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!