The Custom Interfaces group in the question palette holds 22 mobile-first, tactile plugin question types. Each one is built on top of a native question type (single choice, ranking, matrix, and so on) — so your existing logic, piping, carry-forward, and export handling keep working. The plugin only changes how the question renders and is answered, not how it's stored.
Every plugin question shows a live, tappable preview right inside the builder, so you can try the interaction before opening the full preview tab.
How to read this page#
Each entry lists:
- Built on — the native question type it stores its answer as (this matters for logic operators and exports).
- What it does — the respondent-facing interaction.
- Key settings — the researcher-facing knobs in the properties panel (not exhaustive — open the Settings tab on the question for the full list, or see that plugin's individual guide for the complete settings reference).
Shared conventions across several matrix-based plugins: row/column display as image vs. text vs. both (e.g. on Brand Projection, Time Based Rating, Multi Select Multi Tap) is controlled by one shared Questions Display tri-state control in the Settings tab rather than a dedicated per-plugin toggle — if you don't see a separate "show as image" switch on one of these, that's why.
Fast Select#
Full guide: Fast Select →
Built on: Single choice
A quick-tap single-choice interface for touch. Options render as large cards; tapping one can auto-advance the respondent to the next question.
Key settings: Selection type (single/multiple), auto-advance on selection, what each card shows (image, text, or both), card columns and padding, font size (desktop/mobile), instructions-in-popup toggle.
When to use it: Mobile-first studies, A/B image picks, quick screening questions — anywhere every extra tap matters.
Tap & Drag Rank#
Full guide: Tap & Drag Rank →
Built on: Ranking
Respondents tap items to include them in their ranking, then drag to reorder. Items they don't tap stay in an unranked pool — so a respondent can partially rank without being forced to rank everything.
Key settings: Advance automatically once the max number of selections is reached, an optional "review your ranks before advancing" confirmation step, re-rank prompt text, card columns/padding, font size.
When to use it: Ranking studies where not every item is relevant to every respondent, or where classic drag-to-rank is fiddly on mobile.
Group Rank (Thumbnail Rank)#
Full guide: Group Rank (Thumbnail Rank) →
Built on: Ranking
A two-panel thumbnail layout: respondents assign items into ranked bucket groups instead of a single ordered list.
Key settings: Column number, maximum selections, what each thumbnail shows, font size (desktop/mobile).
When to use it: Style/preference studies where you want visual thumbnails ranked into groups (e.g., "top pick", "also like") rather than a strict 1-to-N order.
Directional Swipe#
Full guide: Directional Swipe →
Built on: Matrix
A card-swipe interface — each item is a card, and each swipe direction (left/right, up/down) maps to a matrix column. Respondents swipe cards one at a time, Tinder-style.
Key settings: Which directions are active, swipe overlay opacity, card tilt while dragging, stack depth and direction, card width, desktop-only button alternatives to swiping, what each card shows.
When to use it: Rapid concept sorting (accept/reject/maybe), product or ad testing, or any matrix where a one-card-at-a-time tactile experience beats a traditional grid.
Constant Sum (plugin)#
Full guide: Constant Sum (plugin) →
Built on: Constant sum
The same allocate-to-a-total logic as the native Constant Sum question, with a touch-optimized entry UI: a running total in a bottom bar, long-press-to-max, and percentage/currency formatting.
Key settings: Enforce total / cap at max total, currency symbol or "show as percentage", decimal places, max digits, long-press-to-max duration, mobile scroll hint text.
When to use it: Budget-allocation or share-of-wallet questions on mobile, where the desktop constant-sum grid is too fiddly to tap through.
Multigrid Sequential Carousel#
Full guide: Multigrid Sequential Carousel →
Built on: Matrix
Presents each concept in its own carousel slide, and within that slide walks the respondent through a sequence of rating scales — so a large matrix becomes a guided, one-concept-at-a-time flow.
Key settings: Text alignment (concept and options), heading and option font sizes, option icons on/off.
When to use it: Rating many concepts across several scales without showing an overwhelming full grid at once.
Sequential Select#
Full guide: Sequential Select →
Built on: Matrix
Brands are presented one at a time as a slide, and the respondent taps a card grid to place that brand into an answer bucket before advancing to the next slide. Three modes control what happens after a pick: Single (a picked brand disappears, and unpicked brands are recorded against a system "None of these" column), Multiple (picked brands carry forward and can be picked again on later slides), and Reverse funnel (looks single-select but records the brand cumulatively on every slide after it's first picked).
Key settings: Selection mode (single/multiple/reverse funnel), grid columns (desktop/mobile), fit-to-screen, card text alignment, Next / "None of these" / confirm button labels, min/max selection validation messages.
When to use it: Brand-by-brand sequential exercises (e.g., "which segment does each brand belong to?") where showing one brand per slide reduces cognitive load versus a single big matrix.
Claim Multi Tap#
Full guide: Claim Multi Tap →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents tap each criterion 1 to 4 times, where the number of taps encodes intensity (e.g., one tap = somewhat important, two taps = very important, three taps = critical). A 2-tap or 3-tap variant controls how many intensity levels are available.
Key settings: Matrix type (2-tap or 3-tap), max taps per criterion, show text alongside choice icons, concept image area size (percent of the shared vertical space).
When to use it: Feature-importance or satisfaction batteries where a single tap-count gesture communicates intensity faster than a radio scale.
Multi Select Multi Tap#
Full guide: Multi Select Multi Tap →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents tap once to select an item, tap again to escalate it to a stronger selection — capturing two scale points per item with one gesture, across a grid of items.
Key settings: Grid columns (desktop/mobile), include a "none of these" button, instructions-in-popup, delay before the next tap registers, text alignment, fit-to-screen, font size (base + desktop adjustment).
When to use it: Attribute or claim lists where you want a lightweight "select vs. strongly select" distinction without a full intensity scale.
Carousel Grid (Sequential Statement Choice)#
Full guide: Carousel Grid (Sequential Statement Choice) →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents swipe through statements one at a time and pick a column answer for each, instead of scanning a full grid.
Key settings: Answer/statement alignment and sizing (percent of viewport per section), zoom-thumbnail toggle, font sizes for question/statement/choice/swiper.
When to use it: Long statement batteries where a full matrix would feel overwhelming on a small screen.
Info Icon Augment#
Full guide: Info Icon Augment →
Built on: Multiple choice
A standard choice list where each option can carry an info icon that opens a short explanatory popup — useful when option labels need a definition before the respondent can answer confidently. Configured from the regular Multiple Choice settings plus a per-option info-popup field on the answer list.
When to use it: Feature or attribute lists where some terms need a one-line definition (e.g., industry jargon, product feature names).
Simple Icon Grid#
Full guide: Simple Icon Grid →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents rate concepts across criteria using tappable icon scales instead of radio buttons or a text grid.
Key settings: Icon mode, layout mode, number of scale points, criteria rows shown per screen, auto-advance, font sizes.
When to use it: Emotion/agreement scales where icons (faces, stars, thumbs) communicate faster than labels, especially with lower-literacy or multilingual audiences.
Brand Projection#
Full guide: Brand Projection →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents associate brands with concepts by tapping to "project" a brand up or down against a criterion — a top/bottom projection interaction rather than a rating scale.
Key settings: Projection variant, min/max selections, allow deselect, tap-selected-item-to-remove-rank, concept area height, text alignment.
When to use it: Brand-fit or brand-association exercises where you want a fast tap interaction instead of a full matrix of scale points.
Time Based Rating#
Full guide: Time Based Rating →
Built on: Matrix
An animated rating bar that fills over a set duration per statement or metric — the respondent stops it (or it auto-completes) to register a rating tied to timing as well as position.
Key settings: Rating scale and variant (bar/stars), number of stars (if star variant), animation/progress/pip speed, precision, "show positives only", concept area size, question text alignment.
