Learn the basics of MaxDiff Scaling, a very popular research methodology, in this guide by Survey Analytics. MaxDiff Scaling is the fastest and easiest way to conclude what the most and least preferred items are from customers.

1. MaxDiff Scaling
Measuring Importance
Effectively

2. What is MaxDiff Scaling?
MaxDiff (Maximum Difference) Scaling, also
known as Best/Worst Scaling, is a research
methodology that results in interval scale
measurements that are based on
comparative judgements.
Using MaxDiff Scaling in surveys allows you to conclude what the most
and least preferred items are. It is also easier for respondents to answer
than a typical Conjoint question and is highly preferred over basic rating
scales when you need to collect a lot of preference data.
MaxDiff Scaling is a very effective method of establishing the relative
priority attached by an audience to a set of items. This even works well
for a large set of up to 30 items.
The task presents respondents
with a set of items, usually 3 to 6,
and asks them to select the most
preferred and least preferred in
the set (or the most/least
important, best/worst item, etc).

3. Why do I need MaxDiff Scaling?
MaxDiff Scaling is a great way of establishing the relative priority attached
by an audience to a large set of items. These items could be:
Features or benefits of a service
Interests and activities
Products or services used
Potential marketing messages for a new product
Areas for potential investment of resources
With our program you can create MaxDiff questions that are easy to
understand and have much less respondent fatigue, resulting in
better quality data. In fact, survey fatigue is so low that you can even
run up to 15-20 MaxDiff questions if needed. Why? Because you are
only asking for most/least or love/hate combos.
Since respondents make choices rather than expressing strength of
preference using some numeric scale, there is no opportunity for
scale use bias.

4. How do I conduct MaxDiff Scaling?
Adding a MaxDiff question to your survey is as simple as selecting the
question type for "Conjoint - MaxDiff" and adding the attributes that
you desire. Enable Validation to require a response or click Randomize
Answer Options to change the order options appear. You can even add
images to make the question more rich and engaging.

5. Survey Analytics about us
We help companies listen.
At Survey Analytics, surveys are just a small piece of the puzzle. We help
companies listen through our suite of powerful and interconnected DIY
research tools. Our platform gives you the actionable reports you need to
engage with your audience. With real-time analytics and customizable
dashboards, you can see the information that you need to make the right
decisions.
Aside from surveys, we offer high quality panel and community building
software as well as a variety of tools for developers such as API calls to
Salesforce and a mobile survey SDK. Our platform adheres to the highest
levels of security to protect your valuable information. We support 44
languages and are currently helping clients in 15 countries and 30 different
industries.
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