Help us create a better Word Search Puzzle Maker

This survey is about Word Search puzzles, also known as word seek, word find, wonderword, etc.

Word search puzzles consist of a grid of letters in which a set of words have been hidden (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) and your aim as a puzzle user is to find all the words. Some versions also make use of the unused letters to reveal a hidden message.

In this survey, we'd like to understand how we can improve the process of making word search puzzles.

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1. To what extent do you use word search puzzles?

  Never Occasionally Sometimes Regularly Almost every day
As an end-user trying to solve them
As a creator of puzzles for others

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2. Think about the process of generating your own word search puzzles. How important are the following outcomes, and how satisfied are you with your existing options?

  How important? (0=not at all, 10=extremely) How satisfied? (0=not at all, 10=extremely)
Minimise the risk that some words in your word list are not included in the puzzle
Minimise the risk of double words (e.g. New York) causing problems in a word list
Minimise the risk of misspelled words being included
Minimise the risk of rude or inappropriate words being included accidentally
Minimise the time required to generate a list of words on a given theme
Increase your control over specific fonts, colors, headings, etc
Minimise the time required to generate multiple puzzles from a single word list
Minimise the time required to enter your word list into a puzzle generator
Minimise the time required to get a visually pleasing layout and design
Increase the number of available sizes for the puzzle grid
Increase the number of shapes available for puzzles (e.g. circle, diamond, etc)
Increase your control over the directions in which words are hidden
Minimise the inclusion or visibility of someone else's name or brand in the puzzle
Increase your control over whether upper or lower case is used
Minimize the time to create a puzzle from scratch
Minimise the time required to access previously generated puzzles
Increase your control over the difficulty level of the puzzle
Increase your control over the exact number of words that are included
Minimise the time required to prepare a solution to the puzzle you just created
Increase your control over the extent to which words intersect with each other

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3. How important are the following OUTPUT formats for the puzzle?

  How important? (0=not at all, 10=extremely)
Save as MS Word file (.DOC, .DOCX)
Save as PDF file
Save to an online account for later retrieval
Embed static puzzle on your website (HTML)
Interactive online puzzle (Flash, HTML5, etc)
Printable direct from the puzzle creator
Save as image (.JPG, .PNG, .GIF, etc)
Export to spreadsheet (.XLS, .XLSX)
Export to CSV or TXT format
Other (please specify below)

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4. How important are the following ways to INPUT a word list for the puzzle?

  How important? (0=not at all, 10=extremely)
Automatically select from a website or URL
Upload a CSV file
Copy-paste from another document
Type in directly from the web browser
Select from a pre-existing set of themed word lists
Upload a TXT file
Browse or search word lists that others have created
Other (please specify below)

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5. What other outcomes, constraints, features or benefits are particularly important for you when considering an online word search puzzle creator?

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6. If there was an online service that generated word search puzzles and delivered all of your desired outcomes perfectly, how much in USD would you be willing to pay for it?

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7. Do you have any other comments or suggestions?

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