Randomising alternatives in a choice experiment
Using randomised decks to evenly allocate choice scenarios to respondents.
A step-by-step interactive tutorial on randomising alternatives in a choice experiment in SurveyEngine. Preview the live tutorial, then download and upload it to your account to examine the construction.
Ben White, 08.07.2026
What this tutorial covers
Using randomised decks to evenly allocate choice scenarios to respondents.
Each page of the tutorial demonstrates a specific technique. Work through it as a respondent first, then open the editor to see how it was built.
What you will learn
After completing this tutorial you will be able to implement randomising alternatives in a choice experiment in your own SurveyEngine surveys.
Download the tutorial ZIP and upload it to your account to use it as a starting point or template for your own work.
TLDR Quick links
Step-by-step walkthrough
Step 1: Understand why randomisation matters. Randomising which alternative appears in which column prevents position bias in choice tasks.
Step 2: Enable alternative randomisation. In the choice experiment settings, enable random rotation of alternatives across choice sets.
Step 3: Set randomisation constraints. Specify whether to randomise within each choice set, across choice sets, or per respondent.
Step 4: Verify randomisation in preview. Check that alternatives appear in different positions across different previews.
Step 5: Account for randomisation in analysis. When randomisation is used, the position of alternatives becomes a control variable in model estimation.
Try the live tutorial
The live tutorial is a working SurveyEngine survey. Click through it as a respondent to see the finished result.
Then download the tutorial ZIP file and upload it to your SurveyEngine account to examine how it was built. Open any page in the editor to see the configuration.
Preview the live tutorial or download the ZIP file to load it into your account.
References
Ready to try it? Open a free SurveyEngine account, download the tutorial ZIP and upload it to your account.
Or Contact us at support@surveyengine.com — we're glad to help.