RANDOMIZED TRIAL

Introduction

The Randomized Trial question type in Chisquares is designed to facilitate unbiased research by randomly assigning participants to view different media formats before answering a foundational question. This ensures that responses are not influenced by selection bias, making it ideal for experimental studies, A/B testing, and behavioral research.
This manual provides step-by-step guidance on how to set up, customize, and analyze the Randomized Trial question type, ensuring a seamless survey experience for both investigators and respondents.

Features of the Randomized Trial Question Type

• Question Text Input: Create and format the core question prompt.
• Response Options: Define selectable answers manually or dynamically.
• Required Toggle: Make the question mandatory to proceed.
• Random Assignment: Each participant is randomly assigned to view one media file (image, video, or audio) before answering a question.
• Media Upload: Users can upload multiple media files to be randomized among participants.
• Foundation Question Support: Compatible with foundational question types such as Single Value Text, Likert Scale, Multiple Choice (MCQ), Sliding Scale, Yes/No, Multiple Responses, and Dropdown.

Use Cases

The Randomized Trial Question type is designed for conducting experimental research by randomly exposing respondents to one version of media before asking a standardized question. It is a highly effective format for eliminating selection bias and studying causal impact, media influence, or perceptual differences based on controlled stimuli.

Common use cases include:

• A/B Testing: Compare user reactions to multiple designs, messages, or concepts.
  Example: “Test which advertisement version drives higher perceived brand quality.”

• Behavioral Research: Assess how different visual cues influence beliefs or choices.
  Example: “Evaluate perception of harm based on cigarette packaging designs.”

• Public Health Studies: Explore how visual warnings affect risk perception or decision-making.
  Example: “Compare responses to different nutritional label formats.”

• Marketing & UX Feedback: Analyze user response to branding elements or feature layouts.
  Example: “Rate the appeal of this mobile app interface.”

• Social Science Experiments: Study how exposure to varied content alters attitudes or judgments.
  Example: “Assess how different news headlines shape opinions on political events.”

When to Use Randomized Trial Questions

Use Randomized Trial Questions when:

• You want to eliminate selection bias by randomizing participant exposure to media content.
• Your research goal includes testing the causal effect of different treatments or designs.
• You need to expose respondents to different versions of the same concept and measure variance in response.
• The same foundational question applies across multiple randomized conditions.
• You aim to collect clean, unbiased data for experimental or A/B test frameworks.

Scenario-Based Example
In a tobacco packaging study, each participant is randomly shown one image of a cigarette pack with varying warning labels. The question:

“Based on the packaging shown, how harmful do you think this tobacco product would be if smoked daily?”
remains constant, enabling comparison across groups.

Basic Setup

1. Add Media

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

2. Select foundational question

• Choose from the list of supported question types.

3. Enter Question

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

4. Label the Question

• Add a label to help identify the question within your survey. Alternatively, you can use AI to get suggestions for the label.

5. Add Answer Options

• Add responses based on the foundational question type selected.

6. Mark as Required (Optional)

• Toggle “Required” to make it mandatory.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create a New Question

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

Step 2: Select the Question Type

1. In the question type section, select Group Allocation Questions.
2. Choose Randomized Trial from the list of available question types.
3. Click Use Selected questionnaire item.

Step 3: Uploading Media Files

1. Click the Upload button.
2. Select multiple images, videos, or audio files from your device.
3. Assign a unique label for each file.
4. Click Save to finalize the upload.

Step 4: Choosing a Foundational Question Type

1. Click Change, and select one of the following foundational question types:
   • Single Value Text
   • Likert Scale
   • Multiple Choice (MCQ)
   • Sliding Scale
   • Yes/No
   • Multiple Responses
   • Dropdown

Step 5: Add Your Question

1. Enter your question in the provided text box.
   Example: Based on the packaging shown, how harmful do you think this tobacco product would be if smoked daily?

2. Apply formatting using the toolbar.

3. Configure the foundational question settings as required.

4. The Randomized Trial question inherits all properties of the foundational question type.

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.

Preview Mode

Before finalizing the Randomized Trial setup, it is 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 Randomized Trial 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
View the image below then answer the question that follows:

Based on the packaging shown, how harmful do you think this tobacco product would be if smoked daily?

Responses
Not harmful at all
Slightly harmful
Somewhat harmful
Very harmful
Extremely harmful

[Note: Each participant will see only one randomly assigned image of a cigarette pack from the options uploaded by the researcher. The question remains the same for all participants.]

Additional Features:

• Required: No
• Change foundational question: Change the foundational question to an appropriate one for your Randomized Trial.
• 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.

Value Proposition on the Chisquares Platform

Chisquares makes the creation of randomized experimental questions seamless by integrating random media assignment with a wide range of foundational question types. This enables flexible study design with strong internal validity.

Key platform-specific advantages include:

• Random Media Assignment
  Upload multiple images, videos, or audio files; Chisquares automatically assigns one media file per respondent.

• Supported Question Types
  Compatible with:

  • Single Value Text
  • Likert Scale
  • Multiple Choice (MCQ)
  • Sliding Scale
  • Yes/No
  • Multiple Responses
  • Dropdown

• Unified Question Logic
  All respondents answer the same foundational question, ensuring consistency across randomized trials.

• Automated Data Structuring
  Each response is tagged with the associated media file for clean analysis by condition.

• Media Metadata Capture
  Track which asset was shown to each participant, along with time viewed (where applicable).

• Media Upload & Labeling
  Upload up to 4MB per media file, with auto-labeling and drag-and-drop ordering.

• Changeable Foundational Question Type
  Flexibly swap foundational question types without needing to recreate the entire setup.

• Required Toggle
  Enforce response completion after media exposure.

• Preview & Testing
  Fully preview how the question and randomized media appear to respondents before publishing.

Conclusion

The Randomized Trial question type in Chisquares is a powerful tool for conducting unbiased experimental research. By randomizing media exposure before responses, it eliminates selection bias and enhances the validity of findings. Whether used for behavioral research, A/B testing, or public health studies, this feature provides a flexible and structured approach to gathering data.

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