What benefit do unmoderated user research studies have?

Unmoderated Pros and Cons.jpg

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!



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