SSI Web v3 - Sawtooth Software

262 Pages·2002·2.15 MB·English

by  Bryan Orem

SSI Web v3.5.1

Section i: CiW
Section ii: ACA/Web
Section iii: CBC/Web

Sawtooth Software, Inc.
Sequim, WA

Copyright Sawtooth Software 2003
Table of Contents

Section i: CiW

i.1 Getting Started
i.1.1 Getting Started with Web Interviewing
i.1.2 What’s New in V3.5?
i.1.3 Software Requirements: Users, Servers and Respondents

i.2 Creating a Study/Administrative Settings
i.2.1 Creating/Opening a Study
i.2.2 New SSI Web Study
i.2.3 Settings
i.2.4 Advanced Settings
i.2.5 Setting Passwords for On-line Administrative Access

i.3 Global Settings
i.3.1 Global Settings (Format Settings Tab)
i.3.2 Global Settings (Global Font Colors Tab)
i.3.3 Global Settings (Headers and Footers Tab)
i.3.4 Displaying a Progress Bar (Progress Bar Tab)
i.3.5 Global Settings (Simple Browser Tab)
i.3.6 Respondent Answer Verification Error Messages

i.4 Passwords
i.4.1 Creating Passwords
i.4.2 Generating a Series of Passwords Automatically
i.4.3 Copying/Pasting Passwords to/from Other Applications
i.4.4 Generating/Using More than 2,048 Passwords
i.4.5 Import Passwords
i.4.6 A Selection of Prime Numbers

i.5 Write Questionnaire/Question Types
i.5.1 Write Questionnaire
i.5.2 Add Question
i.5.3 Rename Question
i.5.4 Reordering Questions
i.5.5 Composing the Password Screen
i.5.6 Composing Select Questions
i.5.7 Error Text Field
i.5.8 Composing Numeric Questions
i.5.9 Composing Open-end Questions
i.5.10 Composing Text/HTML Filler Questions
i.5.11 Composing Grid Questions (Introduction)
i.5.12 Grid Questions (General Tab)
i.5.13 Grid Questions (Headers and Footers Tab)
i.5.14 Grid Questions (Rows/Columns Tab)
i.5.15 Edit Grid Row/Column Label and Question Settings
i.5.16 Add Grid Row/Column Label
i.5.17 Composing Constant Sum Questions
i.5.18 Constant Sum Advanced Dialog
i.5.19 Composing Ranking Questions
i.5.20 Composing Free Format Questions
i.5.21 SELECT (Combo Box) (Free Format Question Type)
i.5.22 TEXTAREA (Free Format Question Type)
i.5.23 TEXT (Text Box) (Free Format Question)
i.5.24 TEXT (Numeric) (Free Format Question Type)
i.5.25 CHECKBOX (Free Format Question Type)
i.5.26 RADIO (Free Format Question Type)
i.5.27 Hidden (Free Format Variable)
i.5.28 JavaScript Question
i.5.29 Using HTML Elements to Enhance Your Surveys

i.6 Graphics
i.6.1 Including Graphics in Your Questionnaire
i.6.2 Graphics Management

i.7 Questionnaire Flow
i.7.1 Layout Dialog
i.7.2 Randomize Questions
i.7.3 Page Skip Logic
i.7.4 Displaying Responses Given to Previous Questions

i.8 Testing Locally (Local Web)
i.8.1 Testing/Running the Survey Locally
i.8.2 Local Web Settings

i.9 Respondents Connecting to Survey
i.9.1 How Respondents Access Your Survey
i.9.2 “One-Click” Respondent Access to Survey
i.9.3 Linking to Sawtooth Software’s Web Survey from another Survey Program
i.9.4 What Happens at the End of the Survey?

i.10 Uploading Study to Server
i.10.1 Uploading Your Survey to Your Internet Server
i.10.2 Deleting Practice Data Prior to Taking the Study “Live”

i.11 Data Management Module
i.11.1 Logging onto the Online Data Management Module
i.11.2 Study Summary
i.11.3 Passwords Table
i.11.4 Downloading Passwords Report
i.11.5 Accumulate Qualified/Complete Surveys
i.11.6 Accumulate Disqualified and Incomplete Surveys (Read/Modify Access Only)
i.11.7 Delete Disqualified and Incomplete Surveys (Read/Modify Access Only)
i.11.8 View Survey Data
i.11.9 Download Accumulated Surveys (Read-Modify Access Only)
i.11.10 Tabulating Data On-Line
i.11.11 Reset Web Survey (Read/Modify Access Only)

