The following terminology is associated with choice designs:
• An attribute is a feature of a product.
• A profile is a specification of product attributes.
• A choice set is a collection of profiles.
• A survey is a collection of choice sets.
• A partial profile is a profile in a choice design where only a specified number of attributes are varied within each choice set. The remaining attributes are not varied.
In a discrete choice experiment, respondents are presented with a survey containing several choice sets. Choice sets usually contain only a small number of profiles to facilitate the decision process. Within each choice set, each respondent specifies which of the profiles they prefer. For example, attributes for a laptop experiment might include speed, storage, screen size, battery life, and price. Different combinations of these attributes comprise product profiles.
In cases where many attributes are involved, you can construct surveys where each choice set contains partial profiles. In a choice set with partial profiles, only a specified number of attributes are varied and the remaining attributes are held constant. This reduces the complexity of the choice task.