The participants' experience during an unmoderated usability test – Alida Help Center

Learn more about what it's like to be a participant in an unmoderated usability test.

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Need to get started with unmoderated usability testing fast? Check out our quick start guides:

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Participant Training - Digital Experience Testing Video

Need to show participants what to expect when they complete an unmoderated usability test? Download our how-to video and add it to the beginning of the survey using a Media Player element. Participants can view the video and learn how to complete an unmoderated usability test step by step.

At the start of the activity

Participants access the activity on desktop. They proceed through welcome messages and questions that precede the Recording action.

Note: If the unmoderated usability test doesn't have a Recording action, participants do not see the subsequent screens about preparing for their session and checking their microphone and camera. Instead, they start at the screens described in the Figma prototype and Website sections.
Participants see a "Preparing for your session" screen with tips.
If Camera Recording was selected on the Recording action, "Turn on your front camera for video recording" is displayed.

If Microphone Recording was selected on the Recording action, "Speak into the microphone" is displayed.

Participants are reminded to:
- Share the entire screen.
- Close unrelated tabs.
- Complete their task within 60 minutes.
Participants select the check box to give their consent (they cannot proceed unless they do). They click Next.
The participants' web browser informs them the site wants to use their cameras and microphones. Participants must select one of the Allow options to continue.
Participants review their microphone and camera settings. (This is a good time to make sure nothing embarrassing is appearing on camera.) A Great! message appears onscreen to let them know their camera and microphone are working. They click Next.
Participants are prompted to share their entire screen. If they have multiple screens, they need to pick one and click Share. (This is a good time to check if they are sharing sensitive information. They should also double-check that the screen they are sharing contains the browser tab with the usability testing activity.)
Participants will know screen sharing is successful when they see an Awesome! message. They click Next.

The next few steps vary depending on whether the participant is accessing a Figma prototype or a website.

Mobile participants

Mobile participants access the activity on their devices. If they don't have the Alida mobile app downloaded already, they are notified that the activity requires a mobile app.
Participants are prompted to download the app from the app store.
Once the app is downloaded successfully, participants open the activity in the Alida mobile app.
Participants proceed through welcome messages and questions that precede the Recording action.
When participants reach the Recording action, they see a Preparing for your session screen with tips.

If Camera Recording was selected on the Recording action, Turn on your front camera for video recording is displayed.

If Microphone Recording was selected on the Recording action, Speak into the microphone is displayed.

Participants are reminded to:
- Share the entire screen.
- Complete their task within 60 minutes.
- Turn off notifications that may interrupt the activity.
Participants select the check box to give their consent (they cannot proceed unless they do). They tap Next.
Participants' mobile devices ask for permission to access their microphone and camera, record their microphone and camera, and send notifications. They select Allow each time to continue.
A Great! message appears onscreen to let them know their camera and microphone are working. They tap Next.
The mobile app checks that screen recording is working and displays a Screen Recording Ready message.
Participants see a You're all set for the session! screen. They proceed to the usability task.

The next few steps vary depending on whether the participant is accessing a Figma prototype or a website.

Figma prototype

This is the part where participants complete the usability task. The Figma prototype loads onscreen. The task instructions are in the floating Task Instruction box on the right.
Participants interact with the prototype. While completing the task, at any time they can:
- Move the Task Instruction box by clicking the six dots in the upper left corner and dragging the box into place.
- Collapse the Task Instruction box by clicking the arrow in the upper right corner.
- Click Finish Task when they have completed the task, or if they are ready to move on.
If participants click Finish Task early, they are prompted to confirm. They can click Yes, Move on to proceed to the next survey page, or click No, Keep trying to stay on the Figma prototype.
Once participants successfully finish the task by reaching the end screen or the end of the path, the Task Instruction box updates to say Task Completed! They click Next to continue.

Website

This is the part where participants complete the usability task. They read the task instructions and then click Open in new tab.
The survey tab stays open. In the new browser tab, they complete the task they were asked to do. As they complete the task, they should be talking out loud and articulating their thought process. In this example, participants were asked to find information about career opportunities on the Alida website. Let's say the task is finished when they find or click "Join the Team."
Tip: Be clear in your question text about when participants should return to the survey tab.
Since participants are completing the task in a new browser tab, you need to give them a clear end point to indicate when they should switch back to the survey tab (for example, Once you're done exploring or you've been able to sign up to join, come back to this tab and click Next).

The question text should also cover a scenario in which participants are unsuccessful (for example, If you haven't been able to sign up to join within five minutes, please return to the survey and click Next). You want participants to return to the survey and let you know they were unsuccessful instead of just closing their browser tabs and being marked as incomplete.
Once they're finished, participants close the tab. They return to the survey tab. The survey tab has refreshed and now displays the task success question. Participants answer yes or no.

At the end of the activity

Participants answer any follow-up questions and click Next and proceed through the rest of the survey.
At the end of the survey, participants see a Recording upload in progress screen. This is when the session is processed and uploaded. Participants must keep the browser tab open until the processing is complete. If they close the tab before that, they will be marked incomplete for the session and the recording will not appear in reporting.

What happens to incomplete participants?

Participants are considered incomplete if they can't complete their tasks and follow-up questions within the 60 minutes following the Recording action. This can happen if they have trouble finishing everything, or if they walk away from the activity for a long time.

Incomplete participants can try the activity again. When they click the link, they resume the activity where the Recording action occurs.