Completing a Pairwise Comparison Tournament: The Respondent's View¶

Setting up a Pairwise Comparison section (see Pairwise Comparison Testing: Setting Up a Head-to-Head Tournament) is one thing; knowing exactly what a respondent experiences while taking it is what actually lets you write good instructions and set realistic expectations for how long it takes.

What a Respondent Sees First¶

Before the matchups begin, a respondent sees the section's single instructional text block - the one place a Pairwise Comparison section can explain the task, since the section doesn't support separately-authored questions (see What You Can't Add in the setup guide). This is the only chance to set context, so it's worth making it count.

The Matchup Flow¶

A respondent is shown two items - images or videos from your comparison pool - side by side, and picks the one they prefer. Once they choose, the next pair appears, and this continues through a series of head-to-head matchups until the section is complete. There's no separate question to answer between matchups; the choice itself is the data being captured.

How Many Matchups a Respondent Sees¶

This depends on whether the section is configured as Randomized or League-based (see Randomized vs. League-Based in the setup guide) and how many items are in the comparison pool. More items in the pool generally means more matchups, so a large pool can meaningfully lengthen how long the section takes to complete - worth factoring in if you're also estimating total survey length.

What Happens If They Reload Mid-Tournament¶

This is a known, deliberate exception to Opionate's usual save-progress behavior: if a respondent's browser reloads partway through a Pairwise Comparison tournament, they return to that section's start screen rather than resuming their exact position in the bracket. They aren't stuck and don't lose access to the survey - the tournament for that section simply restarts from the beginning. See How Respondents Resume an In-Progress Survey for the full picture of what does and doesn't persist.

Writing Good Instructions for This Flow¶

Since the task itself is simple (pick one of two), the instructional text block is your opportunity to clarify what "prefer" means for your specific study - visual appeal, which one they'd buy, which one best represents a concept - rather than leaving respondents to guess what criteria to use.

FAQ¶

Does a respondent know how many matchups are left?
Check your specific survey's interface for whether progress within the section is shown - this can vary depending on how the section is configured.

Can a respondent skip a matchup?
A Pairwise Comparison section is built around making a choice for each matchup shown - check your section's settings for whether skipping is possible.

Does the respondent see the same pairing twice?
This depends on how the section is structured (Randomized or League-based) - see Randomized vs. League-Based for more.

Is there a way to make the tournament shorter for respondents?
Keeping your comparison pool closer to the lower end of the 2-12 item range generally means fewer possible matchups and a faster section for respondents to complete.

For the builder-side setup of this section type, see Pairwise Comparison Testing: Setting Up a Head-to-Head Tournament.