Display real-time results vs display results on poll close

In this article we cover:

1. Pros & cons of displaying real-time results
2. Pros & cons of displaying results on poll close
3. How to turn ON real-time results
4. How to turn OFF show result on poll close
5. Use custom settings for individual polls

With Vevox, you have the flexibility to choose whether you want to show live results as the votes come in (also called dynamic updates) or if you prefer to display the voting results after the poll is closed. Your preferences will dictate the default settings throughout your session, but it is possible to set up custom settings per individual poll. 

Consider these pros and cons before making the decision. 

1. Display real-time results:

• Results are shown as soon as the poll opens and update dynamically as new votes come in.
• Results create excitement when it is used with a word cloud as participants can see how the word cloud is growing to ensure real-time visualization.
• When a group is split equally, the fun element is elevated to see what choice option will finally win.
• Participant votes and answers can be swayed when they see the rest of the group's responses, hindering honest feedback.

The default setting for 'display real-time results' is OFF.

Example of displaying real-time results in PowerPoint:  

2. Display results on poll close:

• This option automatically shows the poll result when the poll closes rather than when the vote is still open.
• As a default setting, 'show results on poll close' ensures results are displayed instantly after the poll is stopped.
• If this option is toggled to OFF, no results will be displayed on poll close i.e the results will be hidden from Present view as well as on the participant apps. Instead, you will need to manually activate it to show the voting results (In Present view select the 'Show results' button on the left of the control bar.) Alternatively, you can decide not to show any results to your audience, but collect them in the data report for analysis at a later stage. 

• Most importantly, participants can give their unbiased views, feedback, and answers resulting in cutting straight to the core issues and better decision making.
  

The default setting for 'display results on poll close' is ON.

Example of a poll with settings to show only the results once the poll is closed in Present view. 

Example of asking a word cloud in Present view, and using the 'show results' button.

3. To turn ON 'display real-time results':

Go to 'Settings'.

Choose the features tab.

Toggle the button to 'Display real-time results' and save. Note that the button below for 'Display result on poll' close will now automatically be greyed out.  

4. To turn OFF the automatic display of results on poll close:

Go to 'Settings'.

Choose the features tab.

Toggle the button OFF to 'Display result on poll close' and save. If you also toggle off the display of real-time results, all results will now be hidden.

5. Use custom settings for individual polls

When creating a new poll, you can customize the settings for each poll if you want to deviate from your default settings. This comes in handy when you opt to reveal results on poll close, but you would like to see your word cloud growing and changing as the votes are submitted. Or if you need a longer countdown timer for a tricky poll. When creating your poll, select the 'Use custom setting for this poll' option, and then decide if you would like to alter the question specific settings to:

• Display real-time results
• Automatically display the result when closing the poll
• Add an automatic countdown timer
• Change the countdown timer sound
• Set a specific time for the countdown timer
• Change the data labels to show the number of votes as a percentage, the actual number of votes, or a combination of both. 

These settings will also reflect in your Teams and PowerPoint integrations when using Vevox.