DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENT

Introduction

The Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) is a powerful survey methodology that presents respondents with a series of hypothetical scenarios, each containing different attribute combinations. Respondents must choose their preferred option, allowing researchers to analyze decision-making processes and understand preferences.
With Chisquares, setting up a DCE is intuitive and flexible, enabling you to define key attributes, configure choice sets, and collect high-quality preference data.
This manual will guide you through the process of setting up and managing a Discrete Choice Experiment question, including advanced customization options.

Features of DCE in Chisquares

• Question Text Input: Create and format the core question prompt.
• Response Options: Define responses to be ranked.
• Required Toggle: Make the question mandatory to proceed.
• Media Attachments: Support for audio, image, or video file uploads.
• Attribute Input: Users enter a list of items to be ranked.
• Unique Labeling: Each attribute receives a unique label that adheres to platform conventions.

Use Cases

The Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) question type is designed to simulate real-world decision-making by presenting respondents with sets of hypothetical options that vary based on multiple attributes. This method helps researchers understand trade-offs and the relative value participants assign to specific features or factors.

Common use cases include:

• Product Development: Identify which product features customers value most.
  Example: “Which smartphone features matter most to you—battery life, screen size, price, or camera quality?”

• Pricing Strategy: Understand price sensitivity and willingness to pay.
  Example: “Choose between three subscription plans that vary by cost and included features.”

• Healthcare Research: Assess patient preferences for treatments or service models.
  Example: “Rank your preference between treatment options that vary in duration, side effects, and cost.”

• Transportation & Policy Design: Inform planning based on citizen trade-offs.
  Example: “Select the most appealing commuting option based on travel time, cost, and environmental impact.”

• Market Segmentation: Group respondents based on patterns in choice behavior.
  Example: “Which combination of hotel attributes (price, location, amenities) do you prefer?”

When to Use Discrete Choice Experiment Questions

Use DCE Questions when:

• You want to uncover how respondents make trade-offs between multiple competing factors.
• You are studying preference strength, not just selections—understanding what drives choice.
• Your objective is to simulate real-life decision-making environments through hypothetical scenarios.
• You require quantitative preference modeling (e.g., utilities, marginal rates of substitution).
• You aim to support pricing, product design, or service optimization decisions using actual respondent behavior.

Scenario-Based Example
In a car purchase preference study, participants are asked:

“Imagine you're shopping for a new car. You’ll be presented with different sets of vehicle attributes like price, fuel efficiency, horsepower, safety features, and design. Please rank the three shown attributes in each screen from most to least important.”
This data reveals which features carry the most decision-making weight.

Basic Setup

1. Enter Question

• Type your question using the rich-text editor (bold, italics, hyperlinks, etc.).

2. Add Answer Options

• Manually input up to 4 default attributes and add more by clicking More Attributes. Provide a unique label for each Attribute.

3. Mark as Required (Optional)

• Toggle “Required” to make it mandatory.

4. Add Media (Optional)

• Upload an image, video, or audio file (max 4MB) to support the question prompt.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create a New Question
To begin creating a Discrete Choice Experiment question:

1. Log into your Chisquares Investigator Portal.
2. Navigate to the Survey Design section.
3. Click on the Create a New Question button.

Step 2: Select the Question Type

1. In the question type section, select Ranking Questions.
2. Choose Discrete Choice Experiment from the list of available question types.
3. Click Use Selected questionnaire item.

Step 3: Add Your Question

1. After selecting the Discrete Choice Experiment question type, you will be prompted to add your question. Enter your question in the provided text box.
   Example: Imagine you're shopping for a new car and are presented with several options varying in price, fuel efficiency, horsepower, safety features, and design. On the following screens, you'll see three attributes at a time—please rank them from most to least important to you.
2. Apply formatting using the toolbar.

Step 4: Add Answer Options

• Manually input attributes to be ranked and provide label for each attribute.

Step 5: Make the Question Required (Optional)
If you want to require participants to answer this question, toggle the Required switch at the top-right of the panel. This ensures respondents cannot proceed without answering the question.

Step 6: Add Media (Optional)
You can upload media (images, videos, or audio files) to accompany the question. Here’s how:

1. Click the paperclip icon at the top-right of the panel.
2. Upload your media file (must be under 4MB).
3. Once uploaded, choose the alignment for the media (left, right, or center). The default text overlay will say, “View the media below, then answer the following question.”

Preview Mode

Before finalizing the Discrete Choice Experiment question setup, it’s important to preview how it will appear to participants.

1. Click the Preview button to see the question as participants will view it.
2. Make sure all options, media, and settings look as expected.

Final Step: Push to Questionnaire

Once you are satisfied with your Discrete Choice Experiment setup:

1. Click Push to Questionnaire to add the question to your live survey.
2. If you need to make edits later, you can always return to the question editor to make changes.

Example Question Setup

Question
Imagine you're shopping for a new car and are presented with several options varying in price, fuel efficiency, horsepower, safety features, and design. On the following screens, you'll see three attributes at a time—please rank them from most to least important to you.

Response options (attributes)

• Price
• Fuel efficiency
• Horsepower
• Safety features
• design

Additional Features:

• Required: No
• Add Section Header (Optional): Toggle this switch to add a section header to the question for context or grouping.
• Add Footer Prompt (Optional): Toggle this switch to include a closing note or prompt at the bottom of the question.

Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) Question Added

Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) Question Pushed Preview

Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) Question Appearance on the Participant Portal

Value Proposition on the Chisquares Platform

Chisquares makes the design and deployment of Discrete Choice Experiments simple, accurate, and analytically powerful. The platform supports flexible configurations and rich data exports suited for advanced statistical modeling.

Key platform-specific advantages include:

• Customizable Attribute Lists
  Define multiple attributes, each with unique levels and labels for clean data capture.

• Sequential Choice Screens
  Present multiple rounds of attribute combinations, improving data reliability.

• Drag-and-Drop or Click-to-Rank Interface
  Users interactively rank attributes from most to least important.

• Automatic Labeling
  Every attribute receives a unique label to ensure structured data for modeling.

• Randomization Options
  Randomize attributes across screens to reduce order bias and test consistency.

• Required Toggle
  Ensure participants complete each screen before advancing.

• Media Integration
  Add supporting visuals, video demos, or icons to enhance comprehension and engagement.

• Preview and Edit Mode
  Visualize how each choice set appears to participants before launch.

• Clean, Model-Ready Export
  Outputs formatted for use in DCE modeling tools (e.g., Sawtooth, R, Stata).

Conclusion

The Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) feature in Chisquares is an essential tool for analyzing user preferences in complex decision-making scenarios. By setting up a DCE, you can collect structured preference data to inform product development, pricing strategies, and market research.

To watch a video of this question being set up, click the link below: link