Image choice question · Choice

Image choice questions

Let people answer with pictures: pack designs, logos, ads or colourways. Ask for one image or several, let people enlarge any image before they choose, and see the result by each image’s label in Results, dashboards and report decks.

Available onFree & up· every plan

The image choice question as respondents see it: six coffee bag designs as picture tiles on a laptop, one chosen, and the same question on a phone with two pictures per row

Live demo

Pick a design. Your answer joins the results.

This is the question your respondents get. Enlarge any bag to look closer, choose, and watch the results beside it count your answer.

Which coffee bag would you pick up first?

Green leaf
Orange sun
Blue wave
Grey peaks
Black and gold
Red stripes

In action

Image choice in action

0:00Six bag designs as picture tiles, each with its label.
0:03A click picks a design, and a check mark shows it.
0:06Results: a bar for each design, by its label.

Every feature

Everything image choice can do

Your own images and labels, one pick or several, a different order for each person, and results by each image’s label.

Build it your waySet-up in the builder.

LiveFree

Upload or link each image

Upload a PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG file of 5 MB or smaller, or paste a link. Uploads are checked to be real images, and SVG files with scripts are refused.

LiveFree

A label and alt text for each image

The label shows under the image and names it in Results, dashboards and report decks. Alt text describes the image to screen readers; when it’s blank, the label is used.

LiveFree

Pick one or pick any

Selection Mode switches between one image (Single-select) and several (Multi-select).

Set it before the survey goes live: a live survey won’t take the switch.

LiveFree

Minimum and maximum picks

In Multi-select, ask for a minimum or a maximum number of images, or both. Next checks the count before the respondent moves on.

The tiles don’t show the limit, so say it in your question.

LiveFree

Columns

Leave it on Auto, or pick 1 to 6 columns for tablet-sized screens and up.

Phones show two images per row.

LiveFree

Shuffle the images

Show the images in a different order to each person, so no image is always shown first. The order each person saw is saved in your export.

LiveFree

Required, soft required or optional

Required asks for a pick before Next; soft required warns once, then lets people move on; optional lets them with no warning.

Logic and follow-upsTie it to the rest of your survey.

LiveFree

Hide images picked earlier

Leave out the images someone already chose in an earlier question, and the question is skipped if none are left.

LiveFree

Carry picks forward

Show only the images someone picked in an earlier question, such as “Of these, which would you buy?”

Carry from another image choice to keep the pictures.

LiveFree

Pipe the chosen label

Insert the label of the image someone picked into a later question.

LiveFree

Use a pick in your logic

Show or skip later questions depending on which image someone chose.

LiveFree

Translated labels

Image labels translate with the rest of your survey.

Alt text stays in the survey’s own language, and the enlarge controls are in English.

On the respondent’s screenWhat people answering see and use.

LiveFree

Picture tiles

Each image is a tile with its label below. A chosen tile gets a border, a tint and a check mark.

Tiles show a fixed-height crop of each image.

LiveFree

Enlarge without choosing

An enlarge button on every image opens it full screen, with its label, so people can look closely before they pick.

LiveFree

Laid out for phones

On a phone the images sit two to a row; wider screens get three, or the number you set.

LiveFree

By keyboard

In Pick one, the arrow keys move between images and Space or Enter picks. In Pick any, each image is a Tab stop and Space ticks it.

LiveFree

Auto-advance in Pick one

With Auto-advance on selection turned on for the survey, a pick in Pick one moves straight to the next question.

Pick any waits for Next, and so does a page with more than one question.

LiveFree

Your theme, light or dark

Tiles follow the survey’s theme and dark mode.

In your resultsResults, dashboards and decks.

LiveFree

A bar per image, by label

Results charts how many people chose each image and the share, in the order you asked or most-picked first.

Images nobody picked don’t get a bar.

LiveFree

Filter to a segment

Filter Results to a group and the bars recount. An image choice can be a filter for every other question too.

LiveFree

Dashboards and report decks

The dashboard made for your survey gets a bar tile for each image choice, and its report deck gets the slides, for PDF or PowerPoint.

