Whether a quiz is a success depends less on the technology than on the questions. A good question is clear, fair and just hard enough. With these seven tips, you'll write questions people are still talking about afterwards.
1. One question, one thing
Don't ask two things at once. "In which year and in which city were the first modern Olympic Games held?" is hard to answer with a single tap. Turn it into two questions, or pick one of the two.
Keep the question short too. On a big screen, nobody enjoys reading three lines of text while the clock is ticking.
2. Make the wrong answers believable
In a multiple-choice question, the sting is in the wrong answers. If one obviously right answer sits between three nonsense answers, everyone picks the right one. Choose wrong answers that come close: other cities in the same country, years just off the mark, names from the same era.
3. Vary the difficulty
Start each round with an easy question so everyone gets into it, and end with a tricky one. A good balance is roughly a third easy, a third medium and a third hard. Not sure how hard a question is? Afterwards, the report shows for each question what percentage got it right.
4. Choose the question type that fits the question
Not every question is a multiple-choice question. An estimate works better as a slider, an order as a puzzle and a location as a pin on a map. If you really want to know whether someone knows it, have them type the answer instead of choosing it. Varying the question types keeps the pace up. Not sure? Read which question type to use when.
5. Use images and sound
A photo, GIF or clip instantly makes a question more lively. Think of a detail from a famous painting, a logo without text or the first few seconds of a song. With step-by-step reveal, an image even becomes a game in itself: who recognises it first?
When you use a photo that isn't your own, don't forget to credit the source, and add a short description for anyone who can't see the image well.
6. Check your facts
Nothing is more annoying than an argument about an answer that's wrong. Check every question against a reliable source, and be careful with "the biggest", "the first" and "the only": facts like these sometimes change, or depend on how you count. If needed, make the question more precise: "according to your national statistics office" or "in 2025".
With Type answer, it helps to add a few variants that also count as correct, such as a name with and without the first name.
7. Play it through yourself
Play the whole quiz through once before the big night, ideally with someone who doesn't know the questions yet. You'll immediately notice which questions are too easy, which are unclear and whether the time per question is right. Twenty seconds is a good start for a multiple-choice question; give more time if there's a lot to read or if players have to type.
Bonus: a common thread
The best quizzes have a theme per round: music from the eighties, your own town, the team or this week's school subject. Put a slide with the title between rounds, so everyone knows what's coming.