When to use it: Studies that want a reaction-time or intensity signal alongside the rating itself, or a more engaging alternative to a static scale.
Agreement Double Tap#
Full guide: Agreement Double Tap →
Built on: Matrix
Tap once to agree, tap a second time to register "strongly agree" — collapses a 2-point intensity signal into a single tap gesture per statement.
Key settings: Slide layout, items per slide, randomize/shuffle items within each slide group, font size (base + desktop adjustment), instructions-in-popup toggle.
When to use it: Long agreement batteries on mobile, where a full 5-point radio row per statement is too much friction.
Bipolar Double Tap#
Full guide: Bipolar Double Tap →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents pick a side (A or B) for each statement, then tap a second time to indicate "strongly" — producing a 5-point bipolar scale (strong A, A, neutral, B, strong B) from two taps.
Key settings: Randomize A/B positions, timing between taps, font size (base + desktop adjustment), instructions-in-popup toggle.
When to use it: Semantic-differential or "which pole are you closer to" batteries where a bipolar scale communicates better than an agreement scale.
Multi Swipe#
Full guide: Multi Swipe →
Built on: Matrix
Respondents swipe (or tap) right to increase and left to decrease a running score for each statement against a concept, up to a configured range — recorded as one signed count per statement.
Key settings: Scoring scale/range, statements shown per screen, concept height, left/right icon URLs, tap-to-zoom concept.
When to use it: Fast concept-scoring exercises where a directional gesture (more/less of an attribute) is more natural than a numeric scale.
Instruction Swiper#
Full guide: Instruction Swiper →
Built on: Text / Graphic (display-only — no answer is collected)
A set of full-screen instruction slides the respondent swipes through before continuing. Each slide is rich text/HTML; nothing is recorded and the question never blocks on a required answer.
Key settings: Desktop slide width, mobile scroll arrow visibility.
When to use it: Multi-step onboarding or task instructions that are too long for a single Text/Graphic block.
Timed Instruction#
Full guide: Timed Instruction →
Built on: Text / Graphic (display-only)
Shows a confirm popup ("Let's Go"), then displays an image for a fixed duration with a visible countdown, auto-advancing when time runs out. No answer is collected.
Key settings: Image duration, image container width.
When to use it: Brief-exposure concept tests where you want to control exactly how long a respondent can view a stimulus before moving on.
Dial Gauge Grid#
Full guide: Dial Gauge Grid →
Built on: Matrix
A half- or full-circle dial gauge with press-and-hold +/− buttons; respondents set a 0–100% value per statement by holding the button instead of dragging a slider or typing a number.
Key settings: Gauge style, gauge size, statement font size (desktop/mobile), question text position, fit-to-screen.
When to use it: Percentage-estimate questions ("what share of your workforce...") where a dial feels more tactile than a numeric field or slider row.
5-Point Single Select#
Full guide: 5-Point Single Select →
Built on: Single choice
A vertical scale rendered with a sliding "window" highlight, moved by large +/− buttons instead of tapping individual radio options directly.
Key settings: Where the +/− buttons sit, sliding-window animation duration, concept image height, choice/answer font size, max question width.
When to use it: Single-select rating questions on mobile where large, deliberate +/− taps reduce mis-taps compared to a tight radio list.
MaxDiff (plugin render)#
Built on: the native maxdiff type — same item/column/sequential editors, analysis, and export as the standard MaxDiff question. The plugin only swaps in a touch-optimized respondent widget.
See the dedicated MaxDiff (Best–Worst Scaling) guide for full configuration — design of experiment, screens & items, Best/Worst columns, Top-N Bandit, and Sequential Response.
Related guides#
- Question Types — overview and when-to-use table
- StorySync AI Qual — voice, video, and AI-moderated interview formats
- Display Blocks & Plugins — Text/Graphic and global-variable blocks
- Logic, Flow & Conditions — plugin base types, ranking and matrix operators
- Platform Feature List — plugin inventory and status
- Qualtrics QSF Import & Export — importing plugin questions
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