The history of quizzes: from newspaper crosswords to interactive online tests
Quizzes have long gone beyond entertainment. Today it is one of the most flexible marketing tools that helps to collect applications, segment the audience and increase engagement. But before quizzes became digital, they came a long way — from paper crosswords to interactive solutions with logic, design and integrations.
Let's look at how quizzes developed, when they became part of the sales funnel, and why they remain relevant even in the era of neural networks and autoworks.
From paper quizzes to TV shows
The first forms of quizzes appeared long before computers. At the beginning of the 20th century, newspapers began publishing crosswords, and magazines began publishing "find out who you are" style tests. These were simple but engaging formats that quickly caught the attention of readers.
Later, TV and radio quiz shows appeared. They added an element of excitement: it was necessary not only to answer, but to do it faster than others. Projects like "What? Where? When?" or "Own game" became widespread, but the format remained the same: question — option — result. The goal was engagement, interest, and emotional response.
The Internet and the first online quizzes
With the spread of the Internet, quizzes quickly moved to browsers. In the early 2000s, simple tests began to appear on websites and blogs, most often entertaining: "What kind of cartoon character are you?", "What profession suits you?" or "Guess the capital by the flag."
Technically, these were simple HTML or Flash forms. They contained almost no logic, but they spread through social networks and forums due to their virality. People were willing to share the results, which ensured an influx of traffic.
At this stage, quizzes were used primarily as content rather than a sales or marketing tool.
Quizzes as part of a marketing funnel
By the mid-2010s, the business began to consider quizzes not only as a way to entertain the user, but also as a channel for data collection and lead generation. The format remains the same: a chain of questions with a final screen, but the goals have changed.
Now the quiz could select the product according to the parameters, filter out the unsuitable audience, collect applications or identify needs. They have become especially actively used in e-commerce, education, services, real estate and b2b spheres.
Companies began to realize that it was easier for a person to answer 4-5 simple questions than to fill out a long form or immediately call the sales department. The quizzes became the entry point into the funnel.
What modern quizzes can do
Today, a quiz is not just a survey. This is a logical, thoughtful scenario, designed in accordance with the corporate identity, adapted to mobile devices and integrated into business processes.
Modern quizzes:
- they work according to complex logic (forks, conditions for showing steps, filtering by responses);
- supports personalization of the final screen and results;
- they integrate with CRM, messengers, email and analytics;
- They are adapted to mobile devices and do not require the installation of applications.;
- they are assembled without programming — right in the browser.
Platforms like QForm allow you to create such quizzes in 15-30 minutes. The user gathers the structure, adjusts the logic, appearance, connects the integration — and gets a working tool that can be embedded on the site or in a pop-up.
What's next: quizzes as an element of automation
Quizzes ceased to be a separate element and became part of a full-fledged system. Today, they don't just collect a contact, but immediately classify the lead, tell them where to send it, transfer the profile to CRM and launch automatic communication.
This approach is especially useful in complex niches where prequalification is required: training, consulting, medicine, construction. The scenario might look like this:
The user answers questions → gets a personal result → leaves contacts → data is automatically sent to the desired department → a manager or bot is connected → work begins.
All this is possible thanks to the development of no-code platforms, including QForm, where a quiz is not just a template, but a custom tool for a specific business scenario.
Conclusion
Over the past hundred years, quizzes have gone from paper crosswords and quiz shows to powerful digital tools. And at the same time, the essence remains the same — to ask the right questions and engage the user.
The only difference is that the quiz is now part of the funnel, an automation element, and a convenient communication format. And it can be created not by a developer, but by a marketer or manager using flexible, visual platforms.
Interest in quizzes does not fade, because they work: they help to understand the client, keep their attention and lead to the necessary action. The main thing is to use them consciously and taking into account the business objectives.