A while ago (and I really mean a while ago), I wrote a review about the open source online survey tool called LimeSurvey. Part of the review included the ability for readers to complete a LimeSurvey survey in order for readers to give it a try. The focus of the survey was to find out if respondents had heard of LimeSurvey and whether or not they would consider using open source software for their online survey requirements.

Over this time 136 respondents have completed the survey and have provided some useful insights into user perceptions of LimeSurvey.

It should be noted that the respondents to the survey are limited only to individuals who have visited the review on the  blog and who opted to participate the survey. The survey is by no means scientific, still let’s have a look at what people said.

Had you heard of LimeSurvey before answering this survey?

77% of respondents had heard of LimeSurvey before. Given that the survey was placed on a review for LimeSurvey this high level is not terribly surprising and not very telling.

Have you ever used any open source survey software before?

Only 46% of respondents to the survey had used open source software before. So it would seem that LimeSurvey is not only attracting the attention of open source software junkies but also those that are interested in survey software first.

Would you ever consider using open source survey software?

91% of respondents said that they would consider using open source software.

If no (to the question above), would you, could you with a fox?

In an effort to demonstrate the branching functionality of the survey tool those that answered no to “Would you ever consider using open source survey software?” were asked if they would consider using open source software with a fox. It is interesting to note that 37.5& of those that said they would not consider using open source software would change their mind if a fox was present.

How likely would you be to use Lime Survey for your online survey requirements?

44% of  respondents were quite likely or very likely to use LimeSurvey. 7% would not use it in a thousand years and 3% would not use it in a million years. 46% said maybe.

Conclusion

While it is hard to conclude much from this survey, LimeSurvey is an interesting project and I remain interested in watching how it develops. One of the most interesting developments on the horizon is LimeSurvey 2.0 will be a complete rewrite.