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How to Build a Survey and Data Collection App
A survey and data collection app gathers structured responses through API endpoints or web forms, stores them in a searchable database, and uses AI to analyze open-ended answers for patterns and themes. Built with the AI app builder, it handles everything from simple customer satisfaction surveys to complex multi-part research questionnaires.
What the App Manages
- Survey definitions with title, description, questions (multiple choice, rating scales, open text), and active/inactive status
- Responses linked to each survey, with respondent info (optional), answers for each question, submission timestamp, and AI-generated analysis
- Results summaries with response counts, average ratings, most common answers, and AI-generated theme analysis for open-ended questions
Building the App
Step 1: Define your survey structure.
Describe how surveys work to the AI: "Each survey has a title, description, and a list of questions. Each question has a type (multiple choice, rating 1-5, or open text), the question text, and option values for multiple choice questions. I want to create surveys in the admin and then collect responses through an API endpoint."
Describe how surveys work to the AI: "Each survey has a title, description, and a list of questions. Each question has a type (multiple choice, rating 1-5, or open text), the question text, and option values for multiple choice questions. I want to create surveys in the admin and then collect responses through an API endpoint."
Step 2: Create a response submission endpoint.
Ask the AI to build the collection API: "Create an endpoint that accepts a survey ID and an array of answers. Each answer includes the question ID and the response value. Save the response with a timestamp. If the respondent provides a name and email, store those too." This endpoint connects to survey forms on your website or in emails.
Ask the AI to build the collection API: "Create an endpoint that accepts a survey ID and an array of answers. Each answer includes the question ID and the response value. Save the response with a timestamp. If the respondent provides a name and email, store those too." This endpoint connects to survey forms on your website or in emails.
Step 3: Add AI analysis of open-ended responses.
Tell the AI: "When a new response comes in that includes open-ended text answers, use AI to generate a one-sentence summary of the key points and classify the overall sentiment. Store these as fields on the response record." This makes it possible to quickly filter and search through hundreds of text responses.
Tell the AI: "When a new response comes in that includes open-ended text answers, use AI to generate a one-sentence summary of the key points and classify the overall sentiment. Store these as fields on the response record." This makes it possible to quickly filter and search through hundreds of text responses.
Step 4: Set up automated reporting.
Ask the AI to create a summary job: "Every Friday, generate a summary report for each active survey. Include total responses this week, average rating (for rating questions), most common multiple choice answers, and an AI-generated summary of the main themes from open-ended responses. Email the report to me."
Ask the AI to create a summary job: "Every Friday, generate a summary report for each active survey. Include total responses this week, average rating (for rating questions), most common multiple choice answers, and an AI-generated summary of the main themes from open-ended responses. Email the report to me."
Use Cases
- Customer satisfaction surveys sent after purchases or service interactions. See How to Create a Customer Satisfaction Survey
- Employee engagement surveys distributed internally on a quarterly schedule
- Market research questionnaires embedded on landing pages to understand your audience
- Event feedback collection sent to attendees after conferences or webinars
- Product research surveys testing interest in new features or product ideas before building them
Combining With Other Features
Surveys can be hosted on your website using the web builder's survey feature for a polished front-end experience. For lead generation, capture email addresses through surveys and feed them into your email list. For deeper analysis of survey data, use the customer segmentation feature to cluster respondents by their answer patterns.
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