Skip to main content

Purpose-built App Overview

Summary​

This guide highlights the what, why, and who of Purpose-built App Plugins, and provides links to additional relevant information.

What​

Purpose-built App (PBA) plugins enable you to combine Qualtrics features and custom functionality into a cohesive and simplified user experience. They are designed for Qualtrics teams and partners to create tailored applications that focus on specific user workflows, without exposing the full complexity of the platform.

Why​

Some Qualtrics users only require subsets of the Qualtrics platform to do their jobs. Purpose-built Apps reduce friction, increase efficiency, and provide custom functionality through a tailored, user-centered experience. This approach is particularly valuable when:

  • Reducing complexity: Users work with only a portion of the platform (e.g., dashboards, tickets, or feedback)
  • Improving efficiency: Streamlined interfaces help users accomplish their specific tasks faster
  • Enabling customization: Custom blocks and integrations extend Qualtrics capabilities for specialized workflows
  • Enhancing adoption: Focused applications lower the barrier to entry for less technical users

Use Cases​

Purpose-built Apps are ideal for a variety of scenarios:

  • Analytics-focused teams: A dashboard viewer app that displays only the reports and metrics relevant to a specific team
  • Support operations: A ticket management app that combines Qualtrics ticketing with custom workflow automation
  • Location-based insights: A location intelligence app that visualizes feedback and operational metrics by geographic region
  • Executive dashboards: High-level overviews that aggregate KPIs and trends for decision-makers
  • Customer feedback loops: Focused apps that allow end-users to view and respond to feedback in a simplified interface

Who​

Purpose-built Apps are built by:

  • Qualtrics Product Teams: Creating internal apps that streamline specific workflows across the Qualtrics platform
  • Qualtrics Partners: Developing specialized solutions for customers in their industry or use case
  • Enterprise Customers: Building custom apps tailored to their specific operational needs

Purpose-built Apps are deployed to:

  • End Users: Those who need focused access to specific Qualtrics functionality (e.g., dashboard viewers, ticket handlers)
  • Operators: Users managing locations, regions, or departments who need consolidated feedback and performance data
  • Administrators: Users configuring and maintaining purpose-built app instances within their Qualtrics account

Single-Instance and Multi-Instance Apps​

Purpose-built Apps can be configured in two ways:

  • Single-instance apps use the configuration defined directly in your Plugin's config.json file. Each brand gets a single configuration for the app.
  • Multi-instance apps (recommended) treat your Plugin as a template. Brand admins can create multiple independent app instances, each with its own configuration, branding, and access controls.

You should understand both options before you consider your app "done" and ready for production, and choose the one that best fits your requirements. See the Quickstart and Deep Dive for details on how to configure each option.

How​

Follow the instructions in this quickstart to get up and running with a Purpose-built App Plugin!

Recommended Content​

Continue your Purpose-built App Plugin journey by completing these guides: