Use the MaxDiff platform to specify the number of items that appear in a choice set and the number of choice sets to be presented to a respondent. A choice set is a collection of items from which a respondent must select an item that is most preferred (best item) and one that is least preferred (worst item).
The MaxDiff platform provides you with a single survey. If you have several respondents, you can administer the same survey to all respondents or construct a survey for each respondent.
The MaxDiff design is constructed to match the incidence matrix of a balanced incomplete block design as closely as possible. This implies that each pair of items occurs equally often in the design. If the number of choice sets allows a balanced incomplete block to be constructed for the specified number of items in a choice set, the design that is constructed is a balanced incomplete block design.
The items or profiles are considered to be the levels of the treatment factor. The choice sets are considered to be blocks. In a MaxDiff study, the block size is smaller than the number of treatments.