Hidden gems of the aytm platform

While aytm offers a robust suite of research features, some of its most valuable gems often go undiscovered. In this post, we'll spotlight some of the lesser-known aytm capabilities—the hidden gems—to help you level up your skills. From streamlining survey design to accelerating advanced analysis, we've handpicked actionable tips to boost your productivity and expand what's possible. So whether you're new to the platform or a seasoned expert, let's dive in and look at hidden gems of the aytm platform

‍

What do we mean by hidden gems?

While the aytm platform offers an intuitive experience that stands to deliver a wealth of insights, its extensive features can sometimes overwhelm researchers.

Our most recent webinar was all about taking the time to guide you through some of the lesser-known functionalities and of aytm. We’ve structured it based on the pages (and stages) within which you’ll find these gems. So as we make our way from your dashboard, and through the platform, our hope is that by shedding light on these features, you can significantly enhance your research experience. 

Also take note: We’ll be recapping the highlights of each hidden gem below, but for a full video walk through of these features, check out the full recording of the webinar!

‍

Your dashboard

Optional dashboard folders

Our platform offers a helpful organization feature to keep your dashboard tidy—custom folders. Creating tailored folders is great for teams managing multiple research projects and surveys. This hidden gem provides an easy way to group and navigate your drafts and completed surveys.

WHERE TO FIND IT

You can add new folders in the drafts and completed survey sections of your dashboard. Simply hover over the down arrow and click "Add New Folder" to create a folder with any desired name.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Organize drafts and completed surveys into folders by project, team, or any categories you define
• Avoid endless scrolling through a cluttered dashboard by grouping surveys into specific folders
• Create folders like "Ongoing Tracking" for surveys that run continuously over time
• Streamline workflow by customizing folders for your team's needs and volume of projects
• Quickly navigate to relevant surveys without rummaging through disorganized sections

‍

Optional research type selection

If custom folders don't work for your team, another helpful organization feature is utilizing Research Types. Assigning a Research Type to your surveys allows for easy filtering and searching on a crowded dashboard.

WHERE TO FIND IT

When creating a new survey draft, you can assign a research type like "Tracking Study" in the upper right corner. This labels recurring research for easier identification.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Assign research types like "Brand Tracking" or "Customer Satisfaction" to label survey types
• Use the dashboard search bar to quickly find drafts by their assigned research type
• Easily locate specific survey types like ongoing tracking studies by filtering the dashboard
• Avoid wasting time rummaging through a disorganized list of drafts and completed projects

Target Market page

Tutorial videos

We’ve embedded helpful training videos on complex platform pages like Target Market to provide quick answers when questions arise. These videos include timecodes pinned to specific topics so you can jump to the exact section needed.

WHERE TO FIND THEM

 aytm has thoughtfully embedded handy training videos on key pages that include timecodes pinned to specific topics. This allows you to jump to the exact section needed without watching the full video.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Get quick help on terminology or methodology questions without leaving the page
• Jump to specific timecodes to find the answer you need instead of watching full videos
• Avoid getting stuck when unsure about target details, building surveys, or other research steps
• Quickly clarify sampling approaches, incidence rates, and other complex topics via videos

‍

Command Bar

Next let’s look at the Command Bar, which allows instant access to our knowledge base to quickly get answers. This on-demand search bar can be opened anytime using the the magnifying glass at the top of the screen or the keyboard shortcut Command+K.

WHERE TO FIND IT

The Command Bar itself is not visible onscreen, but can be opened with the Command+K shortcut on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows. Just hit the shortcut anytime you need help.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Get instant access to help articles, videos, and other support content
• Rapidly search for answers to pressing questions without leaving your workflow
• Avoid wasting time hunting through the site or external resources

‍

Zendesk widget

The last gem in this section is the handy Zendesk widget for instant access to live support—aka your lifeline to "phone a friend" when you need help. Clicking it opens a menu with announcements, the Help Center knowledge base, guided tours, tips, and best of all—live chat with a real human. That's right, actual live support specialists are just a click away, not frustrating bot assistants.

