Of all polling tools, response keypads are the most widely used and reliable. They are very simple to use and extremely easy to teach to others. Wireless keypads are also easy to install and are portable as long as they travel within the wireless network.

Here is a quick review of how response keypads are traditionally used in an audience polling survey. The keypads themselves are either handed out to each audience member as he or she enters, or is placed on the seats before they walk through the door. The company can assign each person a specific keypad's number (allowing demographic data and personal information to be attached to each answer) or choose to make the entire experience completely anonymous.

The average keypad has enough buttons to allow audience members to answer true/false, yes/no, multiple choice and prioritization rating questions. They usually have a set time to answer each question; however, if a mistake is made, the person can hit a special button expressing confusion or to request more time. Some response keypads have built-in cancel buttons to give people the option of retracting answers and inputting new ones.

Clipboard-Designed Response Keypads

Some museums, galleries, trade shows and conventions employ larger "clipboard" survey pads that can be taken along a tour or presentation and filled at one's own pace. Both multiple choice and sentenced answers can be filled out, as long as the clipboard features a full keyboard. A technician can then collect these keypads at the end of the tour and download all the data into a central computer base for further study.