i.12 Exporting Data
i.12.1 Export All Data (Export File Type)
i.12.2 Export All Data (Respondent Filter Tab)
i.12.3 Export All Data (Data to Export)
i.12.4 Exporting Open-End Data
i.12.5 Moving Data from SSI Web to SMRT for Analysis

i.13 Technical Notes and Troubleshooting Aids
i.13.1 How Data Are Stored
i.13.2 Files Created by SSI Web
i.13.3 Error Messages (from Perl scripts)
i.13.4 Trouble-Shooting Server-Side Problems
i.13.5 Web Server Setup for Microsoft IIS Servers
i.13.6 Networked Environments Where Users Cannot Access the Program Files Folder

i.14 HTML Aids
i.14.1 HTML Cheat-Sheet
i.14.2 HTML Editor (Pencil Icon)

i.15 System Variables
i.15.1 System Variables

i.16 CAPI Interviewing
i.16.1 CAPI Interviewing with “SSI Web CAPI”
i.16.2 Accumulate CAPI Data Files
i.16.3 Deleting Sensitive Data from CAPI Interviewing PCs
Section ii: ACA/Web

ii.1 Getting Started
ii.1.1 Getting Started with ACA/Web
ii.1.2 What Is Adaptive Conjoint Analysis?
ii.1.3 Basic Overview of ACA/Web

ii.2 ACA Questionnaire Flow
ii.2.1 Sections and Flow of an ACA Questionnaire

ii.3 Control Parameters
ii.3.1 Setting ACA Control Parameters

ii.4 Is ACA the Appropriate Technique?
ii.4.1 Is ACA the Appropriate Technique?

ii.5 Attributes and Levels
ii.5.1 Specify Attributes and Levels
ii.5.2 Attribute Text
ii.5.3 Level Text
ii.5.4 Specify Prohibited Pairs

ii.6 ACA Questions
ii.6.1 ACA Rating Questions (Question Text Tab)
ii.6.2 ACA Rating Questions (Question Format Tab)
ii.6.3 ACA Rating Anchor Text
ii.6.4 ACA Importance Questions (Question Text Tab)
ii.6.5 ACA Importance Questions (Question Format Tab)
ii.6.6 ACA Importance Anchor Text
ii.6.7 ACA Pairs Questions (Question Text Tab)
ii.6.8 ACA Pairs Questions (Question Format Tab)
ii.6.9 ACA Pairs Anchor Text
ii.6.10 ACA Calibration Questions (Question Text Tab)
ii.6.11 ACA Calibration Questions (Question Format)
ii.6.12 ACA Calibration Settings

ii.7 Utility Estimation
ii.7.1 Calculate ACA Utilities
ii.7.2 Details of ACA/Web Utility Estimation
ii.7.3 How Utility Estimation in ACA/Web Differs from Previous Versions of ACA

ii.8 Data Management
ii.8.1 How ACA/Web Data are Stored
ii.8.2 Prepare Conjoint Data for HB

ii.9 Technical Details Regarding Estimation and Design
ii.9.1 Updating Utilities During the ACA Interview
ii.9.2 Choosing the Next Paired-Comparison Question
ii.9.3 Differences between ACA/Web and ACA 4

ii.10 Data File Formats
ii.10.1 Format of .UTL and .ACD files

ii.11 Real-Time Feedback to Respondents
ii.11.1 Real-Time Feedback of ACA Results to Respondents
ii.12 Analysis
ii.12.1 Analyzing ACA Data with the Market Simulator
(see also section i.12.5 Moving Data from SSI Web to SMRT for Analysis)
Section iii: CBC/Web

iii.1 Getting Started
iii.1.1 Getting Started: What is CBC Analysis?
iii.1.2 Getting Started: Overview of CBC/Web Software
iii.1.3 CBC Questionnaires and Design Strategy
(see section ii.5.1 Specify Attributes and Levels for more information on defining attributes and levels)

iii.2 Experimental Design Considerations
iii.2.1 Attribute Interactions
iii.2.2 Number of Attributes/Levels/Tasks in CBC
iii.2.3 Specifying Fixed or Holdout Tasks
iii.2.4 Generating/Testing the CBC Design

iii.3 Interview Parameters and Display Options
iii.3.1 Specify CBC Interview Parameters (General Tab)
iii.3.2 “Shelf-Facing” Display Display Tab (Advanced Design Module Only)
iii.3.3 Specify CBC Interview Parameters (Format Tab)
iii.3.4 Specify CBC Interview Parameters (Design Tab)
iii.3.5 Specify CBC Interview Parameters (Advanced Design Module Tab)
iii.3.6 CBC Random and Fixed Questions
iii.3.7 CBC Fixed Choice Task Settings

