Code responses

Coding turns open-ended answers into something countable. For a given question, Strella reads every participant's response and places each one into a category, the same work a researcher does by hand when coding open-ended survey answers. The result is a chart of categories on that question's analysis page, and a column you can filter and group by.

Automatic coding

Every open-ended question, the kind participants answer in their own words, is coded for you. You don't have to write anything: Strella picks the most useful way to group the answers and sorts each participant into one category.

Coding keeps up with your study as interviews arrive:

• Strella sorts new interviews into the existing categories. As each interview finishes, Strella places that participant's answer into one of the categories already there, so the grouping stays stable while you collect data.
• Strella regenerates the categories as analysis refreshes. As your interview count grows, Strella periodically rebuilds the categories from scratch over everyone so far. The grouping then re-forms around what the fuller set of answers shows.

Code a question yourself

You can also code a question with your own prompt instead of the automatic grouping. Describe the angle you care about, for example "group by which pricing objection they raised", and Strella proposes the categories and assignments for you to review and adjust before saving.

Refine a coding

Open the 3-dot menu on a coding and choose Edit to refine it. You can:

• Edit the title and description, rename the categories, and drag participants from one category to another. A coding carries a short title and a one-line description. They label its chart card, so a saved coding reads clearly on its own.
• Change the grouping prompt and regenerate. Edit the prompt at the top of the editor and regenerate to re-group everyone from scratch on your revised instruction. The groups lock while Strella re-codes, then update in place for you to review before saving.

Where coded categories appear

• On the question's analysis page as a chart showing each category and how many participants fall into it. The chart card carries the coding's title and one-line description, so it stands on its own in an export or when a question has more than one coding.
• In the participants table as a column. Automatically coded columns are hidden by default so the table stays readable when a study has many questions. Add any of them from the column menu when you want to filter or sort by it.
• As a way to order the responses below the chart. Open the sort menu on the Participant responses list and pick the coding by name to read the answers grouped by their coded category, in the same order as the bars above. Participants Strella couldn't place in a category sit at the bottom either way you sort.

Controls

Automatic coding is always on for open-ended questions, so there's nothing to switch on. From the 3-dot menu on the analysis page:

• Re-code responses: rebuilds the categories for every open-ended question right away, over all responses so far, instead of waiting for the next refresh. Use it after a burst of interviews when you want the grouping brought up to date immediately.

Refreshing your analysis (All, or Questions, or a single open question's page) rebuilds the coding for you too.