MaxDiff, short for Maximum Difference and also known as Best-Worst Scaling (BWS), is used to understand and prioritize the preferences or perceptions of participants regarding a set of attributes (features, products, etc.). This method is often used in situations where you have a list of items and you want to determine which are the most and least preferred by respondents.

MaxDiff is useful in market research and product development because it goes beyond simple rating scales and helps uncover the trade-offs and relative preferences that consumers have. It can be used to inform decisions related to product design, pricing strategies, and feature prioritization by understanding what aspects of a product or service are most important to customers.

SEE ALSO – Choice Based Conjoint and Conjoint Market Simulator for additional Choice Model Questions. See Work With the Questionnaire Builder and Add and Work With Questions for the steps on how add questions and work within the Questionnaire Builder.


See the following:



Create a MaxDiff Question

To create a MaxDiff question you select the MaxDiff question from the Basic Library and complete it. 


To add MaxDiff:

  1. Create a No Samples Questionnaire and add questions.


  2. Select the MaxDiff question from the Basic Library, Choice Model Questions folder and click on the [+] to add it to your questionnaire.



  3. Click on the MaxDiff question to open the configuration window.



  4. Click on [+ADD ATTRIBUTES] to add attributes that will be evaluated in the MaxDiff. Enter the Attribute Names.

    NOTE – A maximum of 32 attributes can be added. At least 4 attributes are required.



  5. Click and hold the vertical ellipses [...] icon to drag and Reorder Attributes. Click on the red X to Delete Attributes.



    Optionally, to add images click on the settings icon next to an attribute, then click on [ADD MEDIA]. See Add Media to a Question's Response.



  6. Edit the Most Important Text and Least Important Text as desired.

    NOTE – Be careful not to change the default order of the labels as this will impact the analysis results. By default the left text should always be positives and the right text should always be negative.



  7. Enter the question in the Question Text Box. Use the editing toolbar to format question text as desired.



  8. Under the OPTIONS tab to the right, specify the Attributes Per Set, Sets Per Participant and available display options.

    • Attributes Per Set – The number of attributes to be presented in each set of the MaxDiff. A minimum of 2 attributes and maximum of 10 attributes can be specified. The number of attributes per set can not exceed more than half of the total number of attributes in the question. It's typically recommended that you show 3 to 5 attributes per set. Showing more than about 5 can lead to greater participant fatigue and error.
    • Sets Per Participant – The number of various attribute combinations to be presented for the MaxDiff. A minimum of 1 set and maximum of 50 sets can be specified. For studies with a smaller sample size (e.g., an N of 50 to 400) it's typically recommended asking enough sets so that each attribute appears at least 3 or more times per participant. In studies with a larger sample size (e.g., an N of 600 or more) you may choose to have a design that shows each attribute fewer than 3 times per participant. Showing an excessive number of sets can lead to participant fatigue and error.
    • Hide Progress Bar – Hide the progress bar that displays above the attribute sets.
    • Hide Navigation Buttons – Hide the [BACK] navigation button to prevent moving between sets and changing answers.



  9. Click on [VALIDATE DESIGN] to generate the MaxDiff design. Warnings and errors may display based on the configuration options entered. Review and adjust the configuration as desired then re-validate the design.

    After validating the design, you can click on [DOWNLOAD DESIGN] to download the MaxDiff design to Excel.

    NOTE – You will not be able to Launch the test until the MaxDiff design is validated. If the design is not validated then on launch an error displays directing you back to the questionnaires to validate the design. 



  10. Click anywhere off the window to close it. The question updates on the page.



  11. Click on [PREVIEW] to review an example of how the question appears for consumers.

    NOTE – Not all possible attribute/set combinations will display in the preview.

    • Select a response for the Most Important and Least Important attributes in the set, the question automatically advances to the next set of attributes.
    • The blue progress bar below the question text indicates how many more sets to evaluate.
    • Optionally, the participant can click the white [BACK] button to review or change their answers.
    • Once all sets are complete, the MaxDiff question remains on the last set and the participant can click the blue [NEXT] button to continue to the next question or submit the questionnaire.



  12. When finished with the questionnaire, click on the X in the upper-right corner of a questionnaire builder to close it. If you have outstanding changes, you will be prompted to save. RedJade returns you to the Surveys page for the test.


  13. Once Launched the number of Attributes, Attributes Per Set and Sets Per Participant can not be modified. You can update the existing Attribute Names, Attribute Images, or display options as needed.



MaxDiff Topline Results

MaxDiff frequency scores and TURF analysis are available from your test's Topline Analysis and raw data can be downloaded to Excel. You can also Create a MaxDiff Analysis that provides utility scores and simulator with preference shares.


To view the MaxDiff Topline results:

  1. From the main menu, select ANALYSES.



  2. From the Analyses dashboard, search for the test and click on [VIEW].



  3. Select the questionnaire name under Topline Analysis from the left sidebar to view the results.



    Click on the Table menu to modify reporting settings. Uncheck the Show Percent setting to displays the results as counts.



    Check the Enable TURF setting to run TURF Analysis on the MaxDiff results. Click on the TURF menu to display and modify the TURF analysis options.

    SEE ALSO – Run a TURF Analysis for or additional information about TURF Analysis.




    Click on the Chart button displays the results in either a column, line or bar chart.



  4. Click the download icon to export the MaxDiff Topline results to Excel.



  5. Click on Download Raw Data from the left sidebar to export the MaxDiff raw data in Excel.



    The raw data includes the MaxDiff design profiles served and the answers selected on each set for each participant.



Create a MaxDiff Analysis

The MaxDiff analysis can be created to provide utility scores and simulator with preference shares in Excel.

To view the MaxDiff Topline results:

  1. From the main menu, select ANALYSES.



  2. From the Analyses dashboard, search for the test and click on [VIEW].



  3. Click on [+ADD ANALYSIS].



  4. From the Analysis Type drop-down menu, select MaxDiff.



  5. From the For Questionnaire drop-down menu, select the questionnaire to perform the analysis on.


    Click on [SUBMIT].


  6. The MaxDiff Analysis is added. Select the questionnaire under MaxDiff Analysis to view the results.



    Utility – Depicts how much weight an attribute carries with a respondent. Attribute values, or utility scores, measure how much each feature/specification influences the customer’s decision.



  7. Click the settings cog to view and modify Analysis Setting or to Delete Analysis.



  8. Click the download icon to export the MaxDiff Analysis to Excel. A Market Simulator tab with preference shares is provided in the file.