---
title: "Basic Blocks Overview"
url: "https://help.getdecode.io/en/article/basic-blocks-overview"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-04-29T11:49:59.469Z"
---

# Basic Blocks Overview

## **Overview**

Basic Blocks are the fundamental survey question types available in Decode for collecting structured responses from participants. They are used across all types of studies, from screening participants before a study begins to gathering feedback and measuring satisfaction. 

Basic Blocks can be used on their own or combined with blocks from other categories based on your research objectives.

### **Block Types** 

The following Basic Blocks are available in Decode. 

| **Block** | **What it does** |
| --- | --- |
| **Context Block** | Display text or instructions to participants without collecting a response. Use this to introduce a section, provide background information or set context before a question. |
| **Date Time** | Ask participants to select or enter a date and time. Use this when the research requires time-based responses such as last purchase date or frequency of use. |
| **Dropdown** | Present a list of options in a dropdown format for single selection. Use this when the list of options is long and a dropdown keeps the survey clean and easy to navigate. |
| **Likert Scale** | Ask participants to rate their level of agreement or satisfaction on a scale, typically ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. Use this to measure attitudes, opinions or satisfaction levels. |
| **Multiple Choice** | Ask participants to select one or more options from a list. Use this for questions with a defined set of answer options such as brand awareness, product usage or preference. |
| **Ranking** | Ask participants to rank a set of items in order of preference. Use this when you need to understand priority or preference across multiple options. |
| **Smiley Rating** | Collect feedback using a visual rating scale represented by facial expressions ranging from very negative to very positive. Use this for quick emotional response questions. |
| **Star Rating** | Ask participants to rate something on a star scale, typically from 1 to 5. Use this to measure satisfaction, quality or overall experience. |
| **Text Response** | Collect open-ended written responses from participants. Use this when you want participants to explain their answer in their own words. |
| **Thumbs Up/Down** | Ask participants to give a quick positive or negative reaction to a statement, image or concept. Use this for fast binary feedback. |

### **When to Use Basic Blocks** 

Basic Blocks can be used where you need structured, measurable responses from a large number of participants. Use them when:  

-   You want to measure opinions, preferences or satisfaction across a large number of participants 
-   You are testing a concept, product, message or creative and need clear measurable responses 
-   You are running a pre-study screener to qualify participants before the main study begins 
-   You need responses that can be compared across different audience segments or tracked over time 

### **USE CASES** 

Basic Blocks are commonly used across the following research types.

-   Concept testing - Use Multiple Choice or Ranking blocks to ask participants which concept they prefer and why. Use Likert Scale to measure appeal and purchase intent across options. 
-   Brand perception - Use Multiple Choice to measure brand awareness and associations. Use Star Rating or Likert Scale to track how consumers feel about a brand over time. 
-   Customer satisfaction - Use Star Rating or Smiley Rating to measure overall satisfaction. Use Text Response to capture what participants would like to see improved. 
-   Usage and attitude studies - Use Multiple Choice to understand which products participants use and how often. Use Ranking to identify which features or attributes matter most. 
-   Ad testing - Use Thumbs Up/Down or Smiley Rating for quick emotional reactions. Use Multiple Choice to measure message recall and Likert Scale to evaluate clarity and relevance.