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Stimulus Materials

Adding images, videos, and other media to your survey questions

Updated today

Stimulus materials are images or videos shown to participants before they answer a question. Use them to gather reactions to concepts, test creative materials, or provide visual context.

What Are Stimulus Materials?

A stimulus is any visual or video content displayed alongside a question. Common uses include:

  • Concept testing - Show product designs, packaging, or ad concepts

  • Ad testing - Display advertisements for reaction and feedback

  • Visual context - Provide images that help participants answer accurately

  • Video reactions - Show video clips and gather immediate feedback

Adding a Stimulus to a Question

  1. Select the question you want to add media to

  2. Click Add Stimulus or the media icon

  3. Upload your image or video file

  4. The stimulus will appear above the question text

Supported Formats

Images

Format

Extension

Max Size

JPEG

.jpg, .jpeg

10 MB

PNG

.png

10 MB

GIF

.gif

10 MB

WebP

.webp

10 MB

Videos

Format

Extension

Max Size

MP4

.mp4

100 MB

WebM

.webm

100 MB

💡 Tip: For best performance, compress images before uploading. Large files may load slowly for participants on mobile or slow connections.

Best Practices

Image Guidelines

  • Resolution - Use high enough resolution to be clear, but not so large that loading is slow

  • Aspect ratio - Wide images (16:9) display well on most screens

  • File size - Keep under 2 MB when possible for fast loading

  • Format - JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with transparency

Video Guidelines

  • Duration - Keep videos under 2 minutes for best engagement

  • Quality - 720p is usually sufficient; 1080p for detail-heavy content

  • File size - Compress videos to reduce loading time

  • Sound - Include clear audio if relevant; consider adding captions

Content Considerations

  • Relevance - Only show what's needed for the question

  • Neutrality - Avoid leading imagery that might bias responses

  • Accessibility - Describe key visual elements in the question text

  • Mobile viewing - Test how media appears on small screens

Stimulus Display

How It Appears to Participants

When a question has a stimulus:

  1. The image or video loads first

  2. Participants can view/play the media

  3. The question appears below

  4. Participants answer after viewing

Video Controls

Participants can:

  • Play/pause videos

  • Adjust volume

  • Seek through the video

  • View in fullscreen (on supported devices)

Mobile Experience

  • Images scale to fit the screen width

  • Videos play inline on most mobile browsers

  • Large files may take longer to load on cellular connections

Common Use Cases

Concept Testing

Show multiple concepts across questions:

Question 1: [Image: Concept A]
"How appealing is this packaging design?"Question 2: [Image: Concept B]
"How appealing is this packaging design?"Question 3: "Which concept do you prefer?"

Ad Testing

Display an advertisement and gather detailed feedback:

[Video: 30-second ad]
Question 1: "What is your overall reaction to this ad?"
Question 2: "What message did you take away from this ad?"
Question 3: "How likely would you be to learn more about this product?"

Visual Context

Provide context that helps participants answer:

[Image: Store shelf layout]
"Which product catches your attention first?"[Image: Product label]
"How easy is it to find the nutritional information?"

Removing or Replacing Stimuli

Remove a Stimulus

  1. Select the question with the stimulus

  2. Click the remove/delete icon on the stimulus

  3. Confirm removal

Replace a Stimulus

  1. Select the question

  2. Click on the existing stimulus

  3. Upload a new file to replace it

Tips for Testing

Before Publishing

  • Preview your survey to see how stimuli display

  • Test on both desktop and mobile devices

  • Verify all files load correctly

  • Check that video sound works as expected

Participant Experience

  • Ensure participants have time to view media before answering

  • Consider adding instructions like "Watch the video, then answer the questions below"

  • For detailed stimulus testing, consider pairing with open-text or video response questions

File Management

Uploading Files

Files are uploaded directly from your computer. The upload process:

  1. Compresses images automatically for optimal display

  2. Validates file format and size

  3. Stores files securely in the cloud

  4. Makes files available to all participants

Storage

Stimulus files are stored securely and associated with your survey. They remain available as long as your survey exists.

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