iii.4 Advanced Designs and Display Elements
iii.4.1 Alternative-Specific Designs
iii.4.2 Partial Profile Designs
iii.4.3 Conditional Pricing
iii.4.4 Conditional Display

iii.5 Data Export
iii.5.1 Prepare CBC Data Files (*.cho & *.att)
(see also section i.12.5 Moving Data from SSI Web to SMRT for Analysis)

iii.6 Paper-and-Pencil Administration
iii.6.1 CBC/Web Paper-and-Pencil Studies
iii.6.2 Accumulate Paper & Pencil Data Step 1 of 4
iii.6.3 Accumulate Paper & Pencil Data Step 2 of 4
iii.6.4 Accumulate Paper & Pencil Data Step 3 of 4
iii.6.5 Accumulate Paper & Pencil Data Step 4 of 4
i.1.1 Getting Started with Web Interviewing
CiW, ACA/Web and CBC/Web are integrated software systems for conducting market research studies
over the Internet, over an intranet, or via CAPI-based (stand-alone PC) interviewing. These software
systems include documentation in electronic format. While at most any dialog/screen within SSI Web,
you can receive help about the options within that particular dialog by pressing F1. (A complete copy of
the help documentation with a table of contents is available within the PDF file entitled SSI Web
Documentation.pdf that was installed with your SSI Web system.) We strongly suggest you start by
viewing “Getting Started with SSI Web: A 45-Minute Hands-On Tour”, by clicking Help + Getting Started
Hands-On Tour….

Your license entitles you to free technical support via phone, email or fax. We encourage you to contact
us (360/681-2300) if you cannot find the answer to your problem or question in this documentation. We
are available Mon-Fri, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Pacific time. (Note: we provide full technical support for
composing and testing your Internet survey on your local PC, and provide written instructions on how to
install your questionnaire on your server. We cannot take responsibility for or be expected to provide
technical support to debug any customized HTML or JavaScript you may add to your survey. You are
also responsible to make sure that Perl is running and that you can run Perl (CGI) scripts on your web
server. We can provide some assistance related to SSI Web’s use with your server once the fundamental
Perl functionality is in place.)

Sample CiW, ACA/Web and CBC/Web studies and supporting files are included with your installation in
the \tutorials directory. You can easily access these example studies by clicking Help | Tutorial
Studies. These questionnaires let you see examples and investigate how they are set up.

If you know a little HTML (which is not necessary to use this software), you can employ some "tricks" that
can help you customize the look of your survey beyond the standard options. This is especially the case
if using the “Free Format” question type. By opening the sample studies and looking at the settings and
text we've used, you can become familiar with some of the possibilities. There is also a brief section
available in the on-line help regarding HTML elements.

Using this web-based survey tool requires the following skills and knowledge base:

1) The analyst managing the survey should know the basics of survey writing. If using conjoint
analysis, the analyst should understand how to define attributes and levels properly, correctly
phrase the questionnaire text, interpret the conjoint utilities, and run simulations. It is not
necessary to be a statistician to use our software effectively, but knowledge of basic statistics for
market research is highly recommended.

2) The questionnaire is first composed locally on a PC running under Windows 95 or later with
Internet Explorer, Netscape or another Web browser installed. The individual inputting/formatting
the survey should have working knowledge of standard Windows applications such as word
processing and web browsers. Though it is not necessary, some knowledge of HTML is valuable.
The survey can be tested/run locally on your PC using the Local Web Server installed with SSI
Web. To post your survey on the Web, you’ll eventually upload your survey to a Web server.

3) To upload the survey to the Web, you must have access to an Internet/intranet server running
Perl 5.003 or later. This can be your company's own Web server, or your ISP's (Internet Service
Provider's) Web server. You must know how to use FTP software to create directories, upload
files to those directories, and set permissions on the files and directories. Detailed instructions on
the directories, files and permissions to set are provided in the on-line help, in the section entitled
Uploading Your Survey to the Web Server.

Note: Sawtooth Software also provides web hosting services for licensed SSI Web customers.
Please call us for more information.
Steps to Creating a Web Survey

1. It is likely that you will first compose the script to your questionnaire using a word processing package.
This is fine as a starting point, as you can cut-and-paste text from your word processing package into the
questions you develop one-by-one within SSI Web’s survey building interface.

2. Create a new study in SSI Web. A study is a four character (or less) name by which all files related to
your project are referenced.