Charts name the images by their labels.

In your dataWhat lands in your exports.

LiveFree

One coded column for Pick one

Q1 holds the code of the image chosen, with the image labels as value labels in Excel, and in SPSS (Professional+).

LiveFree

A 0/1 column per image for Pick any

By default, one column per image, from Q1_1 to Q1_6, each labelled in Excel with the question and the image’s label.

LiveProfessional+

Labelled codes in SPSS

A Pick one question is a nominal variable labelled with your image labels.

LiveFree

The order they saw

With shuffling on, Q1_order records each person’s order.

Not part of image choice yet: an Other write-in, None of the above or not-applicable answers, attention checks, image size or crop settings, a switch to hide labels, alt text in other languages, and pictures in charts or exports.

Choosing

Image choice or a text list?

Both ask people to pick from a set of answers. Image choice makes the pictures the answers. Single choice and multiple choice are text lists, with extras such as Other and None of the above.

Image choice · Free
Pick image choice when
- The look is what you’re testing: a pack, a logo, an ad, a colourway.
- A picture says it faster than a label would.
- People should be able to look closely at each option before they choose.
Single or multiple choice · Free
Pick a text list when
- You need Other with a write-in, None of the above or Not applicable.
- You want an attention check or a default answer (single choice), or a limit on screen that stops extra ticks (multiple choice).
- The words matter most, and a small picture beside each answer is enough.

Need people to click on part of one picture instead? Use an image hotspot (Professional+) or an image heatmap (Professional+).

Build it

Add an image choice question

1
Add the question
In the builder, choose Image Choice (“Choose from images”) from the Choice group, and write the question, such as “Which coffee bag would you pick up first?”
2
Add your images
Under Images, replace the two starter images with your own: upload a PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG file of 5 MB or smaller, or paste an https link to one, then type its label and its alt text in the Alt text (accessibility) box. Choose Add image for each one after that.
3
One pick or several
Set Selection Mode to Single-select or Multi-select. For Multi-select, set Min selections or Max selections on the Rules tab if you need them. Set it before the survey goes live: a live survey won’t take the switch.
4
Lay out and shuffle
Leave Columns on Auto, or pick 1 to 6 for tablet-sized screens and up. To show the images in a different order to each person, open Randomization on the Logic tab and tick Enable option randomization.
5
Decide whether it’s required, then preview
Required asks for a pick before Next. Soft required warns once, then lets people move on without one. Optional lets them with no warning. Preview on a phone and a laptop before you launch.

The Image Choice editor with the question text, Selection Mode on Single-select, Columns on Auto, the six bag designs under Images, each with its label and alt text, and a preview of the question — EditorImages, labels and alt text in one place.

The question’s Randomization section with Enable option randomization ticked and the method Shuffle (random per respondent) — RandomizationA new order for each person.

The question on a phone: the six bag designs two to a row, one of them chosen — On a phoneTwo designs per row.

The data you get

Codes and labels, ready to analyse

Pick one lands in one column that holds the code of the image chosen, with each image’s label attached in Excel, and in SPSS (Professional+). Pick any gives one 0/1 column per image by default. When the images are shuffled, an extra column holds the order each person saw. The files carry codes and labels, not the pictures.

respondent_id	Q1	Q1_order
47762a85-0001-4000-8000-000000000001	5	6\|2\|5\|4\|3\|1
47762a85-0002-4000-8000-000000000002	5	4\|6\|5\|3\|1\|2
47762a85-0003-4000-8000-000000000003	4	1\|3\|6\|5\|4\|2
47762a85-0004-4000-8000-000000000004	6	2\|1\|5\|4\|6\|3
47762a85-0005-4000-8000-000000000005	2	5\|3\|1\|6\|4\|2
47762a85-0006-4000-8000-000000000006	3	3\|4\|1\|5\|2\|6
47762a85-0007-4000-8000-000000000007	5	6\|4\|2\|1\|3\|5
47762a85-0008-4000-8000-000000000008	5	1\|6\|4\|3\|5\|2

Trimmed to the question’s columns. Each Q1 cell is the code of the image chosen, and Q1_order the order that person was shown. Every export also carries the respondent columns (status, language, timing and more).

