Introducing {surveydown}

## Introducing {surveydown}

### An open-source platform for programmable, markdown-based surveys

**John Paul Helveston** George Washington University

posit::conf(2025)

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background-color: #000
class: center, middle, inverse

# I try to figure out what people want

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### WYSIWYG Interface

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# Limitations

## .font80[❌] .font90[Reproducibility]

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# Limitations

## .font80[❌] .font90[Reproducibility]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Version control]

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# Limitations

## .font80[❌] .font90[Reproducibility]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Version control]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Limited features]

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# Limitations

## .font80[❌] .font90[Reproducibility]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Version control]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Limited features]

## .font80[❌] .font90[Open source]

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# ~~Limitations~~ Features

## &#x2705; Reproducibility

## &#x2705; Version control

## &#x2705; Lots of Features

## &#x2705; Open source

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# Wouldn't it be nice if there was a "Quarto" for surveys?

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# .font130[.center[surveydown to the rescue!]]

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# In this talk, you'll learn:

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## - What is `surveydown`?

## - How does it work?

## - What can I do with it?

## - What's next?

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# .font140[.center[What is surveydown?]]

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### .center[Standard YAML header w/options for "clean" output]

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### .font90[.center[Load the `surveydown` package]]

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### .center[Use Quarto fences (`:::`) to define survey pages]

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### .center[Page content]

- Markdown for page content (text, images, etc.)
- `sd_question()` for survey questions
- `sd_next()` for next button

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# .center[Wait a minute... Quarto renders to _static_ html pages, right?]

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# .font140[.center[Shiny to the rescue!]]

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# A complete `surveydown` survey

### `survey.qmd`

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### `app.R`

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# Don't panic!

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Typical `app.R` file

``` r
library(surveydown)

ui <- sd_ui()

server <- function(input, output, session) { 
 
 sd_server()
 
}

shiny::shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)
```

]]

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Typical `app.R` file

``` r
library(surveydown)

*ui <- sd_ui()

server <- function(input, output, session) { 
 
* sd_server()
 
}

shiny::shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)
```

]]

Render the `survey.qmd` file

Run the surveydown server

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# .center[Wait a minute... How do you store the response data?]

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# .font140[.center[PostgreSQL to the rescue!]]

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Typical `app.R` file

``` r
library(surveydown)

*# sd_db_config()
*db <- sd_db_connect()

ui <- sd_ui()

server <- function(input, output, session) { 
 
* sd_server(db)
 
}

shiny::shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)
```

]]

Store credentials 
Connect to the database

Pass connection to `sd_server()`

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### supabase.com

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# .font140[What can surveydown do?]

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## .center[Surveydown is feature packed!]

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# - Question types

# - Conditionally display content

# - Conditionally skip forward

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# - .green[Question types]

# - Conditionally display content

# - Conditionally skip forward

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# .center[Question types]

- text
- textarea
- numeric
- mc
- mc_multiple
- mc_buttons
- mc_multiple_buttons
- select
- slider
- slider_numeric
- date
- daterange
- matrix

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# .center[Question types: `text`]

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "text",
  id    = "fav_hero_name",
  label = "Who is your favorite super hero?"
)
```

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---

# .center[Question types: `mc`]

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "mc",
  id    = "hero_universe",
  label = "Which superhero universe do you prefer?",
  option = c(
    "Marvel" = "marvel",
    "DC Comics" = "dc",
    "Independent/Other" = "other",
    "I like them all equally" = "all"
  )
)
```

]

]

---

# .center[Question types: `mc_multiple`]

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "mc_multiple",
  id    = "hero_qualities",
  label = "What qualities do you find most appealing? (Select all that apply)",
  option = c(
    "Super strength" = "strength",
    "Ability to fly" = "flying",
    "Intelligence/Strategy" = "intelligence",
    "Humor/Wit" = "humor",
    "Moral compass" = "morals"
  )
)
```

]

]

---

# .center[Question types: `mc_buttons`]

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "mc_buttons",
  id    = "dream_power",
  label = "If you could have ONE superpower?",
  option = c(
    "🕸️ Web-slinging" = "webslinging",
    "🛡️ Super Strength" = "strength",
    "✈️ Flight" = "flight",
    "🧠 Telepathy" = "telepathy",
    "⚡ Super Speed" = "speed"
  ),
  direction = "vertical"
)
```

]

]

---

# .center[Question types: `slider_numeric`]

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "slider_numeric",
  id    = "responsibility_scale",
  label = "How much do you agree with 'With great power comes great responsibility'?",
  option = 1:10
)
```

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]

---

# - Question types

# - .green[Conditionally display content]

# - Conditionally skip forward

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# Conditionally display content

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# .center[Conditionally display content]

survey.qmd

``` r
sd_question(
  type  = "mc",
  id    = "has_fav_hero",
  label = "Do you have a favorite hero?",
  option = c("Yes" = "yes", "No" = "no")
)

sd_question(
  type  = "text",
  id    = "fav_hero",
  label = "Who is your favorite super hero?"
)
```

]

app.R

``` r
sd_show_if(
  input$has_fav_hero == "yes" ~ "fav_hero"
)
```

Condition ~ Target

"If {condition}, then show {target}"

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# - Question types

# - Conditionally display content

# - .green[Conditionally skip forward]

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# .center[Conditionally skip forward]

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# .center[Conditionally skip forward]

survey.qmd

```` markdown
::: {.sd_page id=welcome}

```{r}
sd_question(
  type  = "mc",
  id    = "has_fav_hero",
  label = "Do you have a favorite hero?",
  option = c("Yes" = "yes", "No" = "no")
)
```

:::

::: {.sd_page id=screenout}

# Thank you for your interest

:::

````

]

app.R

``` r
sd_skip_forward(
  input$has_fav_hero == "no" ~ "screenout"
)
```

Condition ~ Target

"If {condition}, then skip to {target}"

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# .font140[If it works in Shiny, it works in surveydown]

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# Embedding an interactive map with {leaflet}

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### **Live polling**: Show the response data inside the survey

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# surveydown + LLMs is pretty cool

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## Generate surveys with LLMs!

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# .font150[What's next?]

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# Try out the surveydown [sdstudio package](https://github.com/surveydown-dev/sdstudio/)

## `sdstudio::launch()`

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# With great power comes great responsibility

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# .center[Ways to help:]

## .center[https://github.com/surveydown-dev/surveydown/]

## - Try it out!
## - Give it a ⭐
## - Post an issue
## - Join the GitHub discussion
## - Contribute a template

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# .center[Thanks!]

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### .center[https://surveydown.org/]

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