Use a Ranking question when respondents need to put several options in order rather than simply select one or more of them.
Respondents can rank the choices by dragging and dropping them or by selecting a ranking number from a dropdown list.
Ranking works well when you need to understand priorities, such as:
- Which product features customers want first.
- Which workplace factors employees value most.
- Which criteria matter most when people make a purchase decision.
When you create an online survey, use a Ranking question when the relative order of respondents' preferences is itself part of the data you need to collect.
How to add a Ranking question
Open your survey from My Surveys and go to the Create phase.
Select Ranking from the available question types, then click it to add the question or drag and drop it into the required position.
Enter the question in Label.
Make it clear both what respondents should rank and which criterion they should use.
Instead of:
Rank the following options.
use something more specific, such as:
Rank the following factors by importance when choosing an online store.
or:
Rank these product features in the order you would like us to improve them.
A clear ranking criterion helps respondents approach the task consistently.
Use previous answers and Custom Variables
Type @ in the Label to insert an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable.
For example, if respondents selected a service earlier, a later question could say:
Rank the following factors by importance when using [Service].
Use previous answers or Custom Variables when they make the ranking more relevant or remove ambiguity rather than adding personalisation without a clear purpose.
Explain how the options should be ranked
Use Description when respondents need additional guidance about the direction or criterion of the ranking.
For example:
Label:
What matters most to you when choosing a new job?
Description:
Rank the options from most important to least important, with your highest priority first.
For a product survey:
Label:
Rank the following improvements by priority.
Description:
Place the improvement you think should be implemented first at the top of the ranking.
Clear instructions help prevent respondents from interpreting the ranking direction differently.
You can also type @ in Description to insert a previous answer or a Custom Variable.
How to add Choices
Enter the items you want respondents to rank under Choices.
Use the + option to add more choices.
For example, a question about job priorities might include:
- Salary
- Career development
- Flexible working hours
- Work environment
- Job stability
Respondents can then place these factors in the order that best reflects their priorities.
Try to keep the choices at a comparable level. Mixing broad concepts with very narrow details can make the resulting ranking harder to interpret.
How to add an image or video
Enable Image or Video when respondents need visual context before ranking the choices.
Add an image
- Select Image.
- Click Choose.
- Select the file from your device.
Images can be JPG, PNG, or GIF and must be no larger than 2 MB.
For example, you could show a product concept and ask respondents to rank the improvements they would most like to see.
Add a video
Select Video, then enter the relevant video link in the field provided.
How to adjust the layout on mobile and desktop
When an image is included, use Layout to control how it appears separately on:
- Mobile
- Desktop
Review both layouts before publishing when the visual is important to understanding what respondents are ranking.
How to make the Ranking question required
Enable Required when respondents must complete the ranking before submitting the survey.
This can be useful when prioritisation is central to the research, such as a product survey designed to determine which features should be addressed first.
If the ranking is not relevant or necessary for every respondent, leave the question optional.
How to randomise the starting order of Choices
Enable Choice Randomization when you do not want every respondent to see the choices in the same initial order.
When enabled, the starting order changes when the survey is displayed.
This can help reduce the possibility that an option receives additional attention simply because it always appears first.
Avoid randomisation when the choices already follow a meaningful sequence that respondents need to see, such as chronological stages or ordered levels.
How to hide the question number
Enable Hide question number when you do not want the Ranking question number displayed to respondents.
This changes only the presentation of the question and does not affect the ranking data collected.
How to view, export, and analyse Ranking results
Once responses start coming in, go to the Report phase and open the Results Table to review the rankings submitted by respondents.
Use Export to download the results in Excel or CSV format when you need to work with the data outside Porsline.
In the analysis and charts section, Ranking questions can be reviewed using available chart types together with the frequency and percentage frequency of each choice.
This helps you move beyond individual rankings and identify broader patterns across respondents.
For example, if customers rank five proposed product features, the results can help you identify which options consistently appear closer to the top of their priorities.
When should you use a Ranking question?
Use Ranking when the question you need to answer is:
What comes first, second, third, and so on?
If respondents only need to choose the options they prefer without ordering them, use a Multiple Choice question instead.
Use Ranking when the relative position of each choice is an important part of the analysis.
For an overview of other available question formats, review the Guide to Question Types in Porsline Forms, Surveys, and Quizzes.
If you don't have an account yet, you can create a Porsline account and start building your survey.
If you're already using Porsline and need help, contact us at [email protected].