One column for Pick one

Q1 holds the code of the image chosen, and each code carries its image’s label in Excel, and in SPSS (Professional+).

A 0/1 column per image for Pick any

By default, from Q1_1 to Q1_6: 1 if the image was ticked, 0 if not, each labelled in Excel with the question and the image’s label.

The order they saw

With the images shuffled, Q1_order records the order each person was shown.

Labels, not pictures

Exports give each image’s code, with the labels in Excel, never the picture. Give every image a clear label before you launch.

Charts & analysis

See which design wins, by name

Results charts each image choice question as bars, one for each image people chose, with the share that chose it. Dashboards and report decks chart it as bars too.

The Results bars for the six bag designs in the order asked, each with its share: Green leaf 19%, Orange sun 13%, Blue wave 14%, Grey peaks 6%, Black and gold 30% and Red stripes 20% — Bars follow the order you asked in; switch to most-picked first in Results.

Where it charts

ResultsBars by image label
DashboardA bar tile, made for you
Report deckSlides, PDF and PowerPoint
ExportsCodes, with labels in Excel
Pictures in chartsLabels only

Analysis that applies

Filter to a segment
Free
Filter Results to a group, such as people who buy coffee weekly, and the bars recount for that group. An image choice can be a filter too: see how people who picked one design answered everything else.
Weighted shares
Research Team
Weight your sample, and Results shows the share choosing each image after weighting.
Dashboards and decks
Free
An image choice gets a bar tile on the dashboard made for your survey, and a slide in its report deck, ready for PDF or PowerPoint.
Labels in your language
Free
Pick a survey language in Results and each image label you translated shows in that language.

How Surveti compares

Image choice across the common survey tools

Image choice capabilities in Surveti, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Typeform and Alchemer, as of 9 November 2026
Capability	Surveti	SurveyMonkey	Qualtrics	Typeform	Alchemer
Image choice as its own question type	yesIts own type	yes¹Image Choice	partial^{4, 5}Graphics in Multiple choice	yes⁸Picture Choice	yes^{11, 12}Two types: one / multi
One pick or several	yesSelection Mode	yes¹	yes⁵	yes⁸	yes^{11, 12}
Minimum and maximum picks	yesChecked at Next; not shown on the tiles	unclear¹Linked, not read	yes⁵	yes⁸	yes¹²
Upload or image link	yesPNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG ≤ 5 MB	yes¹	yes⁴	partial^{8, 9}Account images; Unsplash per a search summary	yes^{11, 12}
Image size or layout controls	partialColumns from tablet width; fixed-height tiles	partial¹Fixed boxes	yes⁴Size presets, text position	partial⁸Supersize only	yes^{11, 12}Per row, width or height
A label with each image	yesNo hide-labels switch	yes¹Captions	yes⁴Text position	yes⁸Labels can be hidden	unclear^{11, 12}
Alt text per image	yesNot translated	yes¹	unclear⁴Rich-content graphics only	yes⁸	unclear^{11, 12}
Other or None option	no	partial¹None of the above	partial⁵Other with text entry	partial⁸Other	unclear^{11, 12}
Randomise the order	yesOrder saved	yes¹	unclear⁵	yes⁸	unclear^{11, 12}
Enlarge an image	yesWithout choosing it	unclear¹	yes⁴Full size when clicked	unclear	unclear^{11, 12}
Images shown in reports	noCharts use labels	no¹Captions label the chart	unclear⁴	unclear	no^{11, 12}Reporting values
Count and share per image in reports	yesBars by label for each image picked	yes¹	unclear	unclear	yes^{11, 12}
Export layout documented	yesA coded column, or 0/1 per image by default	unclear¹	yes⁵	unclear	yes^{11, 12}
SPSS export	paidLabelled codes for Pick one · Professional+	unclear¹	yes⁷On the free account	unclear	paid¹³Full Access
On the free or entry plan	yesFree	unclear³Not among the listed free types	partial⁷Multiple choice listed; graphics not stated	unclear	yes¹³Collaborator

