A quiz, done well, can make for addictive content. Fun and sharable, they can inform, delight — even change minds. Just make sure you do it right.
A few rules to follow
Decide if a quiz is the correct format: Perhaps the biggest quiz faux pas we see at Ceros is content that doesn’t work as a quiz. Before you embark on creating a quiz, ask yourself why you are choosing a quiz format. Is it simply because “people like quizzes”? Think about if and how a quiz would help get your message across.
Determine your goal: Ideally, you should have a clear idea of what you want your quiz to accomplish. Some examples of good goals:
Make product selection easier
Engage fans with fun trivia
Surprise with unexpected facts
Keep it simple: Ideally, your quiz should be short, with easy-to-follow logic. Aim for no more than ten questions, and keep the language conversational and free of jargon. Also, make sure it’s something your users will want to take (and that the questions reflect that). If your questions aren’t valuable or relevant, your user isn’t likely to finish the quiz (or share it with friends).
Soften those gates: Few folks want to give away their data for the privilege of taking a quiz. If you want data, give users an incentive for sending off their info (perhaps their results, or else a voucher or free consultation).
Create clear navigation: Make sure your users have a sense of how far along they are in your quiz. Consider using some sort of status indicator that updates as users answer questions so they always know how many questions they have left and what question they are on.
Automatically advance? It depends. Think carefully about whether you would like your users to automatically advance to the next question, or click a “next” button. Automatically advancing saves a click and creates a more streamlined and faster experience for the user. However, using a “next” button may be useful if you’re revealing information after the user selects an answer — this way you give them time to read the text before advancing.
The steps to getting started
Determine your message: What’s the one thing you want your user to walk away knowing? Use this answer to prioritize what type of quiz this will be.
Determine your quiz style: Is this a trivia quiz? A choose-your-own-adventure? Will the quiz direct users to a specific product? Is it gamified? Think about what format will drive home your desired message.
Map your quiz: Draw a physical map of the quiz. Write out each question, and draw arrows to where they will lead, or what result they will lead to. This will help you figure out if your quiz logic is easy to follow. Remember, if you can’t follow it, your users aren’t likely to either.
Write a list of references your audience will relate to: Struggling to make your questions and answers interesting? Get into the headspace of your ideal user. What are their pain points day-to-day? What do they geek out over? Link these to your main message to make it interesting for your audience.
Write results: Write out the results. Try not to have too many options (3 max). This will help you determine how many answer options you want, and where each will lead. Also, think about what action you want your user to take at the end of the quiz, and use the results as a means to guide them to that next step.
Write questions: Almost there. You’ve got your results and a sense of how many answers to have for each question. Now write the questions. Aim to have no more than ten.
Stellar examples to inspire you
Watch the video below to learn more about Ceros' SDK quiz extensions, which allow you to add scoring systems to your quiz experiences: