> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.pickfu.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How PickFu surveys work: questions, audience, results
> How PickFu surveys work: question types, audience targeting, written explanations, sample sizes, and the AI analysis you get with results.
PickFu surveys collect real consumer feedback to help you make data-driven decisions. Each survey presents questions to a targeted panel of respondents who provide votes, rankings, and written explanations for their choices.
## How surveys work
1. **You create a poll** with a question, options, and audience targeting
2. **Respondents from the panel** see your poll and provide their feedback
3. **Results come in** with quantitative data (votes, rankings) and qualitative insights (written explanations)
4. **You analyze the results** to make informed product decisions
Surveys typically complete within minutes to hours depending on the sample size and targeting criteria.
**Every response includes a written explanation by default.** When a respondent picks an option (or rates, ranks, etc.), they're also required to explain *why* in their own words — that's what makes PickFu's qualitative layer work. You don't need to add a separate "explain your reasoning" question to capture this; it's built into every text-answer question type.
**Screen recording is the one exception** — the recording itself is the answer, with an auto-generated transcription returned as `mediaTranscription` instead of `explanation`.
The written explanation comes back on each response as the `explanation` field via the [API](/docs/api-reference/introduction) and is summarized automatically in AI Insights.
## Question types
PickFu supports multiple question types to match different research needs:
### Comparison types
| Type | Use case | Options |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
| **Head-to-head** | A/B test two options against each other | 2 options |
| **Ranked** | Find preference order across multiple options | 3-8 options |
| **Single select** | Pick one favorite from several choices | 3-8 options |
| **Multi-select** | Choose all that apply from several options | 3-8 options |
### Feedback types
| Type | Use case |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Open-ended** | Collect written feedback on a single concept |
| **Star rating** | Get 1-5 star ratings with written explanations |
| **Emoji rating** | Gather emoji-based sentiment with explanations |
### Advanced types
| Type | Use case |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Click test** | Generate heatmaps showing where people click on images |
| **Five-second test** | Capture first impressions from brief exposure |
| **Screen recording** | Record user interactions with your content |
## Audience targeting
Choose from **90+ targeting traits** across **15 countries** to ensure feedback comes from your ideal audience:
* **Geography** — Target respondents by country (US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Poland, Sweden)
* **Demographics** — Filter by age range, gender, income level, education, and more
* **Interests** — Reach Amazon Prime members, pet owners, parents, and other segments
* **Custom traits** — Combine up to 4 targeting criteria for precise audiences (same-category traits use OR logic, cross-category traits use AND logic)
Questions automatically translate into each country's native language. Respondents answer in their language, and results are viewable in English or the original language. See [International surveys and translation](/docs/guides/international-surveys) for how to set the audience country and read localized results through the API, MCP, or CLI.
PickFu's panel includes **15M+ global respondents** sourced from enterprise-grade consumer panel partners, with multi-stage quality filtering (AI + human curation). All respondents sign a comprehensive NDA.
## Option formats
Each survey option can use different content formats:
* **Text** - Plain text descriptions or labels
* **Media URL** - Images or videos hosted at a URL
* **ASIN** - Amazon product listings by ASIN
* **Image set** — Multiple images grouped together (up to 9 images per option, displayed vertically or horizontally)
* **Mockup** — Product listing mockups (search results or listing page style, with title, price, ratings, and image)
All options within a single question must use the same content format.
## Multi-question surveys
Surveys can contain up to **16 questions** in a single poll. The same respondents answer all questions, giving you consistent feedback across multiple aspects of your product. Multi-question surveys are priced per question.
## AI analysis tools
Every completed survey includes AI-powered analysis at no extra cost, regardless of plan:
* **AI Insights** — Automatically generated summary of key findings, themes, and patterns across all responses. Generated as soon as your poll completes.
* **AI Highlights** — Deeper analysis identifying actionable insights and demographic differences. Generated as soon as your poll completes.
* **AI Sentiment** — Breakdown of positive, negative, and neutral sentiment across responses. Generated on demand — click **Generate AI** on the results page.
* **AI Extended Analysis** — Long-form analysis with deeper context and recommendations. Generated on demand — click **Generate AI** on the results page.
* **PickFu AI** — Ask follow-up questions about your results and get AI-generated answers based on the response data.
## Sample sizes
Choose how many respondents see your survey:
| Respondents | Best for |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| 15 | Quick gut checks and early-stage ideas |
| 30 | Directional feedback with some statistical significance |
| 50 | Standard polls with solid confidence |
| 75 | More confident results with broader demographic data |
| 100 | Detailed analysis with demographic breakdowns |
| 200, 300, 500 | High-confidence results for important decisions |
## Next steps
Learn how surveys move from creation to completion.
Write better questions and get more useful results.