As of 9 Nov 2026, from each vendor’s public help, developer and pricing pages.yespartialpaidunclearno

Partial means partly built in or possible only with a documented workaround; paid means built in on paid plans or licences; unclear means the vendor’s public docs don’t settle it. QuestionPro’s Image Chooser has size presets and 1 to 5 columns; Jotform’s Image Choice element is in Card Forms only; Google Forms puts images on ordinary multiple-choice and checkbox options.

Sources (10)

[1] SurveyMonkey: Image Choice. https://help.surveymonkey.com/en/surveymonkey/create/image-choice/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[3] SurveyMonkey: Free vs paid plans. https://www.surveymonkey.com/product/free-vs-paid-plans/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[4] Qualtrics: Insert a graphic. https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/survey-module/editing-questions/rich-content-editor/insert-a-graphic/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[5] Qualtrics: Multiple choice. https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/survey-module/editing-questions/question-types-guide/standard-content/multiple-choice/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[7] Qualtrics: Free accounts. https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/managing-your-account/trial-accounts/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[8] Typeform: Create API reference. https://www.typeform.com/developers/create/reference/create-form/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[9] Typeform: Picture Choice (search summary only). https://help.typeform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052865591 · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[11] Alchemer: Image Select (select one). https://help.alchemer.com/help/image-choice-single · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[12] Alchemer: Image Select (multi select). https://help.alchemer.com/help/image-choice-multiple · accessed 9 Nov 2026
[13] Alchemer: Compare licences. https://www.alchemer.com/plans-pricing/compare-licenses/ · accessed 9 Nov 2026

What’s different here

Free on every plan

Image choice, with every setting, its charts and CSV and Excel exports, is on Free.

Enlarge without choosing

Every image has an enlarge button that shows the picture larger, so people can look closely before they commit.

One type, one pick or several

Selection Mode sets one pick or several. In Pick any, set a minimum or maximum, and Next checks it.

Shuffled, and the order is saved

Shuffle the images for each person, and the order each person saw is saved in your export.

Uploads checked

Uploaded files are checked to be real images, and SVG files with scripts in them are refused.

Data you can analyse

A coded column for Pick one, with the labels in Excel, and a 0/1 column per image for Pick any by default.

When to use it

Use it when the picture is the answer

When to use it

Pack and label tests: which design would people pick up first?
Logo, ad and concept picks, where the creative is the choice.
Product looks: colours, styles and finishes.
Shortlists: tick every design you’d consider, then ask about those in a follow-up.

When to reach for something else

You need Other, None of the above or an attention check. Use single choice or multiple choice.
The answers are words with no picture that matters. A text list is quicker to read.
You want people to point at part of one image. Use an image hotspot or an image heatmap.
You want to rank or score designs against each other. Use ranking or MaxDiff.

Sample wording

“Which coffee bag would you pick up first?” Green leaf · Orange sun · Blue wave · Grey peaks · Black and gold · Red stripes

Best practices

Give every image a short, clear label. It names the image in Results, dashboards and decks.
Use the same size and style for every image, with the subject in the centre. Tiles show a fixed-height crop, and people can enlarge an image to see all of it.
Write alt text that says what differs between the images, not just “photo”.
Shuffle the images, so no image is always shown first.
If you set a minimum or maximum, say it in the question. The tiles don’t show it.
Keep each file small. Images are shown as you upload them.
Choose one pick or several, and finish your images, before the survey goes live. Then preview it on a phone.

Accessibility

Pictures that work as plain controls

Radio buttons and checkboxes

Each image is a radio button in Pick one and a checkbox in Pick any, and says whether it is chosen.

Arrow keys in Pick one

The arrow keys move between images, Home and End jump to the first and last, and Space or Enter picks. In Pick any, Tab to an image and press Space to tick it.

More than colour

A chosen image gets a border, a tint and a check mark, and every image and enlarge button shows a focus ring.