WHERE TO FIND IT

The Zendesk widget is located in the bottom right of every page—just look for the aytm logo. Click it to open the support menu.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Get live chat with knowledgeable human support specialists, not frustrating bot assistants
• Access real experts in research methodology, platform use, technical issues, and more
• Fill out the contact form in the widget and a rep will respond right away
• Support specialists are cross-trained across topics to provide helpful support

‍

Editor page

Collapse feature

One invaluable hidden efficiency gem on the Editor page is the collapse feature for streamlining review and edits of long or multi-legged surveys. This condenses drafts into high-level overviews for optimizing workflow.

WHERE TO FIND IT

Toggle on the collapse feature using the icon in the upper right corner of the Editor.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Condense expansive drafts into outline overviews with questions condensed
• Review survey composition and logic at a glance without scrolling through details
• Validate proper structure before expanding back into detailed view for edits
• Avoid getting lost in question specifics when you just need the bird's eye perspective
• Optimize your workflow and work smarter when reviewing or editing drafts

‍

Question Library

Another invaluable gem on the Editor page is the Question Library in the toolbar for storing reusable snippets to optimize workflows. This enables you and your team to save common questions or segments for easy access later, promoting consistency across surveys.

WHERE TO FIND IT

The Question Library is located in the toolbar on the Editor page. Use it to store common snippets.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Save frequently used questions like screeners for quick access in future surveys
• Promote consistency by reusing standardized building blocks
• Access a bank of tailored snippets instead of reinventing each draft
• Preview any snippet before inserting to ensure it fits the survey
• Maintain flexibility to tweak snippets per survey while reusing key sections
• Work smarter with tailored building blocks at your fingertips

‍

Survey History tool

Next, let’s look at the Survey History tool for help with tracking draft iterations and experimenting freely. This feature lets you snapshot a draft at any point to compare versions as you refine the questionnaire. Changes between snapshots become clear at a glance.

WHERE TO FIND IT

The Survey History tool is located on the toolbar in the survey authoring tool

HIGHLIGHTS

• Snapshot drafts during editing to track changes and revert if needed
• Quickly compare versions side-by-side to understand impact of tweaks
• Test permutations and branch logic, seeing each step’s effect on structure
• Use snapshots to reverse engineer smart loops into standard questions
• Gain visibility into how revisions change overall draft composition
• Experiment freely, knowing you can instantly undo with version history
• Leverage snapshots to fine-tune advanced conditional logic and flows

‍

Survey Validation feature

Don't launch surveys blindly—use the hidden Survey Validation tool beforehand to catch issues proactively. It enables tracking draft iterations and fearless optimization by letting you snapshot versions for easy comparison. Now you can see how changes impact survey flow at a glance.

WHERE TO FIND IT

You can find the Survey Validation feature under the checkout menu when you’re ready to review your survey draft. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Automatically flags blank fields, logic problems, excess choices, and other common errors
• Review summaries to see highlighted issues that need resolution
• Fix basic mistakes upfront instead of last minute before launch
• Avoid scrambling to resolve errors at the eleventh hour
• Use Validation on every draft to lock down surveys with confidence

Survey Comments

Our final hidden gem for supercharging collaboration—Survey Comments for real-time feedback right within the Editor. This feature allows anyone to add notes or questions directly on specific questions. It generates a shareable link to collect feedback from teammates or clients.

