What benefit do unmoderated user research studies have?
Q: What are unmoderated user research studies? What, if any, benefit do they provide over moderated studies?
A: In unmoderated studies...
People generally participate in their own environment, remotely, when they choose to participate, & on a platform that records their session
There are no moderators to guide them, & therefore no ability to pose follow up questions, gain additional context or troubleshoot issues
Focused, clearly written tasks are provided (vs. broader tasks or research questions)
Participants are often asked to think aloud (if the platform has recording capability)
The platform records everything in real-time
Learnings can help us understand how people think about, & interact with our product, & how & why they think that way
Unmoderated studies are generally shorter & more focused compared to moderated studies.
Testers are often recruited from the platform’s panel
Studies may require less planning and fewer logistics
Typically less expensive compared to moderated studies
Allow you to gather feedback from larger samples sizes that can be statistically relevant
Generally have a quicker turnaround compared to moderated UXR
Pro tip: Always pilot your studies before you launch them!