Alt text for every image

Write a description for each image. If you leave it blank, the label is used instead.

Use it in

Where image choice fits

Solution

Market research

Pack, label and concept tests, with the images shuffled for every respondent.

Solution

Product research

Which look, colour or design should ship, asked of the people who’ll buy it.

Solution

Agencies

Creative tests for clients, delivered as report decks charted by each design’s name.

Example

Coffee bag pack test

“Which coffee bag would you pick up first?” across six unbranded bag designs, from Green leaf to Red stripes.

Frequently asked questions

What is an image choice question?

A question whose answers are pictures. People tap the image that fits best, or every image that applies. It’s also called a picture choice or image select question, and it’s a staple of pack, logo and ad testing.

Can people choose more than one image?

Yes. Set Selection Mode to Multi-select. You can also ask for a minimum or maximum number of images on the Rules tab, and Next checks the count. The tiles don’t show the limit, so say it in your question.

What images can I use?

Upload PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG files of 5 MB or smaller, or paste an https link to an image. Each tile shows a fixed-height crop of its image, so keep the subject in the centre; people can enlarge any image to see all of it.

Do the images appear in my results and exports?

No. Results, dashboards and report decks name each image by its label. Exports give its code, with the labels in Excel.

How do the answers come out in my data?

A Pick one question is one column holding the code of the image chosen, with the image labels attached as value labels in Excel, and in SPSS (Professional+). A Pick any question is one 0/1 column per image by default. When the images are shuffled, an extra column holds the order each person saw.

Can I show the images in a random order?

Yes. Tick Enable option randomization and each person sees the images in their own shuffled order. The order each person saw is saved in an extra column of your export.

Can people answer with a keyboard?

Yes. In Pick one, the arrow keys move between images and Space or Enter picks. In Pick any, Tab to an image and press Space to tick it. Each image is a radio button or a checkbox to assistive technology.

Which plan do I need?

Image choice is on Free, with every setting, Results, dashboards, report decks, and CSV and Excel exports. SPSS export is on Professional+.

Add an image choice question in minutes.

Start free — no credit card. 50 question types, logic, and analysis in one place.

Image choice questions

Pick a design. Your answer joins the results.

Image choice in action

Everything image choice can do

Build it your waySet-up in the builder.

Upload or link each image

A label and alt text for each image

Pick one or pick any

Minimum and maximum picks

Columns

Shuffle the images

Required, soft required or optional

Logic and follow-upsTie it to the rest of your survey.

Hide images picked earlier

Carry picks forward

Pipe the chosen label

Use a pick in your logic

Translated labels

On the respondent’s screenWhat people answering see and use.

Picture tiles

Enlarge without choosing

Laid out for phones

By keyboard

Auto-advance in Pick one

Your theme, light or dark

In your resultsResults, dashboards and decks.

A bar per image, by label

Filter to a segment

Dashboards and report decks

In your dataWhat lands in your exports.

One coded column for Pick one

A 0/1 column per image for Pick any

Labelled codes in SPSS

The order they saw

Image choice or a text list?

Pick image choice when

Pick a text list when

Add an image choice question

Add the question

Add your images

One pick or several

Lay out and shuffle

Decide whether it’s required, then preview

Codes and labels, ready to analyse

One column for Pick one

A 0/1 column per image for Pick any

The order they saw

Labels, not pictures

See which design wins, by name

Where it charts

Analysis that applies

Filter to a segment

Weighted shares

Dashboards and decks

Labels in your language

Image choice across the common survey tools

What’s different here

Free on every plan

Enlarge without choosing

One type, one pick or several

Shuffled, and the order is saved

Uploads checked

Data you can analyse

Use it when the picture is the answer

When to use it

When to reach for something else

Sample wording

Best practices

Pictures that work as plain controls

Radio buttons and checkboxes

Arrow keys in Pick one

More than colour

Alt text for every image

Where image choice fits

Market research

Product research

Agencies

Coffee bag pack test

Frequently asked questions

Related question types