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Survey Buddy

Survey Buddy is an optional animated companion — an owl — that accompanies respondents through a survey. It adds warmth and encouragement to the story-led experience, helping respondents feel guided rather than interrogated.

What Survey Buddy does

Section titled “What Survey Buddy does”
  • Guides and encourages. The buddy appears alongside scenes to welcome the respondent, offer light encouragement, and keep the mood friendly as they move through the story.
  • Rewards progress. As the respondent answers, the buddy provides positive feedback and a sense of momentum, which helps sustain attention and completion.
  • Adds character. It gives the survey a consistent, personable presence that fits the narrative feel of a vDynamiq study.

Enabling it per study

Section titled “Enabling it per study”

Survey Buddy is a study-level option — you decide whether it’s on for a given study, and where it appears. Because it’s optional, you can use it for consumer studies where a lighter tone helps, and switch it off for contexts where a more neutral presentation is preferred.

You control the buddy from the study’s settings; see Branding & logos and the study overview for where study-level options live.

Voice and personality

Section titled “Voice and personality”

The buddy has a voice — it can speak its encouragement aloud, in keeping with the narrated nature of scenes. This makes the experience feel cohesive: the story is narrated, and the companion speaks in the same spirit. Voice behaviour aligns with the study’s language and voice settings.

When to use it

Section titled “When to use it”
  • Use it for consumer-facing studies where engagement and a friendly tone lift completion — brand, product, and concept research aimed at the general public.
  • Consider switching it off for audiences or topics where a plainer, more formal presentation is expected, or where the added character could distract from the subject.

Where to go next

Section titled “Where to go next”