Copilot PMF Survey — Design Doc

Status: Early prototype · Last updated: 2026-06-18

Problem

The current in-product Copilot PMF survey is a standard static form — radio buttons, dropdowns, and a submit button all visible at once. It looks like a web form, not a VS Code experience. Low engagement is expected because it doesn't feel native, the cognitive load is high (all questions visible), and dropdowns require extra clicks. We also want to avoid open-ended text fields to keep the data structured.

Solution

A single-page survey inside an editor tab — all three questions visible at once, no wizard steps or pagination. Wrapped in a mock VS Code editor tab chrome for realistic screenshots.

Questions

  1. PMF disappointment — 5-point Likert scale as a connected segmented control ("Not at all" → "Extremely"). Single select.
  2. Helped with most recently — 8 natural-language options covering key use cases (writing code faster, getting unstuck, multi-file edits, automation, codebase navigation, planning, code review). Single select with radio indicators. Responsively expands to 2-column grid.
  3. What gets in the way — 9 blocker options (trust, context, multi-step, overhead, speed, setup, security, pricing, nothing major). Multi-select with checkbox indicators. Same responsive 2-column grid.

Design choices

  • No open-ended questions — all structured responses for clean PMF data
  • No frequency question — can be derived from telemetry
  • Responsive option grids — long-text options flow into 2 columns at ≥520px
  • Editor tab wrapper — mock tab bar with inactive index.ts tab and active survey tab for realistic context

Open Questions

  1. Should the survey appear as a modal dialog, a notification toast, or an editor tab (like the current implementation)?
  2. Should we add a "skip" affordance per question, or keep it required to maintain data quality?
  3. Can the Likert scale be simplified to 3-point (not disappointed / somewhat / very) to reduce decision fatigue?
  4. Should we cap blocker selections (e.g., "pick up to 3") to force prioritization?