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This page looks at various survey tools available at UCL for capturing information from respondents. It covers how accessible the tools are and how to design your survey to maximise accessibility.
The accessibility of a form will depend both on the tool you are using to create it, the design of the form and the way that you structure your questions.
UCL survey tools
The following tools are available for creating forms at UCL:
- Microsoft (MS) Forms
- Qualtrics XM
- REDCap
Research IT Services have put together a Survey Tools site with a comparison of these tools according to features like survey design, data management and participant management. There is also an overview of the GDPR implications of using each of these tools.
Which tool should I use?
All of these tools have some accessibility issues but in general MS Forms is the most accessible in its inherent design. Unless you particularly need a feature that is only offered by one of the other tools, it is advisable to use Microsoft Forms while taking steps to design your form in the most accessible way.
Microsoft Forms:
- UCL Office 365 accessibility guidance for Forms (SharePoint)
- Accessibility support for Microsoft Forms
Qualtrics provide guidance on using their tool to create accessible surveys and has a built in accessibility checker. Note that the process of creating the survey is not accessible but the survey itself can be created to be accessible.
RedCAP has many accessibility issues but is required for use with highly sensitive data, such as medical data, stored in the Data Safe Haven.
General considerations when designing a form
The same accessibility fundamentals apply to forms just as they do to other content: having a clear and simple structure and being careful in your use of colour, for example. It is also recommended to keep forms as short as possible and to provide clear instructions on how to use the form and what information is required.
If a form is unavoidably long or complicated, or has many branching questions, it would be recommended to provide a link to an accessible summary of questions or equivalent guidance in the description field to enable respondents to prepare their responses in advance.
Recommendations for Microsoft Forms
- Use the description field to provide details like the number of questions or sections in the form, or any time limits that may apply (see below)
- Ideally do not use timed responses at all, but if they cannot be avoided, give respondents clear notice of the time limit, and provide plenty of time to complete the form; please note that providing a downloadable summary of questions in advance would also help mitigate the difficulties associated with time limits
- Make sure it is clearly stated which questions are required and which are optional
- Limit usage of more complex field types in favour of plain-text fields, radio buttons/checkboxes, and date pickers
- Long answers have a specific field type to ensure it is easy for respondents to see their whole answer, so please use this instead of a standard text field when longer answers are expected
- Alt text requirements for images and contrast requirements for text and graphics apply to forms in the same way as they do to any other type of content, so please also see our guidance on visuals and use of colour for more information
- When complete, use the "Preview" option to check how it will be seen by others before you send it out for responses; please be sure to check both computer and mobile views
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