WHERE TO FIND IT

You can activate Survey Comments in the Editor toolbar, where you can also generate a sharable link to collect notes. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Reviewers can leave feedback questions or comments tied to specific survey questions
• Our experts can respond to preflight check notes directly in-line
• Avoid email tag by housing all feedback and discussions in one place
• Easily collect wider team insights beyond just email chains via share link
• Authors can reply to notes in real-time and resolve collaboratively in the Editor
• Pinpoint areas needing clarification or revision at a glance

‍

Results page

Virtual question optional presets

Next we have the virtual question (VQ) preset options within the Data Lab. For context, VQs function similarly to survey questions with charts and filtering but are created post-fielding to derive additional insights from the data. With VQs, you can streamline analysis of surveys with sequential logic like loops or grouping. Furthermore, presets will also auto-configure common VQs for fast insights.

WHERE TO FIND IT

You can access the VQ preset options when creating a new Virtual Question in Data Lab

HIGHLIGHTS

• Auto-detect duplicate structures like loops and prepares relevant VQ cuts
• One-click setup of Top 2 Box, demographics, and other common VQs
• Quickly compare loops/groups with preset comparative VQs
• Enable fast insights from complex surveys using built-in logic
• Jumpstart analysis by leveraging smart automation

Cloning or pinning virtual question

Pinning virtual questions (VQs) within the Results page is a handy trick to optimize analysis by reusing configured VQs instead of rebuilding each time. This saves significant time, especially for complex analyses.

WHERE TO FIND IT

Simply drag any configured VQ over to the left rail to pin it. The pinned VQ can then be inserted anywhere needed.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Reuse pinned VQs across multiple reporting cuts without reconfiguring
• Insert previously built VQs with a couple clicks vs rebuilding from scratch
• Streamline analysis of complex datasets like branched surveys
• Save tedious rework by pinning common VQs like Top 2 Box

‍

Moving virtual questions between studies

Moving on, this next hidden gem is a major time-saver for tracking studies where the survey structure remains the same wave over wave. This handy trick requires two browser windows open and lets you move VQs between waves to rapidly replicate analysis rather than rebuilding every round. 

HOW IT WORKS

First, open the Results page of a previous wave containing the virtual question (VQ) you want to replicate. Then open a second browser tab to the Data Lab for the new wave. Rather than manually reconfiguring the VQ, simply drag it from the first Results page and directly drop into the Data Lab of the second wave. Generate, and it instantly copies over!

HIGHLIGHTS

• Swiftly clone fully built VQs between consistent tracking waves
• Rapid insights by dragging pre-built VQs into new waves
• Huge time-saver compared to manual VQ reconfiguration
• Keep analysis consistent and efficient across regular tracking

‍

Storytelling Notes

Next is Storytelling Notes, a solution for crafting data narratives within the Results page. Storytelling Notes let you add executive summaries as standalone notes in the Data Lab, which then appear as dedicated slides when exporting reports to PowerPoint. You can also leave commentary notes directly on any question to explain the insights discovered, and include images, links or other annotations to bring the data story to life. 

WHERE TO FIND IT

Access Storytelling Notes from the toolbar in the Data Lab. Add standalone notes or attach them to specific questions.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Author executive summaries that flow into dedicated slides when exporting reports
• Leave commentary explaining discovered insights tied to each question
• Annotate analysis with images, links and other context
• Summarize key takeaways upfront to guide stakeholders through findings
• Shape compelling narratives without toggling between documents

‍

Excel coded map export

The final hidden gem—Excel with Coded Map exports—lets you dig deeper into randomized sequential surveys. This export goes beyond just the raw response data to include the order each respondent saw and answered questions.

WHERE TO FIND IT

When exporting survey results to Excel, select the "Include Coded Map" option.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Exposes the complete sequence and order questions were seen and answered
• Invaluable for monadic surveys with randomized legs or nodes
• Reveals which questions appeared first vs later for each respondent
• Enables more advanced analysis based on question order effects
• Unlock deeper insights into how sequence impacts answers

‍

Thanks for joining us!

We just went through a quick recap of all the hidden gems we covered in our most recent webinar. But if you’re looking for more in-depth details on these tools and features, including a complete walkthrough of how to implement them on the platform, check out the full recording of the webinar!