It’s possible to use SmartSurvey to create questions where the respondent enters a response by typing into a text box, which then offers options that match what’s been typed in, as the respondent types.
This is sometimes called a “Searchable Drop-Down” question, and also as an “Autocomplete” or “Lookup” question.
![A searchable drop-down question in use. a respondent has been asked what country they live in. they have started typine "unit" and the question is suggesting "united Arab emirates", "united kingdom" and "unit states" as answer options.](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/aws.smartsurvey.io/guides/206_Sddexample.PNG)
Creating a Searchable Drop-Down Question.
Functionally, this is a multiple choice question, from which respondents choose a single answer so you need to select the “Multiple Choice – Single Answer” question type, and then set the display options to “Searchable Drop-Down Menu”.
![](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/aws.smartsurvey.io/guides/211_SDD.PNG)
Step-by-Step
- Create a Multiple Choice (Only One Answer) question
- From the “Display Format” Drop-down, select “Searchable Drop-Down Menu”
- Enter your answer options (up to 1000 options are supported).
- Save the question