A linear scale is a type of response in Google Forms that is very popular, especially in surveys. It offers a visually appealing and user-friendly way to capture feedback, perceptions, or preferences on a given topic.
Linear scale in Google Forms is a powerful tool at your disposal for measuring things like customer satisfaction, product features, and opinions on different topics. Although it doesn’t allow for assigning specific point values, it’s a great way to capture the relative positioning and trends within a given set of responses.
In this guide, we’ll take you through all there is to know about linear scales in Google Forms and how to use them.
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What is a Linear Scale on Google Forms?
Before we can start learning how to use a linear scale in Google Forms, let’s first figure out what a linear scale is. A linear scale is one of the common rating scales and is a type of question and response in Google Forms that allows respondents to choose a numerical value along a scale to express their opinion.
It’s commonly used to gather feedback on things like opinions or perceptions on a specific topic. With a linear scale question, respondents are presented with a range of values or points and asked to select or indicate their position on that scale.
You can find the linear scale in google forms in the response options for the questions. The scale offers options for anything between 0 to 5 and 0 to 10. The linear scale can also be customized to fit the specific needs of the question.
Respondents typically reply to a linear scale question by selecting a point on the scale by clicking or dragging a slider to indicate their response.
For example, if the question is, how would you rate the product? a linear scale question could ask respondents to rate their satisfaction level on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing “Excellent” and 10 representing “Very Poor.” Respondents can then choose a point on the scale to indicate their satisfaction level.
You can create a Google Form with Linear scale questions for collecting quantitative data, measuring opinions or perceptions, and understanding the relative preferences or attitudes of respondents.
Now that you understand what a linear scale in google forms is let’s look at how to make a linear scale question.
How to Create and Use Linear Scale Questions in Google Forms
Linear scale questions are pretty easy to make in Google Forms. Oftentimes when you write your question, Google Forms will assess it and provide you with the best answering method that suits that particular question.
If you use a linear scale question, for example, a question starting with the words “How would you rate….” Google Forms will automatically choose the linear scale response for your question.
However, in case it doesn’t, you can use the following steps to create and use linear scale questions in Google Forms:
Step 1: Open a new form in Google Slides by clicking Blank or open an existing form in Google Forms.
Step 2: Click on the “+ Add question” button to add a new question.
Step 3: Enter your question text in the Question title field.
Step 4: In the dropdown next to the question, select Linear scale.
Step 5: Define the scale range by specifying the minimum and maximum values.
Click the first drop-down to decide where to start from.
Click the second drop-down to decide where the scale ends.
Step 6: You can add labels for the maximum and the minimum. In our example, we’ve used very bad for the minimum and excellent for the maximum.
Step 7: Click on the “Required” toggle switch if you want to make the question mandatory.
Step 8: Click on the “Preview” button to see how the linear scale questions will appear to respondents.
You don’t really need to follow the last step since once you click the + button for the next question, you can see a preview of how the question will appear in the form.
Your question will appear with a linear scale at the bottom and the labels fr minimum and maximum on each side. The scale will have circles beneath each number that the respondent can check. They can only choose one answer at a time.
If you get your answers, they will be represented by a graph with columns for each point in the scale if you check your responses.
Related: how to make google forms anonymous
Google Form Template with Linear Scale
The Google Form template above is a product survey template that can be used for marketing and customer satisfaction surveys. It has a bluish-grey theme that can be customized in the theme section by clicking the icon for “customize theme”.
This survey comes with 9 different questions. Among the questions in the survey, there are 3 questions that use the linear scale option.
This template can be customized to suit all kinds of surveys.
Benefits of Using the Linear Scale in Google Forms
There are plenty of benefits to using linear scales in Google Forms, which is why they are so popular. Here are some advantages of using a linear scale survey:
- Linear scales provide a straightforward way for respondents to express their opinions or preferences.
- They are simpler to use for providing feedback, making it easier and more engaging for respondents to participate.
- With a linear scale, you can ensure a standardized response format across all respondents. This makes it easier to analyze and compare the data collected, as the responses are placed on a consistent scale, facilitating quantitative analysis.
- Linear scales provide insight into the intensity of the respondent’s opinion or preference. Analyzing the distribution of responses along the scale can help identify trends, patterns, or consensus among respondents.
- Linear scales can be used in a wide range of scenarios, including customer satisfaction, evaluating product features, and measuring attitudes or opinions.
- They offer a visual representation of the respondent’s opinion or attitude to the topic, which can be easier to analyze.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Linear Scale in Google Forms?
A linear scale is a type of question and response in Google Forms that allows respondents to choose a numerical value along a scale to express their opinion.
It’s commonly used to gather feedback on things like opinions or perceptions on a specific topic. With a linear scale question, respondents are presented with a range of values or points and asked to select or indicate their position on that scale.
How Do You Answer a Linear Scale in Google Forms?
A linear scale usually contains a maximum number of up to 10, a minimum number which is either 0 or 1, and circles under each number. You’ll find a label on the maximum side and the minimum side to help you understand the linear scale. To answer the linear scale question, read the labels and choose a number on the scale that represents your opinion on the question topic. Click on the circle under the number to answer it.
Can You Assign a Point to a Linear Scale in Google Forms
Google Forms does not natively provide an option to assign specific point values to a linear scale question. The closest you can get to assigning a point is by choosing the maximum and minimum and giving them labels.
You may be able to find an add-on that can do that online, but those are also pretty scarce. Another option would be to make a makeshift vertical linear scale using a multiple-choice grid and adding points in the third column.
Why Do We Use Linear Scale in Google Forms?
A linear scale is a pretty good way of representing responders’ opinions on a topic in Google Forms. It’s very useful, especially if you want to create a chart from the response in Google Sheets, unlike if they responded with text which would be difficult to represent and analyze.
Wrapping Up
Using a linear scale in Google Forms allows you to collect data for many different reasons, like customer satisfaction surveys, product use surveys, course evaluations, and more topics based on opinions and attitudes. They can help you gain a deeper understanding of your audience.
This guide has walked you through what a linear scale is and how to use it in Google Forms. Have a look at our Google Forms and Google Sheets Masterclass course for more exciting lessons.
If you’d like to skip ahead with some premium templates, we also have several on offer from our Gumroad store. And remember, you can use the code SSP to save 50% on any paid template in our library.
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