Child questions are a powerful feature that allows you to create conditional logic within your forms. When enabled, child questions only appear to applicants based on their response to a parent question. This feature is particularly useful for creating dynamic, personalised application experiences that adapt to each user's specific circumstances.
Child questions help streamline the application process by showing only relevant questions, reducing form fatigue and improving completion rates. They are ideal for scenarios where different applicants require different information based on their initial responses.
How Child Questions Work
Question Types That Support Child Questions
Child questions can be added to three specific question types:
- Yes / No questions - Create different follow-up paths based on whether the applicant answers "Yes" or "No"
- Multiple Choice questions - Display specific follow-up questions based on which single option the applicant selects
- Multiple Select questions - Show follow-up questions when one or more specific options are selected
Important Hierarchy Limitation
Note: You can only have two levels of child questions. After which your child questions cannot have further child questions. (no "grandchild" questions). This maintains form simplicity and ensures a smooth user experience.
In the example below, there is a yes/no question about whether the applicant has previously applied for this type of grant. If they answer yes, a multiple-choice question appears asking them to select the grant type they applied for before. As shown in the screenshot, there are no further options available to add child questions to those grant-type child questions. so in this instance, they are only presented with the option to select the grant type, but they cannot be asked for further information or to elaborate on that grant type.
Creating Child Questions: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Create Your Parent Question
Start by creating a Yes/No, Multiple Choice, or Multiple Select question that will serve as your parent question. This is the question that will determine which child questions appear.
Step 2: Enable Child Questions
To add a child question to any yes/no multiple choice multiple select question, you first select your question type. Once you have selected your question type and created that question, you will then have a drop down arrow available. Clicking on that will open the option to add your child questions.
Step 3: Select Question Type
The small text question is usually the default. However, after setting a child question, any further questions revert to the last chosen option. Clicking on the question type will cause a modal to appear showing all available question types that can be added as child questions. You can select from a wide variety of question types including:
- Small Text, Medium Text, Large Text
- Number
- Multiple Choice
- Multiple Select
- Yes / No
- Date
- Date & Time
- Heading
- Statement
- Table
- Country,
- Location,
- Scorebar
- File Upload
- Video Recording
- Authenticated Signature
- On-Screen Signature
- Phone,
- Website
- Import Question
- Video Briefing
- Payment
- Secondary Email Address
Step 4: Configure Your Child Question
After selecting the question type, configure your child question just as you would any other question. Add your question text, set any required fields, and configure advanced settings as needed.
Step 5: Save Your Child Question
Click "Save" to add the child question to your form. The child question will now appear indented below the parent answer option, making it easy to identify the conditional relationship.
Example: Multiple Select with Child Questions
Consider a grant application form asking about energy improvement measures. The parent question might be: "Choose the energy measures you are getting (you can select multiple)"
Parent Question Options:
- Solar Panel
- Solar battery storage
- Air source heat pump
If the applicant selects "Solar Panel", they'll see five child questions. Two asking for a file upload. One table where they can fill out a quotation and a medium text question to explain why they have arrived at a preferred quote.:
Since this is a multiple select question, they can, in this instance, select a number of answers, and then for each of those answers, there are child questions related to the information required for that answer
How Child Questions Display to Applicants
When an applicant completes your form, child questions appear dynamically based on their selections. The questions appear immediately after the parent question, creating a seamless flow. If an applicant changes their answer to a parent question, any previously answered child questions will be cleared to maintain data integrity.
Child Questions Workflow
The following flowchart illustrates how child questions work in practice:
So in this instance, if the applicant just clicked on selection A, they would only see child questions A1 through to A5. If they just clicked on selection B, they would only see child questions B1 to B5. However, if they had selected both selection A and selection B, then they would have to answer questions A1 to A5 and B1 to B5.
Best Practices for Child Questions
- Keep it simple: Limit the number of child questions to avoid overwhelming applicants
- Be clear: Make sure parent questions clearly indicate that follow-up questions may appear
- Test thoroughly: Preview your form and test all conditional paths to ensure child questions appear correctly
- Use strategically: Child questions work best for gathering information that is only relevant to specific applicant groups