3. Next, you write your questionnaire, adding questions one-by-one within the Write Questionnaire
interface. You can preview these questions using the Preview function, that shows how an Internet
browser presents your questions.

4. Create a respondent passwords table, to provide a way to let qualified respondents in and keep
unqualified people out of the survey.

5. Preview the questions, questionnaire pages, or the entire questionnaire on your PC during
questionnaire development. You can also test or run your questionnaire locally on your PC using the
Local Web Server installed with SSI Web.

5. When you are satisfied with your questionnaire, upload it, along with the supporting Perl files, to the
Web server. You then test your survey on the Web server, to make sure it functions properly and saves
the data correctly.

6. When you are satisfied that your survey looks and functions properly, invite respondents to take the
survey. Their data are automatically stored on the server. You can view or perform tabulations of the
data in real time at any point during data collection. (Note: performing administrative functions while a
survey is running live can affect server performance.)

7. Download the data to your PC and use the data Export capabilities within SSI Web to convert the
survey data to a generic ASCII format, with a supporting layout file that tells you which columns of data
correspond to different questions in your survey. You can then import the data into a data tabulation
program of your choice, or into a spreadsheet for analysis.

8. If running a conjoint analysis project (e.g. ACA or CBC), use the menu system to prepare the
appropriate conjoint files for analysis within the SMRT system.

Privacy and Research

There is a great deal of concern regarding privacy rights and the Internet. Researchers must be
respectful of respondents and the valuable information they provide. One should never use information
collected during the course of research for purposes other than research. We suggest providing a privacy
policy near the front of your survey, to let respondents know how the data they provide will or won’t be
used.

We condemn any direct marketing, selling, list building, or PR campaigns that masquerade as research.
i.1.2 What’s New in V3.5?

What’s New in V3.5?

General SSI Web Improvements:

1. We have added new capabilities for CAPI data collection. CAPI data collection lets you easily set
up Web studies to run on stand-alone PCs or laptops for data collection (that are not connected
to the web). We hope this new functionality makes SSI Web even more useful than before,
allowing users to use the software in more traditional interviewing environments.

CBC/Web Improvements

1. For the Advanced Design Module, we have increased level capacity per attribute from 15 to 100,
and have increased the number of concepts that can be displayed per task from 16 to 100.
These changes are particularly useful for packaged goods and beverage research, where it is
common to have dozens of brands or SKUs.
2. Conditional Pricing and Conditional Display capabilities. Users can now specify conditional
pricing tables which enable them to create customized price ranges for certain brands (for
example), or combinations of attributes (such as brand/package size combinations). Prices can
be made to vary (using conditional “look up” tables) on the level combinations of up to three other
attributes. Conditional Display lets users display a graphic (or other HTML element) in place of
(or in addition to) an attribute’s regular level text. Conditional display can vary these conditional
elements based on the level combinations of up to four other attributes.
3. Ability to suppress concept randomization. Some researchers have wanted their CBC tasks to
always show a particular brand in a certain concept position on the screen. The default behavior
in CBC is to randomize the position of levels on the screen. We’ve added the capability to
suppress that randomization and show the concepts in a specific order (the natural order) for a
user-specified attribute, such as brand. Thus, brand 1 will always display in the first concept
position, brand 2 in the second position, etc. Another new feature randomizes the concept
position once for each respondent (for a user-specified attribute), but holds that random order
constant across all tasks for that respondent. This helps control order bias across respondents
without making respondents re-orient themselves to the new positions of, say, brands on the
screen within their respective surveys.
4. Shelf-facing display presentation. We’ve added a new capability to the Advanced Design Module
for showing realistic shelf-facing displays, like a shopper might see in a grocery store.
5. Paper-and-Pencil Data Collection. Users can now use CBC/Web software for implementing
paper-and-pencil CBC studies. The menu items are nearly identical as for CBC for Windows
(SMRT). Also, we’ve changed the naming convention from “beginning questionnaire version” to
“design seed” (though the functionality is the same). In CBC for Windows (SMRT) the beginning
questionnaire version really was a design seed, and we’ve clarified that terminology both in SSI
Web v3.5 and in the newest version of SMRT to reflect that. Now, questionnaire versions always
start with #1, but the designs can vary depending on the design seed.

What’s New in V3.2?

In case you missed upgrading to v3.2, here is the list of changes for that version:

With the release of version 3.2, our Web-interviewing software has many improvements, and a few
changes that previous users should review.

Important Changes:

1. The list of files to be uploaded to the server is slightly different from before (Note: auth-lib.pl is