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Preference test survey template

See which way customers lean, one pair at a time

Two questions: three pairs where customers pick what matters more to them, such as a lower price or better support, and which choice was hard and why. Usertick reads every written answer, so you hear the reasoning behind each split.

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What this preference test tells you

A preference test asks people to choose between two options instead of rating each one, which shows what they would give up when they can't have both. This template asks three pairs, speed or design, simplicity or more features, and a lower price or better support, then asks which choice was hard and why. It takes under a minute.

It is written for the weeks before a redesign, a pricing change or a new name, when you need to know which way customers lean. Send it by email to your customer list, show it as a popup on your website or in your web app, or share its link with a panel of customers. Each pair shows on its own with a counter, so it is easy to answer on a phone.

Results shows a split bar for each pair, so you see the share on each side at a glance, compared with the period before. Every written answer is read as it arrives and filed under a category and a theme, such as pricing and value or features and gaps, so the reasons behind a close split are easy to find.

On your websiteIn an emailAs a linkAs a conversation
Questions
2
Time to answer
About a minute
Written for
An email or popup before a redesign, a price change or a new name
Plans
Every plan, the free plan included

See it on every channel

The same template on your website, behind a link, in an email and as a conversation.

On your website

Show it as a popup, a side button or inside the page, and choose the pages and the moment it opens: on page load, after a delay, on scroll or as someone is about to leave, on every plan. Event and behavior triggers work on 1 survey on Free and on every survey from Starter.

The 2 questions, one by one

What each question asks, why it is there, what it shows you and what to change.

Question 1 of 2 · This or that

Which matters more to you?

Why ask it
A choice between two good things shows priorities that a rating hides, since customers asked to rate speed and design one at a time can rate both highly. The three pairs cover common trade-offs: performance against looks, focus against breadth, and price against service.
What you learn
A split bar for each pair with the share on each side, against the period before. Select one side, such as A lower price, to see how those customers answered the other pairs and what they wrote.
Make it yours
Replace the pairs with the decision in front of you, such as two names or two layouts, and add a picture to each side when you are testing a design.
Question 2 of 2 · Text · Optional

Were any of these hard to choose? Tell us why.

Why ask it
A close split can mean customers are torn or that a pair was unclear. Asking which choice was hard, and why, tells you which of the two it was.
What you learn
Each answer with its sentiment and theme, filterable by theme, with up to 8 themes and their trends. Select a side in the first question to read only the reasons of customers who chose it.
Make it yours
Keep it optional, and read it closely for the pairs that split close to even.

What the answers show

Results turns each question into numbers you can follow week by week.

Every written answer, read for you

Each answer arrives with its category, theme, type and urgency, so the urgent ones reach your team first.

Use this template in four steps

From the template to the first answers.

  1. 1

    Open the template

    Sign up free and pick Preference test in the template gallery. It opens in a matching style, ready to change.

  2. 2

    Make the questions yours

    Reword any question, change the options, and add logic or more questions.

  3. 3

    Choose where it runs

    Show it on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.

  4. 4

    Publish and read the answers

    Answers arrive in Results and the inbox as people send them, each written one read and filed by Usertick.

Tips for this survey

Small choices that keep people answering and the answers useful.

  1. 01

    Test the decision you face

    Write pairs for the choice you are about to make, and keep each side short and concrete, so customers compare the same thing your team is debating. Swap a vague pair such as Quality or Value for the real options, such as Same-day delivery or Free delivery.

  2. 02

    Make both sides attractive

    Pair two options customers would want, so the answer reveals a priority. A pair with an obvious winner tells you little.

  3. 03

    Ask the customers it affects

    Send it to the people the decision touches, such as users of the feature you plan to change. From Starter, target website visitors by traits you pass with Usertick.identify().

  4. 04

    Compare groups of customers

    Add a question that names the customer's role or plan, then select an answer in Results to see whether one group leans the other way.

Market research surveysWebsite surveysResearch questions

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Questions from the library

Browse the question library
  1. What problem were you trying to solve?Text · Research
  2. How do you handle this today?Text · Research
  3. How often does this come up?Dropdown · Research
  4. Did you move to us from something else?Yes / No · Switching and alternatives
  5. What made the old way stop working for you?Text · Switching and alternatives
  6. What made switching hard?Multiple choice · Switching and alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Three to five pairs keep it under a minute. The question holds up to 50 pairs, shown one at a time with a counter, but each extra pair costs attention.

Yes. Each side of a pair can carry a picture or an emoji, so customers can choose between two layouts, two logos or two package designs.

Email reaches your whole customer list, including people who haven't visited lately. A popup on a pricing or product page hears from people who are deciding right now.

Read the written answers for that pair, then select an answer to another question to check whether different groups lean different ways. A close split means customers are divided or the trade-off matters little to them, and the reasons tell you which.

The customers the decision affects. Before a pricing change, ask paying customers; before a redesign, ask the people who use the pages you plan to change, so the split reflects the people who will live with the result.

Yes. Every template comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.

Yes. The template becomes your own survey, so reword any question, add or remove questions, and change the options and the logic. The gallery stays as it is.

Yes, from Starter. The template is written in US English. Add languages by hand or with AI translation, and each person sees the survey in their browser's language.

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  • 150 responses a month on Free
  • Every channel and AI analysis
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