matrix question, you will have to enter the code for the question, the rows and the columns.

Results section:
The statements are coded as S1, S2, S3 and S4 and the columns as 1,2,3,4 and 5. Responses will be displayed with the recoded values instead of full text.

Rank Order 

For rank order questions, assign recodes to the question title and each ranking option in the settings.

Results:
The rankings will appear as recoded values in order of preference for each respondent.

Yes/No 

For this, enter a recode for the question and for both Yes and No responses.
Results:
The Yes/No responses will appear as recoded values.

Group Rank

For group ranking, enter a recode for the question and for each group and choice inside the ranking.

Results:
Responses will be displayed with grouped recoded values.

Group Rating

For group rating, enter recodes for the question and for each grouped item being rated.

Results:
Ratings will be displayed in numerical format.

Picture Choice
For picture choice, enter a recode for the question and for each image selection.

Results:
The selected images will appear as recoded values.

Drop Down

Same as multiple choice—assign recodes for the question and for each dropdown option.

Results:
Selected options will appear as recoded values.

Constant Sum

For constant sum, enter recodes for the question and each option being assigned points.

Results:
Points will be distributed across the recoded options.

Contact Form 

For contact forms, enter recodes for the question and each field in the form.

Results:
The collected responses will be displayed with recoded field names instead of full text.

That’s all about Recoding values. 

Feel free to reach out to our community if you have any questions.