1. ETH Zürich
  2. D-ARCH
  3. IT Services Group
IT Services Group Department of Architecture

Particify: Online Voting, Polls and Quizzes

With Particify (particify.ethz.ch), ETH members run live votes, polls, quizzes and Q&A at meetings, hybrid conferences and lectures. Join by room number or QR code, no account needed.

What is Particify?

Particify (particify.ethz.ch) is the online voting tool and audience response system of the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich. Use it for live polls, votes, surveys, quizzes and question-and-answer sessions (Q&A) at meetings, conferences, lectures, workshops and symposia. It works on site, online and in hybrid settings: everyone votes on their smartphone, tablet or laptop, and the results appear in real time on the screen or in the video call.

Particify is the ETH-internal alternative to Mentimeter, Slido or Kahoot. It is based on the open-source software ARSnova and runs on servers at ETH Zurich. Data never leaves ETH and there are no licence fees. All members of ETH Zurich can create rooms with their ETH account; participating requires no account and is anonymous.

Participating in a vote

Participants need neither an account nor an app, just a browser:

  • Enter the room number: open particify.ethz.ch and type in the eight-digit room number shown on the screen.
  • Scan the QR code: the QR code in presentation mode leads straight into the room.
  • Open the link: the presenter can also share the room link by email or in the chat of the video call.

Participation is anonymous. For quizzes with a leaderboard, participants may choose a nickname.

Create a room

  1. Open particify.ethz.ch and click Login. Choose ETHZ and sign in with your ETH username and password. No separate account is needed.

  2. Click Create room and enter a name, for example the title of the meeting or event. You are taken straight into the new room.

  3. The room offers three tools: Q&A, Live Feedback and Question series. For a vote, create a question series (see below). Rooms are kept and can be reused for the next meeting.

    Particify: room overview with the tools Q&A, Live Feedback and question series (Mixed, Quiz, Survey, Flashcards) and the buttons Share and Present

  4. Share in the header gives you the room number, link and QR code for participants. Present opens presentation mode for the projector or screen sharing.

The three tools at a glance

ToolWhat it is for
Question seriesPrepared votes, surveys and quizzes with one or more questions. Types: Mixed, Quiz (with leaderboard and nicknames), Survey (no correct answers) and Flashcards. Questions can be released one by one, results shown live and exported afterwards.
Live FeedbackSpontaneous mood check without preparation: participants vote with emojis or A/B/C/D and the result appears immediately. Handy for «Is the pace okay?» or a quick decision between options.
Q&AParticipants ask questions anonymously and upvote the questions of others. You can answer posts, mark them as done, highlight them in the presentation or moderate them before publication.

Question series support these formats: multiple choice, yes/no, Likert scale (agreement, frequency, emoji, points), open question, short answer, word cloud, sort, prioritisation, find the number, plus slide and flashcard for information without voting. Questions and answers can be formatted with Markdown, images and LaTeX formulas.

Voting at a meeting or hybrid conference

  1. In the room, click Create question series, choose the type Survey and enter a name, for example «Votes department conference».

  2. Add the questions: for motions use Yes/No (with abstention as a third option: Multiple choice with Yes, No, Abstain), for choosing between several options Multiple choice or Prioritisation. Alternatively start from an existing template with Use template.

  3. At the start of the meeting, click Present and show the screen on the projector and, for hybrid meetings, via screen sharing in Zoom or Teams. The room number and QR code appear at the top left so everyone can join. The counter at the bottom left shows how many people are in the room.

  4. Release the question (key S or the control bar). Participants vote on their device and the answer count updates live. After stopping, show the result as a bar chart. Use the arrow keys to move to the next question.

  5. After the meeting, export the results from the menu of the question series for the minutes. Reset answers clears the question series for the next use.

Good to know

  • Anonymous, but not tied to a person: participation requires no login. Each person votes once per device and browser; eligibility is not checked. Particify is therefore not suitable for elections that require identity verification or a voter register.
  • Roles: in the room settings you can invite other ETH members as moderators, for example to look after the Q&A while you present.
  • Templates: question series can be published as templates and reused in other rooms; content can be exported and imported as CSV.
  • Data protection: Particify runs on ETH Zurich infrastructure and is operated by the IT group of the Department of Architecture. No data is passed on to third parties.
  • Manual: the vendor's detailed guide is available in the Particify manual.

If you have questions or need support for a larger event, contact the Service Desk.