How to code open-ended survey responses

A word cloud shows which words and phrases come up most in open-ended answers. Coding takes the next step: you define themes, called codes, and assign phrases to them, so "long wait", "waiting time" and "slow reply" can all count towards a single "Response time" theme. WordCloud+ then tells you how much of the text each theme covers and highlights it in the text and in the cloud.

Coding is a Premium feature. On the free plan the Coding tab, and the Coding tab in the phrase panel, show a "Premium feature" message with a link to the plans. Premium is $7.00 a month after a 30-day free trial; see the pricing section. Stop words, replacements and the free word cloud creator all work without it.

How coding works in WordCloud+

Coding here is phrase-based. You do not tag responses one at a time; you map phrases to a code, and every place those phrases occur counts towards it. That makes it fast for a first pass over hundreds of comments, and the counts update as you add phrases. It is not a replacement for reading the responses, and the tools below help you check what each code has picked up.

1. Prepare the responses

• Paste one response per line when you create the project.
• Remove the question text if it was exported with every answer, or hide it with a replacement.
• Tidy up before coding. Merge spellings and synonyms with the Replace tab and remove filler with stop words, so each idea appears under one phrase. See How to combine and rename words in a word cloud.

2. Create your codes

1. Open the Coding tab. The Codes list sits on the right, with a search box and a + button.
2. Select +. The New Code form opens.
3. Fill in Name, a short identifier such as resp-time that cannot be changed later; Label, the readable name shown in lists, such as Response time; an optional Description, where it helps to write down what does and does not belong in the code; and a Color.
4. Select Create.

3. Map phrases to codes

There are three ways to assign phrases, and you can mix them:

• From the cloud. On the Cloud tab, click a word or phrase and open the Coding tab in the panel. It lists the phrase and the shorter phrases inside it, each with a code picker. Choose one or more codes, or select Create to make a new code and apply it in one go.
• From the ranked list. On the Summary tab, choose Examine on a row to open the same panel. Working down the list is a good way to be systematic.
• From the code itself. On the Coding tab, select a code, then under Mappings select +, type a phrase and press Enter. This is useful for phrases too rare to reach the cloud.

On the Text tab you can also select some text with your mouse and use the small + button that appears to code that selection.

A phrase can belong to more than one code. Word clouds with phrases, not just single words explains how WordCloud+ finds the phrases you are coding.

4. Read the results

• Counts. Each code in the Codes list shows a number: how many passages contain at least one of its phrases. WordCloud+ splits text into passages at line breaks and at commas, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, so a response of two sentences can count as two passages. Treat the numbers as a guide to relative size rather than a count of respondents.
• References. Select a code to see its Mappings and a References list of every passage it matched, with the phrases in bold. The arrow beside each one jumps to that line on the Text tab.
• In the text. The Text tab highlights coded phrases in their code's colour.
• In the cloud. Coded terms get a tinted box in their code's colour, or a blend when a term has several codes. The tint is part of the image, so it appears in downloads too.

5. Check and refine

Because every occurrence counts, read the References for each code before you report it. A code for positive comments on staff that includes "friendly" will also match "not friendly". Remove a mapping with the cross next to it, or map the longer phrase instead. To change a code's label, description or colour, select it and choose Edit; Delete removes the code and all of its mappings after you confirm.

Reporting the themes

A coded cloud makes a quick visual for a presentation: the tints show which themes the biggest terms belong to. Pair it with the code counts and a few quoted responses from the References list. For more on using clouds with survey data, read how to use a word cloud to find patterns in open-ended comments, or create a word cloud from your own responses to start.